Churning his legs, senior Reiser Johnson urged himself forward across the finish line. Despite his lungs screaming desperately for air and his heavy legs, Johnson sets aside his own fatigue to encourage his teammates.
After doing so, Johnson awaits as the judges release the results of the 2023 Cross Country State Championships. Johnson, along with the other ‘Dawgs runners, listen excitedly as they’re announced as the 16th fastest squad in Texas.
“It feels great,” Johnson said. “We’re going to be etched in history forever. It’s a massive accomplishment and I’m glad I got to do that with that group. We’re all so close with each other and all great friends, and it was a great experience.”
Held at Old Settlers Park in Round Rock, the ‘Dawgs matched up against the best teams in the state of Texas. Despite this, due to high dedication and chemistry within the team according to Johnson, the ‘Dawgs finished with a team score, or the team’s cumulative placement, of 343.
“We practiced together, we treated our bodies right, we went to Six Flags, we did everything together,” Johnson said. “We grew as a team. Because of that, we were strong and we raced together really well.”
The ‘Dawgs qualified for the State Championships following a fourth place finish in the 6A Region IV regional meet in Corpus Christi. Fifth-year head coach Lora Tilson attributes their seasonal success to channeling the internal competition within the team to meets.
“The boys particularly formed a really strong bond,” Tilson said. “They’d always kind of been a little competitive with each other, but they realized that not only did they need to be competitive with each other, but they had to be competitive with the other teams too. I think they came together to encourage each other to see that, that was what it took to win.”
The ‘Dawgs state squad consisted of sophomore Griffin Hummel, senior Kaiser Kothmann, senior Josh Fluornoy, and sophomore Roman Jacobs along with Johnson. Johnson finished third within the team and 69th overall after completing the five kilometer course in 16 minutes and 26 seconds.
“People think that cross country isn’t a team sport but it really is,” Johnson said. “The closer you are, the faster you are. My teammates are like brothers to me. I’d do anything for them. And I feel like that really helped us. We’re all really competitive, so that’s why we became really close and meshed as a team.”
Along with the ‘Dawgs, the Lady ‘Dawgs also qualified for the State Championships. Led by sophomore Miah McAulay, the Lady ‘Dawgs concluded their 2023 season with a 13th place finish in the State meet.
“I think we definitely exceeded our expectations,” McAulay said. “ At the beginning we kind of weren’t as confident, but after placing first in the district meet, that helped boost our confidence, and we were able to go to regionals and then state. It was very big, but we were more excited than shocked by our success.”
In a field of over 150 runners from across the state, McAulay finished 14th overall with a time of 18 minutes and four seconds. The Lady ‘Dawgs managed to place over teams like Lake Travis and Dripping Springs with a team score of 304.
“In preparing myself, I had to be there mentally,” McAulay said. “We trained as hard as we could and then just did our best but I think it’s all mental and the way that our team helped each other really contributed to our success. We were consistent and we all worked together really well.”
Going into the 2024 season, the ‘Dawgs will look to replace the three senior runners that competed at the 2023 State meet. This being said, both the ‘Dawgs and Lady ‘Dawgs have a young core that Tilson intends to rely on to lead both teams back to the State Championships.
“Looking back on the season, I’m really thrilled for the kids that we’ve had and thrilled for the work that they’ve put in,” Tilson said. “I don’t want this to be a one and done right. It’s definitely something that I’m looking forward to continuing to do. We’ve got a really young team, it’s exciting knowing that this could be our future.”
Despite having the Lady ‘Dawgs and ‘Dawgs both place in the top-16 teams in the state, Tilson believes there is room for improvement and hopes to solidify Bowie cross country as a yearly contender for the state title.
“We don’t want to either not make it to state next year or just barely make it,” Tilson said. “We want to see that we move up. And while we have to buy into what we do on a daily basis, it’s with the idea of where we’re going, not just where we’re at.”
