Dogies are runners up

Sonja Karp
NLJ Sports Reporter
 
The Dogie Cross Country squad finished off their conference season with a second place finish at the Regional meet in Douglas last Friday. Meanwhile, the Lady Dogies were finally able to field a team in order to score at all for the first time this season at the meet.
Head coach Kathy Beehler was pleased with the effort both of her teams put forth after an admittedly difficult season of nagging injuries and inclement weather.
“The biggest regret and greatest disappointment is if we leave the course with anything left to give,” she began. “I can say with the utmost certainty, that every one of our kids gave everything they had when the race was finished.”
The Dogies headed into the Conference meet with hopes of bringing home the title. However, with the injury to Tristan Troftgruben, the squad’s lead runner, that kept him out of the running for four weeks, and an injury that sidelined Carson Bock who is the team’s second finisher last week, left them at a disadvantage against a solid Worland crew.
“I felt like even with all of our injuries, we had some people really step up and do a really good job,” Beehler declared. “Avery [Chick] and Bridger [Alishouse] ran a great race and were extremely competitive.”
Bock was the first Dogie to cross the finish line in 10th place which earned him the honor of being named to the All-Conference team. Chick was just behind Bock in 13th and Alishouse followed in 17th. 
Zach Purviance was next in 19th, Troftgruben was 21st, Jacob Rhoades finished in 29th and Mathew Drake closed it out for the team in 34th.
“It was really exciting to watch Carson run, and was so fun to see him finish in the top ten,” Beehler exclaimed. “Tristan was a little disappointed in his finish, but I was amazed that he ran so well after being out for half the season.”
Beehler went on to note that the Douglas course is about 35 to 40 seconds slower than Spearfish so in comparing the times from the two, she and her runners were pretty happy with their times.
“What was really impressive was how hard all of the guys ran in order to compete for the team,” Beehler smiled. “This is what it’s all about. All of the runners digging down and giving everything they have for their team. Even if it doesn’t turn out the way you want it to, you can’t ask for more if you left it all on the course. Every kid was on board and did just that.”
The Lady Dogies ended up finishing last as a team, however the fact that they put up a team score for the first time this season was a definite win for the squad.
“It was just awesome to have all five girls racing,” Beehler beamed. “They were competitive, trying to pass people and get in better positions and there wasn’t a single one who at the end of the race had anything left to give. That is a great feeling and we walked away with our heads held high because we did the best we could do.”
A healthy Dogie and Lady Dogie squad will head to far off Star Valley at 5 a.m. on Friday morning for the state meet. The course is a challenging one at 8,000 feet and is likely to be sporting some snow, but fortunately all teams running will be facing the same conditions.
The 3A boys race will begin at noon on Saturday, and the 3A girls are scheduled to race at 1:30.