By TYLER HENRY
Salina Post contributor
The Southeast of Saline cross country teams have flown out of the gates in 2022, collecting six first-place and two second-place finishes through the first four meets.
“We’re excited with where we’re at but we still have room for improvement and we’re not going to rest on our morals,” SES head coach Wade Caselman said. “We understand that we have to keep working hard every day in practice to be where we want to be at the end of the season.”
On the boy’s side, the Trojans have won all four meets in 2022 and will enter the home stretch of the season ranked #2 in Class 3A behind last year’s state champs in Wichita Trinity.
The boy’s team has been anchored by Levi Allen, Damion Jackson, and the dynamic duo of Brayden and Cayden Walker, who have all put in strong performances throughout the season.
“Our time gap on the guy's side from our first to our fourth runner is really good,” Caselman said. “Cayden was an alternate for our state runner-up team last year and he really put in the miles over the summer. All his hard work has really paid off for us.”
While the Lady Trojans have split their results between first and second-place finishes, it’s worth noting that SES has been the fastest 3A school at every meet, taking second only to ranked Great Bend (5A) and #1 Eudora (4A).
Southeast remains the #1 team in Class 3A on the girl’s side thanks to a mix of veterans like Ashley Prochazka and stellar underclassmen like Abby Commerford, Breckyn Alderson, and Cali Augustine.
“Our girls have slightly bigger time gaps but they’re running very well and we’ve been pleased with what we’ve seen,” he said. “We’re going to work to narrow those gaps in the coming weeks.”
While the veteran returners were a known quantity coming into the season, both SES teams have gotten a big boost from phenomenal freshmen like Jacob Bircher, Abby Commerford, and Breckyn Alderson.
“Our freshmen have really stepped up for us this season and they’ve helped us get to where they are right now,” Caselman said. “They put in a lot of miles over the summer and they’ve transitioned well with the distance change from junior high to high school.”
Southeast also hasn’t missed a step despite graduating both of last year’s individual state champions in Dylan Sprecker and Jentrie Alderson, which has created a new dynamic within the team.
“The competition at the top of our lineups has added a level of competition in practice and I never know from week to week who our number one runner is going to be,” he said. “It’s all friendly competition between teammates but they’ve really pushed each other to be better each and every week.”
With Wichita Trinity ranked #1 ahead of the boys and #2 behind the girls, it looks like the battle for Class 3A will once again be one for the ages between the Trojans and Knights.
“It’s going to take a little bit of luck and everyone running to the best of their abilities but I really think we have a shot and we believe that we can win two state championships this year,” Caselman said.
Both teams will be back in action at the Halstead Invitational on Thursday with a high school start time of 4:30.
For continuing coverage of SES Cross Country, stay tuned to the Salina Post.