2017 Boys Cross Country Finalists

Ean Buffington

The Indians junior put together a standout effort on the comeback trail from a devastating knee injury. Buffington was a conference champion, running a time of 16:09, as well as the winner of the Cape Central Invitational; he finished second at the district meet. He qualified for Class 4 state, where he finished 47th with a time of 16:29.85.

Blake Morris

Morris leapt onto the scene in his first year, running a 16:44 to finish sixth at the conference meet before finishing 11th with his district run. His first experience at the Class 3 state meet saw him finish 32nd with a run of 17:04.34.

Caleb Cornelius

Another runner who put together a breakthrough fall season, Cornelius topped the field at the conference meet with a 17:47, then bettered his time to finish at the front of the district pack with a 17:26.53. At Class 2 state, the sophomore garnered a top-10 result with a run of 17:06.35.

Logan Thomsen

The veteran Cardinal distance runner put together strong efforts in every meet, finishing as runner up at both the conference meet (17:56) and the district meet (17:46.53). Thomsen’s trip to state saw the Woodland senior grab a 21st-place finish in 17:31.17.

Peyton Ford

The only returning Semoball Awards finalist to return in this category, Ford offered up more of the same in 2016 — an outstanding running performance. The senior proved his status as one of the best Class 1 runners in the state, garnering All-State honors with a fifth-place, 17:18 run at the state meet. Prior to that, he won the district (17:26) and finished third in his conference run (17:58).