Belle Chasse High School Girls Varsity Cross Country team.

Jade Stein and Rhett Orgeron, leaders on the Belle Chasse High School Cross Country team.

What do you get when you combine great weather, a fast cross country course, and talented cross country athletes?

How about an assault on Belle Chasse High School and personal cross country records. Paced by Jade Stein, Katerina Morales, and Kelly Corso, the Lady Cardinals placed 12th in a field of 30 schools.

It was the highest finish ever for the Cardinal girls at the Walker High Shootout, an annual race held at Walker Recreational Park in Livingston Parish. With temperatures in the sixties and the Walker course flat with very few turns, Cardinal sophomore Stein set a school record of 20:25 over the three mile course. Senior Morales (21:20) and junior Corso (21:38) moved up to the fourth and fifth positions on the all-time Belle Chasse cross country list setting personal records at the same time. Every Lady Cardinal who ran the three mile race set a personal record including Korie Acosta (22:12), Mariah Butchko (22:22), Karsen Smith (22: 29), Taylor Smith (23:29), Courtney Buhler (24:37), and Rebecca Hice (29:48).

Though the Cardinal boys didn’t place as high, they also set many personal records. The Cardinals were led by junior Rhett Orgeron who ran under 17 minutes for the first time in his career. Orgeron’s time of 16:25 placed him second on the all-time BCHS list. Jace Meyers finished one second off his personal best time but felt he would have easily surpassed it had he not taken a rough fall near the beginning of the race.
Jace explained, “I tripped, rolled over, and had to cover up to keep from getting trampled. When I got up I found myself way behind my teammates. I think I could have run a low 17 had I not fallen. I have been trying to lower my personal record for over two years now.” (Meyers set a personal record of 17:02 three days later at the St. Thomas Invitational finishing behind teammate Orgeron who ran 16:54).

Other notable performances were turned in by Mikey Retana (18:10) with a third place finish and Aaron Ziegler (18:19) who finished fourth, resulting in medals and personal best times.
Several other Cardinal boys also set personal records: Bradley Smith (18:48), Gavin Pappas (18:56), Nick Arbourgh (19:12), Austin Louviere (19:02), David Simmonds (19:29), Keith Conner (21:10), Anthony Nguyen (21:14), and Michael Tran (21:15).

The Cardinal Cross Country Team has two more meets before traveling to Natchitoches to compete in the State Cross Country meet on November 16. Good luck Cards!

- Paul Wolf