Warriors show they are among 3A's best in Ethete

WORLAND — The Chief Nation Invitational in Ethete on Sept. 9 served as a state preview of sorts, allowing runners to get a feel for the state course come October. Along with seeing the layout of the state course, last week showed that the Warriors are among the top teams in 3A.

The meet in Ethete was scored differently than usual, with the top four runners counting toward a team’s score rather than the top five. The Warriors finished fourth with 81 points. Third was 4A Natrona County with 64 points, second was 3A Mountain View with 50 points, and first was 4A Star Valley with 47 points.

“We’re coming along, and like we always say, it was a great day to be a Warrior,” said WHS cross-country coach Tanya Kienlen. “It was great to see teams like Mountain View, who we don’t get to see a lot of but is a really strong team. Our boys have their eyes looking toward them, knowing they’re strong competition. It was also a confidence booster in that we ran against some 4A schools, and we got to be competitive with them.”

Seeing where they stand among the 3A teams was a confidence booster for the Warriors and also a motivator. While the Warriors are in the mix for the more converted hardware, several teams are vying for the same claim. Mountain View is the top team in 3A, but there’s also Cody and Evanston, among others, to deal with.

Ethete also showed how important Worland’s pack running will be throughout this season.

“We are pod running in practice and pushing each other. There should be no reason to be alone in a race because teammates will help push you through. Our JV runners, boys and girls, got us started off strong, and we just built confidence from there.

“Mile two to three was tough. We worked hard on implementing new strategies and making a move on that stretch without spectators. They executed that incredibly, and that made the difference for us. They also realize the value of their teammates in these races. It’s going to be a dogfight on the 3A side,” said Kienlen.

On the Lady Warriors side, Zena Tapia returned from injury and finished eighth with a time of 20:43.30. Isaira (22:13.30) and Sarai Matamoros (23:55.80) also posted their best times of the season; Nyssa Leyva continues to improve with each race.

“She has no fear, and she likes to get out and stay up with that front pack. She’s done a great job at using the runners next to her and then making her move when she’s ready. She’s already an experienced runner,” said Kienlen. “Isaira and Sarai [Matamoros] both had huge [personal records]. That’s exciting for them as two seniors. Nyssa [Leyva] has really embraced everything we do and continues to get stronger.”

Today, Worland is in Lander for the Lander Invitational. The Lander course has a challenging hill for runners to push through, and because of that and all the homecoming festivities this week. Kienlen had her runners work on their mental game in preparation for Lander.

“It’s homecoming, and they have so much on their plates this week. We’ve really focused on the mental aspect. Our motivational Monday focused on perspective on things. Going into the race mentally focused and facing a hill and keeping that focus will be big for us. Our mental mentality is always a huge piece of ours, but this week it’s the ultimate goal,” said Kienlen.