Boys Recap
Eastern Tech senior Taylor Baranoski started to come into his own last indoor season track as a junior. A soccer player in the fall, Baranoski finished second in the 2A indoor 1600 before truly breaking out in the spring season when he clocked personal bests of 1:58.76 and 4:23.99 and winning the 2A 1600.
He made the decision to run cross country his senior season. Baranoski noted that some early-season invitationals gave him a bit of a reality check (he finished ninth at the Barnhart and Spiked Shoe invitationals), but he continued to record some of the fastest times among 2A boys throughout the season. He entered the state meet having never run a cross country race against the rest of the top 2A competitors (Nick Tilson, Justin Diehl, Jay Hall, Joey Navarro, Daniel Saxon, etc).
Baranoski was at the front of the race nearly the entire time and entered the second run up "The Dip" in first place. The hill - infamous for its impossible grade and seeming endlessness - has been a key factor in determining the outcome in countless races throughout the years, and Baranoski was able to use it to his advantage. When the race finished he was 15 seconds ahead of the runner-up, Calvert sophomore Justin Diehl.
In third place was Liberty senior Nick Tilson, who had finished in second place the previous two 2A state championships. His time of 16:22.00 would have won the 2A state championships in both 2014 and 2015. However, the day was not lost for Tilson as he led the Liberty boys to their second straight 2A state title. They proved themselves as one of the strongest teams in the state, as they placed second in team scores in the boys team scores results merge.