MHS cross country will learn and grow with young team

 The Marion cross-country team will be led by these returning letter-winners and seniors: (from left) Quinton Hett, Jared Hague, McKenzee Remmers, Timothy Knolla. Expect a season of learning and growth for the Marion cross country team this year.

The Warrior boys qualified for Class 3A state as a team last year and finished eighth. They were led by Jordan Hett, who placed sixth with a time of 16 minutes, 45.50 seconds.

Marion graduated four of the seven athletes from last year?s state-qualifying boys? team, including Hett. Third-year coach Rebecca Hofer anticipates a year of rebuilding.

?The boys? team lost many of the varsity runners due to seniors graduating,? she said. ?So we will be having a rebuilding year as those empty team spaces will be filled with freshmen.?

Three state qualifiers return: senior Timothy Knolla, who placed 50th in 18:31.90; senior Jared Hague (98th, 21:13.50); and junior Quinton Hett (99th, 21:25.60).

?I believe that they will all be contributors to this next season,? Hofer said of the trio.

The Warrior girls, meanwhile, will field a team this year comprised of many newcomers.

?This year we will have a girls? team, something that we have not had in several years,? Hofer said.

?However, many of the girls are new to the sport of cross country, and still are developing their long-distance running skills. I am excited to see how they improve throughout the season.?

Hofer expects McKenzee Remmers to contribute.

?She will be a sophomore, but she ran very strong last year as a freshman,? she said.

Looking ahead to league competition, Hofer said: ?It is hard for me to predict the potential placement of the teams due to the fact that so many of the runners will be new to the team, or new to high school varsity competition.

?I am looking at this upcoming season as a learning and growing season, as this large group of new runners grow in their abilities and skills,? she said.

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