In handily winning the Class 2A boys state cross country championship with 115 points, coach Simon Thorpe’s biggest worry was his Dixon Dukes running too fast on the first mile. Like wild horses penned up too long, they raced out to a large lead over the rest of the field contending for the team title.

“Yes, we were going too fast at the mile mark,” Thorpe said. “But, cross country is a sport of places, not times. We had to be up there.”

To wit, Dean Geiger was third, Averick Wiseman ninth, Keegan Shirley 18th and Ethan Carter in 19th at that point, well ahead of their projections.

However, in distance running, there is a danger in going out too hard and having nothing left for the finish. That mistake has kept favorites from winning, but not these highly trained thoroughbreds from Di

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