Districts: Faraway, So Close
Takeaways from a tough finish to the season that could birth a promising future.
“You can write a narrative in your head and spin yourself down a negative path and beat yourself up and second-guess and go back, but what's true is you made what you thought was the best decision in the moment and then you leave it behind."
-Stephen Vogt, Manager of the Cleveland Guardians after a playoff loss
During summer conditioning us coaches met with the seniors to discuss the season ahead. There were goals bandied about, individual and team goals. There were hopes shared and expectations communicated. It was a team with burgeoning confidence in what they were building in themselves and each other throughout the summer.
As a first-time coach, I was encouraged by the conversation and outlook. Over a half-dozen seniors, from diverse backgrounds and experiences, coming together to make the upcoming season memorable and successful. The future seemed bright.
The season has been memorable and successful, but not in the ways we thought back at that post-practice summer meeting. The future is still bright, but the light today is revealing some things that may not have been apparent before.
In this post…
Boys Varsity at Districts and responding to adversity
Lily Nass and finishing so close to State qualification
Boys Junior Varsity and how Chuck represents the best of it
Fartleks (quick notes about All-Academic XC, Homecoming, and more)
Boys Varsity
The ride home from Districts was quiet except for the nearly 40 mph wind gusts blasting the bus and finding every nook and cranny to whistle through. Us coaches sat in the front, wind blown and covered in a light film of dust, reflecting on the day’s race and the season that was.
One of the goals we had was for the Boys Varsity team to qualify for the State XC Championship. That didn’t happen as the boys finished 4th in their district race. (Top three teams in each of the four Class A district races qualify for State XC.)
Head Coach Steve Satterly started the discussion amongst us coaches about the team, the results, and if we somehow missed something. He felt for the team, and like any good coach he wants to know if missed something because he wants to be better. Better for those he is tasked with leading.
We came to the conclusion we did the best we could with the information we had on hand at the time.
Back when we met with the seniors we had no idea the team’s top two returning runners (Liam Murphy, Dillon Birge) would deal with health issues that would affect their season. Dillon would miss the entire season due to injury. It wasn’t an overtraining injury. He wasn’t putting himself at risk. Sometimes injuries happen and there is nothing you can do. Liam competed with pneumonia for most of the season. It wasn’t diagnosed until after the third meet, and then a little over a week later he was diagnosed with “vocal cord dysfunction” (VCD). VCD affects athletes’ oxygen intake when they are competing, which affected Liam’s races and practices. We knew something was going on, but until the diagnosis we were guessing. VCD is treatable, but by the time we learned of what was ailing Liam, along with recovering from pneumonia, he could not catch up to his running peers.
We knew the Districts race would be difficult, but we were confident in the team. If the team raced their best, and with a little luck, the pathway was there still to qualify as a team for the State XC Championship. The team had responded well to adversity and health issues throughout their season and careers. Liam was regaining his health and running strong. Logan Wiseman had a good season after not competing in two years. Freddy Rubio-Acosta was the healthiest he had been in his high school career. Braxton Logeman had put together some of his best races while also recovering from an injury in a different sport. Brayden Pickett was battling through a lingering ankle injury, but feeling good coming off of playing summer baseball for Burke. Kirk Pulliam, our 400m state medalist who prefers sprints to distance (understandably), was racing well. A number of the boys were sick leading up to Districts, but they felt ready. The only varsity runner who seemed not to be dealing with much of anything with their running was Duncan Murphy, who started running in the spring of 2023.
The varsity boys competed hard, but in the end it wasn’t enough. Even with a fully healthy Liam and Dillon there would be no guarantees of qualifying for State. Without those two at their best, the odds were not in our favor. The three teams that qualified for State from our District, Lincoln North Star, Lincoln Southwest, and Grand Island, ran great and more than earned their trip to State. (I gamed out a hypothetical District race with Liam running a 16:15 and Dillon running a 16:42. 16:42 being Liam’s junior year District time. Even with those times Burke is still in 4th place.)
While not near his best, Liam’s health recovered enough for him to finish 13th at Districts and qualify as an individual to compete at the State XC Championship. (The Top 15 individuals in each District race qualify to run at State regardless if their team qualifies or not.) This will be Liam’s third year in a row of running at State. A post will be forthcoming about the season that was for him.
We were happy for Liam, but as coaches we felt for the team. The season goes by in the blink of an eye. The dog days of summer conditioning seem from a different season. The seniors that hoped for a chance to run at State were now coming to terms with their high school cross country careers being over.
What transpired over the season didn’t seem fair, but as coaches we were proud of how so many on the team responded to their collective and individual trials. The Varsity Boys overcame a lot to even be in position to qualify for State. That’s one of the memories I have of this team, and of these seniors. They battled. They competed. Being involved with this program now for four seasons I’m fortunate to know a number of these runners. I know their stories. I know their contexts. I know what they carry with them each day to practice. I’m proud of them. I wish they had the tangible recognition, the symbolism, of a state qualification, but I hope they see and understand how they lived and competed will set them up for greater success in the future. As we learned this season, nothing is guaranteed, but the odds will be in their favor if they continue to live, practice, and compete like they have this season.
Lily Nass
During summer conditioning I started writing down notes about the team and individuals. Part of the reason for doing this is it reminds me to check in with every runner, which is easier to do during the summer. Here’s what I wrote about Lily Nass on July 24.
Lily (6 miles) is running well. Have had more conversations with her, and she has a real interest in the details with running. Coming off yesterday where we discussed Pioneers Park, and today just talking about running in general and getting more people to come out, she is locking in. She apologized for missing a recent practice due to an orthodontist appointment she wasn’t aware of. Told her not to worry, and thanked her for letting us know.
