Speedy Finishes for Hall, Murphy at State Cross Country Finals

Lake City Community School’s two-member cross country team had a fine conclusion to this year’s fall season after advancing to the State Finals which were held in Colorado Springs last weekend.
Lake City’s fleet-of-foot Miranda Hall, a Senior, and Sophomore Gabe Murphy were each among a talented field of 109 runners from 1A and 2A schools — majority representing much larger 2A schools — whose fall standings earned a place at he State Finals.
According to cross country coach Richard Moore, who assists head coach Dan Scroggins and Martha Levine on the school’s coaching staff, both Lake City runners had an “absolutely fantastic season,” Murphy bypassing a total of 13 school runners in the final 1.3-mile of the course, and Hall finishing the race with a personal record 20 seconds faster than any previous race in which she had competed.
Hall finished the 5K/3.1-mile cross country course at Norris-Penrose Event Center with a time of just 22 minutes, 47 seconds. Out of the 109 runners, she finished the compettition in 40th place.
Entering the race, Moore says Hall’s goal was to cross the finish time in a faster time than any of her previous runs.
“And she did that with flying colors,” says Moore, “a full 20 seconds above her own previous personal record.”
Lake City’s Gabe Murphy had a similar fine performance at the State Finals, according to Moore, also competing among 109 top 1A and 2A runners and finishing the 3.1-mile race in overall 45th place, time 18 minutes, 40 seconds.
Murphy was speedy and focused throughout the 5K run, according to Moore, and at the 2-mile mark, slightly more than half-way through the run, was in 58th place out of the 109 runners. He then picked up the pace and in the final 1.1-miles of the race bypassed 13 other runners to finish in 45th place.
“Gabe had just an amazing last mile,” says Moore.
As stated in last week’s WORLD, Moore refers to the fact that a two-person team, such as Lake City Community School’s cross country team this fall, has an especially challenging time because of such small numbers. “With just two athletes training throughout the fall, it’s hard to stay focued and, when you’re the sole member of the team at the race start, you don’t have the camaraderie you’d have with larger teams.”
Both Murphy and Hall, he sums up, represent what the school teaches as being successful. “Actual placement is far less important than embodying a work ethic and working hard to improve your skills every day.”
With the end of cross country season, Lake City Community School now looks ahead to the approaching basketball season with an inaugural Lake City Community School JV team coached by Dan Scroggins and Janel Warren.
Looking even further ahead, to spring 2018, Richard Moore says there are fine prospects for Lake City Community School track teams of perhaps five or six boys and five girls. The teams, he adds, will have as their goal a return to the State Finals for the third year in a row in the four-member 800-meter relays.