As fall sports are wrapping up, eight cross country athletes crossed the finish line once more this season.

All seven boys on the varsity team qualified for State ready to put forth all of their effort as this has not occured since the 2015 season.

“[The whole team qualifying] definitely had a lot more of a team affect. You felt like we were going out there, and your brothers would be out there supporting you,” said senior cross country captain Sam Hubert.

This meet is what the boys had trained to accomplish starting from summer conditioning; their commitment has paid off.

“We ran all season training with our coach, so we were set up for success, and we did just that,” sophomore runner Carson Sturdy said.

Sturdy, who moved to De Soto before the 2018-19 school year from Ames, Iowa, blended in quick and followed through with a fantastic season.

“I was working out all summer with the team so I knew most of them,” Sturdy said.

With hard work paying off, Sturdy finished second overall for the Wildcats, and 20th at State with a time of 16:46.

“As a team we ran really well, and I think personally I ran a pretty good season” Sturdy said.

Leaving De Soto High School, Hubert finished first for the Wildcats and second overall in the 5A Kansas State race with a time of 15:53 for five kilometers.

“I’m really pretty happy with it, even though I came up short on the title this year,” Hubert said. “I did my absolute best, and I put everything out on the line this year and I ran my hardest race I’ve ever had to run.”

Hubert is proud of his accomplishments and was glad to finish his last race in a positive way, despite struggling with hamstring soreness.

“Physically and mentally, [State was] the worst pain I’ve experienced during a race,” Hubert said.

On race day, many emotions rushed through the bunch, as they all wanted to perform to their full potential.

“I was actually surprisingly calm. The week leading up to the race I had had some hamstring tightness, so dealing with a sort of minor injury and not knowing if I’d really be able to run very well at all,” Hubert said. “Being able to wake up on the morning of the race and feel generally good was a relief anyway.”

With the season officially over, the team already has high hopes for next season.

“We have some big goals in mind; hopefully to get up on the podium as a team, and a couple of us individually,” Sturdy said.

Hubert left behind some words of wisdom for next year’s squad as he has completed his high school career.

“I think that consistency in training and holding your teammates accountable is going to be key for the team as a whole to be successful,” Hubert said.

Completing yet another year of fall activities, the cross country team’s effort paid off competing at State.