By TYLER HENRY
Salina Post contributor
Last week, the SES boy’s and girls’ cross country teams each took home the top spot at the Halstead Invitational for the first time since the first meet of the season.
This week, the teams did it again in a show of pure dominance at the Riley County Invitational, combining to score 57 points which would still have been good enough to win either race.
The girl’s team finished their day with 23 points, a full 38 ahead of Sacred Heart in a field of seven teams.
Southeast was anchored by a 1-2 finish from Jentrie Alderson, who took home the gold with a time of 19:07.84, and Abby Commerford.
It was also a triumphant return to the varsity squad for Ashley Prochazka, who has been dealing with injury throughout the season.
Prochazka finished seventh with Joni Schroeder not far behind in ninth. Cali Augustine, Sadie Franklin and Brookelyn Adams all finished inside the top 15 in 11th, 14th and 15th respectively.
It was an equally dominant day for the Trojan boy’s team, who wrapped up the invitational with just 34 points, nearly twice as good as Council Grove in a field of 11 teams.
SES finished with a race win and accounted for four of the top five, led by Dylan Sprecker whose time of 16:22.43 saw him cross the line in first.
Damion Jackson, Levi Allen, and Joel Kejr stuck together throughout the race and came home to finish third, fourth, and fifth respectively ahead of Cayden Walker who finished just outside the top ten in eleventh.
Nakari Morrical-Palmer wrapped things up in 13th with Drake Augustine keeping the whole team in the top 20 in 17th.
In their final race of the season, the JV teams put on a show with the girls locking out each of the top seven spots and the boys taking the top six and eighth.
The Trojans now enter their championship defense as they travel to Downs for the NCAA League meet on October 14th.
For more on both teams throughout the postseason stay tuned to the Salina Post.
Photo courtesy of Brandy Felzien