The St. Louis High School cross country team ended its season on a high note Saturday, Nov. 4, at Michigan International Speedway at the state meet. The team ended the day incredibly, with the boys taking state runner-up and the girls taking 21st place.
There were some stand-out runners at the meet as well, including both Landon Pestrue and Ben March. Both boys earned All-State honors. For March, this was his fourth all-state medal, becoming the first four-year all-state runner in program history. Pestrue also took all-state, earning it for the second year in a row. March ended the race in 14th place and Pestrue ended in 10th.
The boys team was ranked eighth going into the race, but ended as state runner up, which is a huge accomplishment. Their coach, Jay PuffPaff, couldn’t be prouder.
“I’m extremely proud of our athletes,” shared the coach. “They believed in the process, believed in themselves, and believed in each other and were able to accomplish an incredible feat!”
It’s a good sign when not only is the coach proud, but the runners are too. March stated, “I’m very proud of the team. The team, going in, was seated eighth, and we ended up in second. That’s a massive win from a great team.”
March’s fellow all-state runner Pesture shared a similar sentiment. “I’m proud of my teammates,” the junior shared. “It’s amazing that we were able to get second place when we were ranked eighth.”
Clearly, being able to secure the position of runner-up at the state meet is something that all of the team can agree upon as a strong highlight of the day. With the mentality of the cross country team, it’s no surprise that the team was able to achieve the position of runner-up at the meet. At the end of the season, it’s clear that the team spent a lot of time “sharpening the ax,” and all that hard work paid off.
