Cloquet Cross Country Team Preparing for Unique Season

The Lumberjacks will open the 2020 season on Sept. 3.

CLOQUET, Minn. – Cross country will still be happening this fall in Minnesota as it was one of the four sports approved to play by the MSHSL. While things may look different, teams like Cloquet are just ready to get started.

The MSHSL guidelines state that teams can compete in a maximum of seven meets and they’ll be much smaller this season, with no invitationals and only dual or triangular meets.

There’s also still no decision yet on a possible postseason but the Lumberjacks are just taking it one day at a time and training for the uniqueness of this year’s meets.

“Even in practice they need to be in groups and pretty much in the groups that they’re going to be racing with. So that way we can keep them together and they can get used to running more together. So that’s a little bit different than we’ve done in the past,” head coach Chandra Allen said.

For especially the Lumberjack boys who have made it to state three years in a row, not knowing if there’s a postseason is difficult. But after many of them lost their track season in the spring, they’re just enjoying every moment.

“Try to make the best of every moment, try to cherish everything with my teammates, cherish every run I go on with the girls and just make the most of it,” senior Lauren Sertich said.

“It is a little crazy just knowing that this is my final year. I’m not so much thinking of how it’s different than past years but more so just what goals can I break and more so this is the last season I get rather than this is odd. I’m just happy that we get to run a little this year,” senior Josh Sanders added.

Cloquet will open the season on Sept. 3.