COLORADO SPRINGS – Nolan Hoffman knew he needed to kick it into an extra gear for the final stretch of the Class 4A state cross country state meet.
As Hoffman rounded the corner into the Norris Penrose Event Center stadium, he could see the shadow of the runner behind him and pushed himself a little further for the last stretch to win the 4A individual title. Hoffman finished with a season-best time of 15 minutes, 31.4 seconds – edging out Battle Mountain junior Porter Middaugh by less than .3 seconds.
“It was such a great feeling to just pass the finish line,” the Mead senior said. “The final stretch I saw (Middaugh’s) shadow over my shoulder and just wanted to make sure he wasn’t getting any closer.”
Hoffman came into the Class 4A state cross country meet under the radar. However, he knew he had a chance when the race started. Hoffman was just behind Cheyenne Mountain’s Kaden Levings after the first mile but took control in the second mile with a slight lead ahead of Middaugh.
“I always knew this was possible,” Hoffman said “My mindset was anything can happen. I started to peak towards the end of the season. So many of those guys in front of me could have won the race, I just had a great day.”
Team-wise, Cheyenne Mountain took home top honors for the second year in a row with 76 points. However, they did it with almost entire new squad.
“This is not the same team as last year,” CMHS coach Sean O'Day said. “We have six new guys that have never ran in a state meet before, that is the thing that sticks with me. They were so selfless in their mission to do what they did today. These guys knew the shoes they had to fill since our last batch graduated.”
Leading the way for Hawks was Levings, who finished sixth with a time of 15:56.6. Teammate Brogan Collins (16:01.4) was three places behind him with a 16:01.4 and seniors Brian Kerrigan (16:05.4) and Carter Bayer (16:28.1) each placed 14th and 20th respectively.
Collins made a late push in the last mile to move from 22nd to ninth to help Cheyenne Mountain overtake Niwot (92 points) for team honors. Central Grand Junction High School placed third with 159 points.
“I’m so proud of these guys,” said Levings, who finished third last season. “It has been an honor to race with them and to see them get rewarded for their hard work and growth.”
