Normal.
That's what Brookwood head cross country coach Mindy Waddell wanted for her team in its final week of practice.
Normal.
However, the Falcons' racing unit entered the WIAA state meet on Oct. 31 as anything but normal.
After reaching state a year ago and dominating courses throughout the fall this year, it was evident that Brookwood's group of gallopers possessed something special in terms of talent, drive and ability.
Once the dust had settled in the Division 3 state cross country final, that 'special something' turned out to be a state runner-up trophy as the Falcons posted the second-best team score in the state.
"Going into this year's state meet, I didn't have the bundle of nerves I did last year," said Waddell. "I was still anxious, but more excited to watch this team run together one last time. They had run so consistently and confidently all season, I knew they would not disappoint Saturday."
The Falcons did not.
Senior Cooper Powell posted the best individual finish in both time and placing after taking 11th overall with a time of 16:22.2.
Fellow senior, August Rueckheim was in hot pursuit, finishing 17th overall with a time of 16:44. Nolan Waddell followed, crossing the finish line in 17:29.9 to take 46th and was complimented by Sawyer Stenerson just a few seconds later. Stenerson, who placed 59th, delivered a season-best time of 17:39.5.
The final scoring runner, senior Owen Waddell, was 78th overall and completed the five kilometer course in a time of 18:01.4. The final two runners were freshmen Henry Amberson (137, 19:58.8) and Linus Arndt (147, 20:50.4).
Brookwood's runners understood that, heading into Saturday's state final, they had a chance to win a state title. The biggest threat to that goal was a talented Marathon team. The first three Falcon harriers did their part to beat their Marathon counterpart to the finish line. Powell was better than Marathon's lead runner by one spot. Rueckheim was six spots better than the second and Nolan Waddell was two ahead of his rival. The final two, though, proved to be the difference in scoring. Stenerson was four behind his match and Owen Waddell 11 back of his.
"I knew it was close," said Waddell, "and as our athletes started the climb up to the finish, I really thought we had won it. I sprinted so hard to the scoreboard that my legs gave out!"
In the end, though, Marathon put out a 102 point performance while Brookwood scored 108. Uncannily, that was the same score the two turned in when they ran against one another earlier in the year.
"We went into the meet knowing we had a chance to win it," said Waddell, "and that's what those boys went out to do. The finish area is absolute chaos and it took a long while for me to find my athletes and the look of disappointment was apparent. I knew they would need a few minutes to deal with their emotions, so I let them handle it in their own way. There was no need to have a coach all up in their business after a loss like that."
"They all gave it everything they had and in the end, were simply out-raced by a better team," said Waddell. "The boys did eventually come to grasp with placing second and ultimately embraced it."
TOUCH THE TROPHY
Being able to embrace the moment was something coach Waddell was eagerly looking forward in a more literal sense as Saturday marked the first time coach Waddell was able to hand her team a state trophy.
Back in 2020, the entire state race experience was altered due to the COVID-19 pandemic. Waddell and company ran their race at Maple Grove Venues early in the day, but had to wait through two other 'flights' of state before finally learning their fate. The final scores were posted at the conclusion of the three 'flights' of races to avoid large crowds during the pandemic.
That year, Brookwood earned a second place finish at state. The Falcons, then led by Dylan Powell, scored 121 points - more than double of the D3 champion, Sheboygan Lutheran (56).
"In 2020, we had to wait nearly eight hours to find out results," said Waddell, "and had to organize our own results watch party, with only close family. There was no awards ceremony and the trophy was mailed to the school about a month later. I had to meet with the team in a hallway and present them with their runner-up trophy."
"This year though, after 20 years of coaching, I finally got to attend a state awards ceremony. This time around, all the family, friends and fans that came to support this team were able to watch those boys stand on the podium and proudly display their hard-earned trophy."
