Both Boys and Girls Varsity Cross Country teams earned the title of “District Champions” at this year’s competition, held in Lebanon, MO. Once again the Zizzer Cross Country “Tradition of Excellence” has proven itself to be a dominating force in southern Missouri, continuing 38 years of championship running under Coach Joe Bill Dixon and staff.
For all the photos from the event, click here.
This year’s Lady Zizzer Cross Country team has their eyes on the State competition, and their performance at Districts shows they deserve serious respect. They earned the Ozark Conference Champion title prior to this race, and next they look forward to Sectionals at Camdenton… and then on to State at Jefferson City. With this group of 7 tough girls, we can’t wait to see how they do at Sectionals against schools like Ray-Pec and Lee’s Summit West. Show ’em what you got girls! #GoZizzers!
These 5 girls seem to be interchangeable in their pack position: Hayley Baca (this year’s District Champion!), Kayli Brower, Theresa Harto, Sydney Sanders and Madison Brownrigg. You never know which one is going to take the lead, but you always know they’re close together. Then we follow up with ‘The Two Kenzies’: MacKenzie Brownrigg (Madison’s freshman sister) and McKenzie Bergman (who earned her Candy Stripes at this race – which means they will ALL wear Candy Stripes at Sectionals and State).
This year’s Boys Cross Country team also has their eyes on the prize at State with the nationally ranked Lafayette team, but they first must battle it out at Sectionals with some powerhouse teams like Webb City, Ray-Pec and Lee’s Summit West. The Sectionals battle will be an interesting one to watch. Our Zizzers really know how to run in a tight pack and keep their pace fast enough to stay up front.
These 5 boys make up the core: Joshua Ingalls, Jacob McCrakin, Ben Stasney, Ethan Hutchinson & Garritt Hicks. Then we follow up with Caleb Boys (freshman running at Varsity level!) and Dylan Hayes (or Christian Rymel). These boys are mostly younger runners and we look forward to see how they develop over the next few years.
Coach Joe Bill Dixon’s pack running strategy has served the Zizzers well for 37 years. I’m confident it will work again this year to sustain the tradition for a total of 38 years.