Lily was one of the few runners to show up to summer conditioning consistently. There were a number of mornings where she was the only runner from the girls team showing up. She’d be dropped off half asleep wearing crocs, but then she’d lace up her running shoes and run without complaint.
Us coaches were optimistic about the season for her because we saw the work she was putting into it. Not only that, she was willing to be coached and challenged. She would respond well and keep pushing herself.
She started off the season with a PR and kept getting faster. In seven of her races this season she ran PRs in five of them. Her fastest race, her best race, was the District race at Pioneers Park. (When I reviewed my summer notes I smiled when I read Lily and I discussed the Pioneers Park course.)
Lily may have had the best performance by a Burke runner at Districts. Despite the course and conditions, she beat her previous PR by 26 seconds. She did everything right with the race and could not have run it better. Unfortunately, it wasn’t enough as she finished 16th and missed out on qualifying for State by 6 seconds.
Us coaches lamented her missing out on State on the bus ride back home. The next time we were together we again processed our mixture of joy (Lily running her best race to date) and disappointment (Her missing state qualification by one spot) over her District race.
Back in the summer I remember talking to Lily about Districts and State one morning at summer conditioning. The possibility of even being in position to qualify for State seemed far-fetched to her. Now? She knows she belongs.
For an underclassmen who is the number one runner on the girls team, sometimes practices with the boys by herself, ran five PRs, and a Metro All-Academic XC Team recipient? It’s an amazing season even without the State qualification. She will be a great runner, and leader, for the team in the years to come.
Boys Junior Varsity & Chuck Pella
This is one of my favorite images I have from four years of capturing photos and video. The photos is from the 2021 Central Invite and it’s Burke’s Boys JV in an unguarded moment. Somewhat hidden in the second row are Kirk Pulliam and Braxton Logeman, two of the Boys Varsity runners this season. Did you know that Kirk did not break 21:00 his freshman year?
More often than not, a varsity runner starts their high school cross country journey on the junior varsity circuit. Having been involved with Burke XC for four seasons now, it’s enjoyable watching the JV improve over the years. This season may have been the best yet as far as improvement.
There are a lot of Burke JV runners to highlight, but let’s talk about sophomore Charles “Chuck” Pella.
Earlier this month, Coach Satterly asked Chuck to stand with him after practice as he addressed the team. A year ago, Chuck started running by joining the cross country team. As a freshman, he ran a 39:11 at the time trial. His first race was a 33:16 and he finished last.
Chuck always had a good attitude at practice and showed up to encourage his teammates at meets even if he wasn’t running. The team saw that and were quick to encourage him once he started racing. (Us coaches always encourage and support the JV runners, but when their teammates are there for them it makes a huge difference.)
Chuck’s second race? He was the last to finish out of 211 boys in the Lincoln North Star Boys JV race. Then it was on to the Metro Conference Boys JV race where he finished 317th out of 328 runners. However, Chuck broke 30:00 for the first time that day. I remember a number of his teammates cheering because he broke 30:00 and finished ahead of a few other runners.
His freshman season average was 31:45. This year? He is averaging 21:20 with a PR of 19:57. Yes, Chuck’s average time has dropped over ten minutes.
Oh, and when he broke 20:00 at the Millard West Invite?
Chuck epitomizes the Burke XC culture and work ethic. He shows up for summer conditioning, practices hard, doesn’t take any reps off during workouts, and is a positive and supportive teammate. Chuck is also a reflection of numerous JV runners who have made massive gains this season.
Last season, only thirteen runners broke 22:00 in a race the entire season. This season, nineteen runners on the boys teams are averaging sub 22:00 times over the course of the season. Twenty-four of them have broken 22:00 in a race. Eight of the runners averaging sub 22:00 are underclassmen, and three more underclassmen have broken 22:00 this season.
Burke XC Boys are they deepest they have been since before the pandemic. And, the underclassmen are a fun group to be around. I mean, what can you do but smile when Chuck gets ready to race this season by flashing motor oil at you.
Fartleks
Burke had five student athletes make the Metro All-Academic XC Team this year: Liam Murphy, Braxton Logeman, Brayden Pickett, Ethan Fredericks, and Lily Nass. To qualify a runner needs to have an unweighted GPA of at least 3.8 and run varsity at the Metro Conference XC race.
Since 2021, Burke XC has thirteen different student athletes qualify for the Metro All-Academic XC Team.
The lack of rain has made some of the courses dry and rock hard. This was evident before the Varsity Girls District race when a gust of wind kicked up dust in front of the runners. A stunning contrast to early in the season when we weren’t sure Walnut Grove would be ready for the Burke Invite after the July 31st storms.
We are grateful to have another Homecoming King on Burke XC this school year. Liam Murphy joins his former teammate, Reed Emsick, as Homecoming King. Jason Irwin was the Prom King his senior year (2022). Us Coaches appreciate that our student athletes are highly regarded by their classmates.
I don’t know if the team understands how good they have it with Head Coach Steve Satterly and Assistant Coach Anna Schlagenhauff. Both of them ran collegiately, and have been coaching a long time. “Coach Schlag” was leading the team through some cool down stretches before Districts, and it hit me how good the team has it with these two coaches. (To be fair, I DID win my age division in The Indie 5K back in 2019 where my reward was a Benson themed pint glass and a cup of beer. Right up there with those two.)
Even though the cross country season is nearing its end, I will keep writing, producing videos, and posting all things about Burke distance running. There are a few more posts I want to finish writing, and I have a few videos I’d like to edit and produce about the season.
After the runners take their break, and they need that two weeks time off so their bodies and minds can heal and refresh, we’ll start looking ahead to off-season conditioning for spring track. Yes, the track discussions have started. (Some runners may have jumped the gun with them!)