With the finish line in sight and some records broken, the cross country team’s season is at its last leg.

Picking up where they left off at invitationals, the cross country team took a step forward at the PIAA invitational September 23.

The boys’ team took fifth and at the top senior Eli Bechdel led the pack with a 17:04.

The girls’ team ended up at seventh overall which was almost as good as the boys’ results with junior Rylie Teapole being the top bobcat at the invitational with a 21:09.

At the Grove City invitational October 7, both Bobcat teams did equally well with the boys earning third and the girls securing second. Bechdel and Teapole led their respective teams again with times of 15:54 and 19:52.

Just a few short days after Grove City, the runners had to conquer the MAC Championship in Oakdale October 11.

To nobody’s surprise, the boy Bobcats won again with a smooth second place title with Bechdel on top again with a 17:06 although junior Tyler Biss almost caught him this time with a 17:16.

On the girls’ side of things, they yet again got a third place position and the top two girls, Teapole and junior Danica Purtell, crossed the line nearly neck to neck (20:45 and 20:48).

Then the ball was finally in our court (even though there’s no ball in cross country . . . ) at our own Beaver Area Cross Country Invitational. And you know what? Was anyone actually surprised that we dominated on our home course?

All the boys (Bechdel, Biss, seniors Connor Young and Domenic Bumblis, and sophomore Isaac Burtt) showed why Beaver Area deserves first at every invitational with times of 16:51, 16:54, 17:19, 17:37, and 18:05 respectively.

Don’t think that the girls didn’t do equally as well because they brought it home securing a second place title with Purtell finally beating Teapole with times of 20:17 and 20:54. Sisters senior Allison Tate (21:06) and sophomore Esa Tate (21:31) weren’t far behind either.

The entire season had led up to one invitational only: the WPIAL championship. Would our cross country stars be able to get to Hershey and break some records? Well yeah, obviously.

The boys knew they couldn’t disappoint and that they didn’t do with a district placement of second with a season change of Biss outpacing Bechdel with times of 16:36 and 16:48.

Similar to the boys, the girls outdid themselves compared to the best in our part of the state, earning a fifth place position. Allison Tate represented the team at WPIALs with a time of 20:53.

Just this past weekend was the biggest competition in the state for both of the cross country teams at Hershey Park.

Our Bobcats didn’t disappoint again with the boys getting fourth and Bechdel ending his cross country career with a 16th place title and time of 16:41.

Although the girls didn’t crack the top 20 teams at Hershey, Teapole came back to end her season with a time of 20:48.

“To achieve your end goal you first must fall in love with the journey,” said Bumblis when talking about the season.

After a season of blood, sweat, and tears, some of our cross country runners can now rest easy and cross into something new in the future.