Cross country season is coming to an end and Puma cross country has exceeded expectations this year.

At the Chandler City Invite, boys placed second and girls placed third. Top finishers at this meet included Cade Burks, Kane Hudson, Felix Drake, Gabby Ybarra and Leighton White.

Sectional meet was a success as both teams qualified for state. Boys placed 6th and girls placed 7th..

Junior Cade Burks finished in 9th place with a swift time of 16:36. Moving up 12 spots from his last year place, which was 21st.

First year varsity runner, sophomore Kane Hudson, finished in 51st place. “Reflecting on the season, I’m glad I joined cross country this year; I had a lot of fun. I’m happy that I ended the season with a good race, even though the course sucked. I hope I can improve for next season and help the team win state,” said Hudson.

Perry boys finished in 11th overall as a team.

“The course was very hard, and it was considerably hot out, it was very tough for everyone but I’m content with the results,” states Burks. Burks also mentions how he plans to do better next year.

Freshman varsity runner, Paige Ellsworth placed 88th overall. “I thought it was pretty cool that I qualified for state as a freshman, I was very excited and nervous. This season was amazing because I didn’t even think I would be good enough for varsity.” Ellsworth hopes to qualify for state for the next 3 years.

Senior Gabby Ybarra finished in 59th place, moving up one place from last year. She was not very impressed with her results, but she plans to run in college. “I’m sad to go and leave the team behind, but I know I’m leaving behind a great team who will train hard and qualify next year,” states Ybarra.

Perry girls finished 16th overall.