On Saturday, October 31, the boys cross country team competed at the State Finals for the first time since 2015 and finished in 7th place, which is tied for the second highest team finish in history. The team was led by Nathan McKeever's 42nd place finish. McKeever's time of 15:45 is the third fastest time ever by a Westfield runner at the State meet. JP Mikels was the second finisher, earning 71st place finish with a well-executed first half of the race, and an outstanding second half. Luke Moulder (81st) and Bryce Pittman (87th) came across next, finishing in a huge pack and fighting for every spot with everything they had. Brayden Cring (135th) rounded out the scorers, also running an incredible second half of the race, passing many competitors in the final stretch. This race was incredibly tight - the boys tied with Noblesville, but finished ahead of them due to the sixth runner tiebreaker, Carson Ackley (187th). Ackley, like his other teammates, fought for every place in the final stretch, and finished just 5 seconds ahead of Noblesville's sixth runner, which clinched the 7th place finish for the team. Dexter Hoffman (249th) rounded out the lineup for the team -- Dexter showed immense toughness, as he was knocked down and essentially trampled very early in the race, but fought the entire way regardless. Going into the race, the boys were predicted to finish as low as 12th, but they prepared well, stayed calm, put themselves in good position early, and fought with everything they had when the race reached its most crucial points. Anything can happen at the State meet, and even experienced teams sometimes run incredibly poorly for a myriad of reasons. The Shamrocks, who were quite inexperienced, defied those expectations, did what needed to be done, and finished perhaps higher than was expected as a result. They ran for each other, and they ran to set an example for what our team is capable of doing when things are consistently done the right way, and for the right reasons. Their legacy is cemented.