Although the Raiders did not qualify for State, the team can take many positives from the Region Meet on Saturday, November 1, 2013 at Boling Park in Canton.
Junior Owen McDaniel (18th, 17:17) – who led the Raiders to the finish line – and Junior Alec Nathan (47th, 18:26) significantly improved their times from a year ago. McDaniel dropped his time by :31 seconds and improved his finishing place by 10 spots; Nathan dropped his time by :12 seconds. McDaniel and Nathan will provide a rock-solid foundation for next year's team effort to make it back to the State Meet.
Senior co-captain Simeon Ike (49th, 15:30) delivered his best race of the year; he provided the necessary leadership on race day while continuing his steady personal improvement. Junior Adil Rarbaje (58th, 19:14) and Sophomores Mark Shutley (59th, 19:27) and Bayne Jarvis (65th, 20:03) all improved throughout the year, ran well in the Region Meet, and gained significant meet experience for next year.
With several leading runners returning and several JV runners poised to make the transition to the Varsity level, the outlook for next year is very bright. The loss of Seniors Sam Morris, Simeon Ike, Sam Herrigel and Ryan Horn to graduation will leave some big shoes to fill -- and an opportunity for some younger runners to step up and contribute.