The team’s performance at the state track meet, held Friday and Saturday at Wichita State University’s Cessna Stadium, was thrilling.

Team members Andy Snapp, Jordan Smith, Jacob Hoffhines and Kyle Norris finished second with a team-best time of 8 minutes, 12.8 seconds, surpassing the 8:14.1 they posted earlier in the season at Shawnee Mission.

Besides nearly breaking the school record, the Chieftains didn’t let rival Baldwin edge in this time. At the regional meet, Baldwin, led by the state’s individual Class 4A 3,200-meter champion, Matt Noonan, left Tonganoxie trailing by about three seconds.

”We showed them that we weren’t going to be pushed around this time,” freshman Norris said. ”We were nervous as all get out going into it, but we really pushed ourselves.”

The Chieftains wanted a medal and nothing was going to stop them from getting it. As Tonganoxie crossed the finish line behind Ulysses’ 8:05.7 time, the boys knew what they had accomplished and couldn’t have been happier.

They pulled each other close, huffing and puffing with huge grins on their faces.

Senior Andy Snapp summed it up: ”That was awesome.”

At the regional meet, Smith said, he let off when he shouldn’t have and that was when Baldwin took the lead. This time he didn’t let up. Running a 1:59 leg illustrated how much he wanted his team to stay in the race.

For the first two legs of the relay, Tonganoxie remained in first place.

”I had not expected that we would be in first the first part of the race,” Smith said. ”I knew we would be able to run right up there with the other guys.”

However, in the third leg, Ulysses gradually inched closer and eventually took the lead.

As Tonganoxie approached the finish line, Smith could only think about one thing.

”Hurry up guys,” he said. ”We have got to get the school record.”

Unfortunately, though, they missed it by a slight 1.2 seconds. The school record was 8:11.6.