Boerger caps terrific year

Jack Boerger’s wild and wacky cross country season came to an end Saturday. And what a ride it was. Boerger finished in 44th place at the WIAA Division 1 state meet held at Hartland Arrowhead High School. Boerger finished in a time of 16 minutes, 53.1 seconds. West Allis Hale senior Joshua Truchon won the race in 15:18.3. “It was a great day,” Eagles coach Andy Sherman said. “To have Jack be a part of the state meet was very special. I am so proud of the season Jack and both of our teams had this year. We never knew if we would get a shot at that next one, but we were able to make it through the season and have a representative at the state meet.  “I know I am very thankful that our athletes were able to compete this season and I know they are too. The race format was very different, but it was still great to see Jack competing with the best in our state, especially after such a bizarre year it has been.” Due to social distancing, the race was run in three sessions, with times and finishes combined afterwards. Boerger started strong in his race and was in the top five after the first mile. The field started gaining on him, and by the two-mile mark, Boerger was in 10th place. “He started as he has in all of his races this season, but this time he had others out in the front with him,” Sherman said. Boerger finished his race in 13th place, and when the three races were combined, he finished in 44th place overall. It capped a sensational year in which Boerger was second at the Badger Conference meet, second at the Portage Sectionals and won several invitationals along the way. “I know he is disappointed with his time and he was hoping for a bit higher of a finish,” Sherman said. “I tried to remind him that this is a springboard for the future. He raced the state meet like he had raced every other event he was in this year. Jack didn’t ever settle for being in the back of the pack. He liked to get out front and stay there.  “He gained some very valuable experience to help him the next time he competes at the state meet or any other big meet for that matter. Jack is already motivated to get better and stronger for his upcoming seasons, but I kept reminding him that he needed to enjoy the experience and take it all in. Athletes sometimes forget that since they worked so hard to get to state that they still need to appreciate the opportunity and enjoy it.”