Cyclone harriers sweep Red Oak team titles

 RED OAK (Sept. 11) -- The Red Oak Cross Country Invitational typically combines one of the season’s most challenging courses with one of the smallest fields of competition Harlan Community will face at any given meet.
 The Cyclones conquered both on Monday, placing all 14 varsity runners in the top 30 and outracing Atlantic to sweep the girls and boys team titles for their first meet wins of the year.
 The top three finishers were the same on both sides.
 HCHS won the girls’ half of the meet by posting a 28 for its best team score since 2012, claiming six of the top 11 place-winners. Atlantic was second with a 40 and Red Oak (95) took third.
 The Cyclone boys’ winning score of 44 - their best in two years - outlasted both the Trojans (57) and Tigers (86) as four HCHS harriers placed in the top 12.
 All eight Cyclone varsity runners who competed on the hilly and unforgiving Red Oak Country Club course last year ran better times on Monday. The improvements ranged from 17 seconds all the way up to nearly two minutes each for Kara Rueschenberg and Abby Alberti.
 Junior Greichaly Kaster continued to pace the Harlan girls, placing third in 21:26 behind Atlantic’s Taylor McCreedy (21:03) and Bedford’s Emma Lucas (21:07). A pack of Cyclones followed as Brecken Van Baale, Rueschenberg, Chloe Hansen and Alberti finished sixth through ninth.
 The HCHS boys were led by the top-five efforts of freshman Trey Gross (4th) and senior Drew Voge (5th). Michael Clemons and Wyatt Obrecht placed eighth and 12th, respectively.