RV Cross Country pair perform well at state
Steven Scheetz, (left) a sophomore at River View, and junior Corey Miller represented the Bears at the state cross country meet held Saturday, Nov. 3. (Beacon photo by Mark Fortune)
The River View boys cross country team had two runners earn the right to run at the state meet held Saturday, Nov. 3 at National Trails Raceway. Corey Miller, a junior at River View, capped off a spectacular year finishing 44th with a time of 16:38:15 at the state meet while sophomore Steven Scheetz also did well, coming in 53rd with a time of 16:46:09 in a field of 150.
The Beacon sat down with both boys and Coach Gwenna Neal on Thursday. Corey Miller talked about his year, “This year has been pretty solid. As a team, we did really well, placing high in big meets and coming in strong. We didn’t quite get what we wanted last year, so getting to the regional’s as a team this year was great. For me, I came into this year with the mindset of powering through everything and get to state.” Miller finished fifth at the Division II regional run. This is only Miller’s second year of cross country.
“I learned a lot running with Ethan Widder, watching him and learning the little things to get better. “This weekend will be fun and it will be fast. I’m pumped for it. Going back to the regional’s this year was a highlight and running a great race.”
During the conversation Miller focused more on the team effort and success than his own, and Scheetz followed suit. Both boys are obviously proud of the team success, while running an individual race.
“We’re going to be, hopefully, even better last year. I like getting out and meeting new people, and talking to new people. It’s a blast and I love it. We’ve worked extremely hard, not just me, but the whole team, everybody, boys, girls, everyone.”
“Coach Neal is a great coach; she pushes us to our limits and works our tails off. She is a good coach.”
“I’ve learned that our have to push through everything – no matter how bad you hurt. You gotta power through and keep going.”
Steven Scheetz said about the season, “It’s been really good, somewhat surprising me. I started the season not knowing how to run 5k’s – it’s going better than even track last spring.” Scheetz medaled at the state meet in junior high, but this is his first go at cross country in high school.
Scheetz said he was looking forward to the state meet, getting experience.
“Coach Neal gives us a lot of support, and pushes us through to our limits. There are some hugs in there too. I can’t wait for the next two years, it will be really great. It means a lot to run with Corey, someone I can use to get estimation during each race. I had Ethan (Widder) during track and now Corey. We have bonded a lot.”
“I’m really excited for the future and hopefully I can do greater things.”
Coach Gwenna Neal said, “The fact that these two boys are going to state is exciting but I’m particularly happy because these boys have worked so hard, from June on they have been building to this moment. I’m just really pleased for them. They’re young and still on a learning curve so this will be a great experience for them.”
“I’ve tried to develop a team concept with cross country at River View. Every runner is just as important as every other runner. They all get and require my equal attention and each runner has an individual running plan. It doesn’t matter where they land in an individual race, it’s all about improvement. We try and take the long view on running itself, it’s more of a lifelong coping mechanism, it’s more than being in a meet in high school. I’m very proud of all of my athletes, they support one another and care about what they do and they take a lot of pride in their work.”
When asked what, if any, pinnacle moment occurred during the season, Neal pointed to the summer. “I would say that their dedication this summer – I can say that these boys did every single thing I told them to do from the beginning, including the exact pace to run. They were very trusting in that. I love to brag on them – they also inspire my running too. I could see their ability coming out during the summer. As I watched other teams during the season, I just knew it was going to pan out for them. I’m very proud.”
Category: High School, Sports
