Sidney's Band of Brothers

Sidney's Red Raider boy's cross country team has been the team to beat this season, garnering five wins in a row starting back on the last day of August at the Gering Invitational.

Senior Carlos Lucero's first place finish was key in the Sidney win, but more importantly signaled the start of a trend with Sidney placing six runners in the top 15 finishers in their first meet of the season.

The success continued with a first place finish at the Chadron Invitational with Sidney placing seven runners in the top 15, then another first place finish at the McCook Invitational with Lucero again taking first place, and Sidney placing four runners in the top 15. Next came the Ogallala Invitational, with the Sidney team again taking first and placing four runners in the top 15, and finally the UNK Invitational in Kearney that ended in another Sidney team victory, placing three runners in the top 15 in a field of nearly 300 runners.

Sidney cross country head coach Donna Wiedeburg credits much of their success to the camaraderie of the boys.

"They're like brothers, how close they are and how they look out for each other and push each other to get their best efforts," Wiedeburg explained, adding "they grow in confidence everyday, and their support for each other is a big reason why."

There have been seven runners on the boys team that have consistently finished their races in positions that earn enough points to secure those team wins. And coach Wiedeburg's comparison of the group to brothers is not an exaggeration, as there are two sets of brothers among the seven runners.

Led by senior captain Collin Brauer, senior Carlos Lucero, senior Alex Jallen, junior Ben Bashtovoi, freshman Cameron Brauer, freshman Mitch Deer, and freshman Daniel Bashtovoi, the Sidney team has proved to be a model of consistency and continuous improvement as they continue their season in preparation for the upcoming District Meet at West Winds Golf Course on October 11th.

Senior captain Collin Brauer is the leader of the group, and is a strong motivator for the boys.

"If I see them lagging or not mentally focused, I start to bark at them," Brauer said. "I mean I don't yell at them, I bark like a dog, and then they bark back. It gets us focused and motivated."

Focus and motivation is critical in cross country runners, as the sport requires mental toughness and the ability to pace yourself to consistently turn in outstanding times while improving in each meet.

When asked how he motivates himself during a race, he said, "I visualize the bus ride home, after we've won the meet and we're celebrating. That's the feeling that keeps me going my hardest until the end of the race."

Freshman Cameron Brauer, Collin's younger brother, has finished in the top 10 in four of the five meets the team has competed in this year, and is poised to become a fixture at the top of the cross country standings for years to come.

"I got into cross country in Middle School because of my brother and he's been a big help to me, which is surprising because he knows I'm faster than him," joked the younger Brauer.

Brauer, freshman Mitch Deer, and freshman Daniel Bashtovoi all started together in Middle School, and form the core of the new group of underclassmen that will lead the Red Raiders into the future.

Deer said, "My mother ran track when she was in school and was really good. I became interested in cross country because of her, and just kept going with it."

Freshman Daniel Bashtovoi has also been running cross country since Middle School, and has been another freshman that has consistently placed among the leaders in every meet this season.

"We (the freshman) all started together and support each other to be the best we can be. I'm really happy where I'm at now, but there's always room to improve. We help each other get better," said Bashtovoi.

Daniel's older brother, junior Ben Bashtovoi, got into the sport the opposite way of the Brauer brothers, meaning the younger brother got the older brother interested in the sport.

"I started cross country my sophomore year, and got into it because of the success my younger brother was having. I'm more of a track runner, and to me cross country is more difficult as it's harder to pace yourself," said the older Bashtovoi.

Senior Alex Jallen stands out due to his height and long strides that keep him among the top finishers in every meet. He also did not start out as a cross country runner, saying "I decided to get into cross country in my sophomore year to help with my conditioning for basketball, and I really liked it and kept at it. You really compete against yourself to get better and better, and I really like that challenge."

Finally, senior Carlos Lucero has been outstanding this season, with two first place finishes and top ten finishes in every meet he's competed in. Surprisingly, this is only his second year with the team.

"I didn't run cross country my first two years, but (assistant coach) Kyle Larsen got me to try cross country and I found it more interesting and challenging than track," Lucero explained.

The group also credited their coaches with their success, noting how involved and supportive they all are, and how they effectively motivate them in a sport that requires pushing yourself beyond the point of exhaustion.

Senior captain Collin Brauer recounted an instance of the type of support the coaching staff provides, saying "last year I got hurt during the track season, and I had a very difficult time recovering from the injury both physically and mentally. I was ready to just give up, but coach Wiedeburg kept me motivated and positive, and never let me get too down on myself. She wouldn't let me quit on myself. She was there for me all the time, just like she's there for everybody on the team. If it wasn't for her, I don't even know if I would've competed at all this year."

From the coaches to the upperclassmen down to the talented underclassmen, the Sidney boy's cross country team is a tight-knit band of athletes that prove that a group of motivated individuals working together can create an unbeatable team.