Courtesy photo
The second-place Berthoud High School boys varsity cross country team after their race in Colorado Springs on Oct. 28.

By Kristi Leonard
The Surveyor

“Everyone handled their business today,” Jordan Jennings said, commending a strong performance by all of Berthoud High School’s cross-country runners. Led by senior Tate Bothun, the varsity boys cross country team finished second overall at the state cross country meet in Colorado Springs on Oct. 28. Bothun finished third individually with a time of 16:01.2. It was the best finish in program history for both the team and for an individual.

Another first was achieved by sophomore Cameron Clark who was the first Spartan athlete to take part in the unified cross-country race, placing second overall. On the girls side, Jaycee Williams finished in eighth place to earn All-State honors, while junior Sydney Slauson placed 18th.

The first Berthoud harrier to run was Clark as Spartan fans eagerly cheered him on to a second-place finish in the unified race. Keeping a good pace and remembering his coaching, Clark’s podium finish is the result of daily training with the cross-country team this season. “It is really cool for the kids to see how cool running is. How everyone can be included,” explained Jennings. “We were thrilled watching Cameron get second.” The unified race has continued to grow throughout the years and included athletes from ten schools this year.

Shortly after the unified race, it was time for the 3A boys cross-country race. The Berthoud boys team had not been mentioned as a top-five team before the meet, but Spartan coaches and runners had other ideas.

“This summer, I told Tate (Bothun) this is going to be your toughest cross country season,” Jennings revealed. “Regionals were tough on him, (finishing sixth) but he knows his body. He’s got a gift there,” Jennings said in praise.

Many would have counted Bothun out of a top finish, especially since Bothun was in 21st place after the first mile. However, by the second mile, he had moved up to 11th place. “Coming out of the woods with 600 meters left, he was not in great position. He turned on the gas going up the final hill. I have to give him credit for his ability to change gears at that point in the race! He has God-given talents. He can go to that gear and a lot of guys can’t,” Jennings commented on Bothun’s strong finish in the state cross-country race to capture third place. And importantly, he beat everyone who had beaten him at regionals. His time of 16:01.02 was also the fastest time recorded at the state meet by a Spartan. It was also the fastest 5K time Bothun has ever run in Colorado.

Berthoud cross country lives and dies by the understanding that every person on the team has an important role in every race. Each runner is responsible for beating their opponents’ runners in similar positions. At the state meet, the Classical Academy from Colorado Springs proved to be too strong for the Spartans this year, but Berthoud bested rival Frontier Charter Academy of Greeley, who won regionals the week before.

Bothun beat Frontier Academy’s top runner, Darren Hayden and junior Scott Clark beat the second-best runner, Kalid Fanning, at Frontier Academy with a 12th-place finish. However, Frontier Academy’s next runner, Matthew Hayden beat out Berthoud senior Afton Cooper for the third spot.

It looked like Frontier Academy would beat out the Spartans for second place in the team competition when their runner, Andrew Marr, crossed the line 11 seconds ahead of Berthoud’s Aiden Malherbe. However, right behind Malherbe was teammate, Ben Clopper. The two sophomores charged to the finish line in 27th and 28th place, securing the second-place team title for the Spartans. If it had come to a tie, Eric Mellott would have put it away by finishing 58th, well ahead of Frontier Academy’s sixth runner who placed 85th. Brady Fenderson was the final finisher for the Spartans in 109th place.

Berthoud had two girls qualify for the state cross country competition, senior Jayce Williams and junior Sydney Slauson. Racing for the fourth time in her high school career, Williams was more than familiar with the course, but began more conservatively than in the past, running just under six minutes for the first mile. Slauson had Williams in her sights, following five seconds behind her. In the second mile, Williams tested herself, moving up to her eventual eighth-place finishing spot. Slauson won a three-girl sprint in the final 600 meters to finish in 18th place. Williams’ top-ten finish was a personal victory after facing surgery, illness and injuries this year.

“Jaycee did a great job. She has been stringing weeks of training together, being healthy. This was a great way to end the cross country season,” applauded Jennings. “Syd ran well. She put herself in position to be successful. This is a good segway, moving forward to track,” stated Jennings.

After a successful cross-country season, members of the team will travel to Arizona for the Nike Cross Regionals Southwest meet on Nov. 18 to test themselves against the best runners in the region.