EXTRA EXTRA!!! Panthers Dominate at Ben Logan
Panther Runners Have Strong Showing at Ben Logan
After a long Tuesday at school, the Fairbanks Middle and High School Panthers took a bus trip to Ben Logan for the Early Bird Invitational. The bees were swarming in the humid August air as the Panthers spread out on the tarp and began to zone in on the task at hand. Sophomore JJ Miehls, who wisely skipped the pre-race frisbee game of his teammates, said that this meet “is a nice way to start a season after what happened at the Fortress. That was a little much. With the course shortened to two miles, I think that we’ll run stronger and actually have something left in the tank at the end of the race for a pure sprint to the line.” Freshman Ava Lahmers, who stunned the crowd by finishing a strong 25th out of over 300 girls at the Fortress said, “I just want to finish this race strong and really start to make my mark on the high school scene. Having a leader like Rachael is a big help, and I always know that if I can just keep her in my sights, I’m doing well.” Senior Captain, Rachael Hoover said that, “I think that we’re all very tired right now, but we’re going to try our best. It’s going to be a rough one out here today, but I think that we can bring home the trophy if everyone runs to their ability.” Fairbanks graduate Cam Nisly showed up on the scene with memories of the Early Bird Invitational. “I remember this race because everyone always talks about hot this meet is and how my allergies always flared up. But most of all, I remember coming around the corner at the finish and just burning up all that I had left, passing people left and right, and then collapsing through the finish line.”
The weather was beautiful, there was a brisk refreshing breeze, the girls stepped to the line, and POW! They were off. And it was all Panthers. Hoover led the way out of the gate and soon took a commanding lead over the other runners on the course. But not far behind were freshmen Ava Lahmers and Sadie Miller, who were hungry for their first high school team trophy. And win it they would, electrifying the audience with each finishing in the top 10 and Hoover taking the overall title. It was a great victory and spells big things for these ladies as the season progresses. Elizabeth Phillipo summed things up for the Panthers after taking the first place team trophy over host school Ben Logan by saying, “Find a woman who has the heart of a poet, the fearlessness of a warrior, and the will of a conqueror, and there, you will find your alpha female.” Finishing times and places are below:
Rachael Hoover—1st place—12:26
Ava Lahmers—3rd place—13:03
Sadie Miller—9th place—13:33
Hannah Niehaus—18th place—15:11
Meredith Reinhard—33rd—15:23
Elizabeth Phillippo—28th—15:46
Kayden Fields—39th—17:29
Izzy Miller—40th—17:46
The boys were next to step to the line at 6:30, and POW! The gun sounded. Juniors Zeke Gingerich and Bryce Nisly raced to the front and did their best to hold off their opponents. At the halfway point, Gingerich was head to head with the lead runner and Nisly wasn’t far behind. Soon, other Panther athletes rounded the curve and all appeared to be pushing themselves to their limits. Freshman Elton Bailey made a strong showing and Leo Bosworth rounded things out for Fairbanks, who took third place as a team behind Bellefontaine and Ben Logan. Full results and times are below:
Zeke Gingerich-4th Place-10:54
Bryce Nisly-15th—12:12
Elton Bailey—19th—12:31
Nicholas Johnson—29th—12:51
JJ Miehls—42nd—13:22
Daniel Thomas 43rd—13:22
Brady Adams—67th—16:10
Leo Bosworth—69th—16:20
BONUS HONOR ROLL
In a first for the Middle School Panthers and Head Coach Kathryn Rohrer, the Middle School Panthers won both the girls and boys races with Audrey Lahmers and Wes Goellner both taking first places in dominant Fairbanks fashion. Congrats to all of our Middle School Athletes on a great day!
