Like many other area high school fall sports teams the Junction City High School boys and girls cross country teams worked through the 90 and 100 degree weather during the opening week of practice.

Becky Steiger, Head Coach, noted it was a good summer for training. “We start practice and the weather knows, so it’s just part of our environment and it gets the kids ready for meet days.

Cross country runners work out during the summer preparing for the season, doing what Steiger calls base mileage…”good old fashioned road runs.” The team runs three days per week in the summer.

Steiger said at practice the first week they ran an average of four to seven miles, depending on the athlete’s ability when they begin.

In girls cross country Marissa Humphries and Bri Pace return after helping Junction City to a second place Centennial League finish a year ago.

Some of the returners on the boys team include Daniel Rivera, Nick Arneson, and Steven DeVoe.

The JCHS cross country teams open the season September 6 in a meet at Warner Park in Manhattan.