Springs Valley Community High School

Owen Weisensteiner’s arrival at the Brown County Semi-State on Saturday was just a bit late. The senior, typical Springs Valley’s fourth or fifth runner, had taken the ACT in Bloomington that morning and hoped to finish in time to run for the Blackhawks one last time. He didn’t make it until well after the race finished, but when he showed up he received quite the greeting. Alan Marshall flew over to his teammate for a hug that was admittedly more violent than intended to deliver the news. The Blackhawks, the smallest team at the event and picked to finish 20th out of 20 teams, had placed 16th. “On my way here I was thinking about how they would do, but then Alan ran out to me and about knocked me out. He gave me a pretty good sense of how they did,” Weisensteiner said. “Grant (Brown) almost got another school record, Alan set a PR, so did Harry (Dybsetter) and Matthew (Woolsey). They all ran really well and I’m very proud of them.” It may not seem like much at face value, 16th out of 20, but that placement gives Springs Valley an argument that it’s one of the 32 best teams in the state. Not just one of the 32 best small-school teams or one of the 32 best Class 1A teams, one of the best teams point-blank. For nine runners representing a school with an enrollment of 264 students, that’s quite the feat. “They faced their competition head-on and they didn’t let it intimidate them. They attacked their competition, they attacked the course, and it was evident in how we performed. They stepped up in Owen’s absence,” Springs Valley coach Derek Freeman said. “They didn’t shy away from the fact that Columbus North has a school that’s 10-times our size, they didn’t shy away from those kinds of schools. They looked at them and said, ‘you put your jersey on the same way I put mine on, let’s go to battle,’ and they did.” For the Blackhawks present on Saturday, the semi-state wasn’t just an event, it was an experience as well. With 352 runners between the two races, an even greater number of spectators, and tents set up left and right, it felt just as much like a festival as it did a race. Competing in an environment like that is something rare, and Springs Valley’s squad enjoyed every second of it. “This race is phenomenal. It’s crazy how many people there were, everybody cheering you on at the end and stuff, it was crazy,” Springs Valley senior Max Pendley said. “It’s a once in a lifetime experience and I’m glad I got to be the first to do it with my teammates. They’re like family to me and I enjoyed it a lot.” Though Weisensteiner wasn’t able to compete on Saturday, he and Pendley were celebrated heartily as Springs Valley’s season came to an end. The team’s two seniors made an unbelievable impact on the cross country program in their only season. Their decision to try cross country not only provided the depth Springs Valley needed to make a magical run like they did in the state tournament, it also showed others what the program can accomplish and that running can, in fact, be fun. “I think that those two coming out is going to have a generational impact on our program. I think they’re going to start a snowball effect of people wanting to come out and run when they’re not doing anything in the fall and continue to build success,” Freeman said. “We’re not in this position if not for those two coming to join us, there’s no two ways about it. “I’m extremely grateful for those two and what they’ve done to this program, what they’ve meant to this program, and what they mean to me personally. It brings me to tears because I’m glad that I got the opportunity to coach those two fine, young men and got to know them as people.” Pendley didn’t expect much out of himself as he started his venture into cross country. He hoped to just finish races. On Saturday he beat dozens of runners at one of the most competitive races of the season, finishing 143rd with a time of 18:26.2, just a couple of seconds off of his personal record. The improvements he was able to make in just a few months taught the senior something about himself. “When I first started this season, my goal was just to do it without walking. I wanted to be able to do a sport during the fall of my senior year just to have something to do, but I never realized how good I could be and how much potential I could possibly have,” Pendley said. “Seeing Grant and Alan run that many miles, run that quickly and stuff, I didn’t think I could be up there, but now I feel like I could build up to that threshold that they’re at now.” Weisensteiner was disappointed that he couldn’t compete on Saturday, but he was also grateful that he had the opportunity to be a part of this history-making team. “It’s probably one of the best decisions I’ve ever made. I told Freeman, I thanked him for letting me be a part of the team and giving me a family I didn’t know I needed,” Weisensteiner said. “Hopefully I keep these friends for a very long time.” Springs Valley’s season came to an end on Saturday, but the Blackhawks left the course with big smiles on their faces. They’d done something that had never been done by any Springs Valley cross country team before them and in doing so they hopefully blazed a trail for teams to come. Their postseason run drew some significant attention, putting Springs Valley on the radar of Indiana Runner, a statewide outlet, and earning Freeman and his runners praise, recognition, and well wishes from other coaches and teams around the state. It’s something that returning runners Grant Brown, Alan Marshall, Carson Brown, Harry Dybsetter, Matthew Woolsey, Henry Dybsetter, and Keaton Thacker can build on in 2023, especially with the first three having put themselves into All-State consideration with their runs at Brown County on Saturday. “I’m hoping that this run shines a light on our program in a positive way and shows kids that it’s not this torturous sport where you’re going to go out and you’re going to be miserable the whole time you’re doing it. We do have fun,” Freeman said. “I want them to enjoy this, I want them to have fun. If they do that and they learn how to work hard and they learn how to come out and be better human beings, the rest takes care of itself and these guys have proven that. Hopefully other kids within our school who are sitting around doing nothing in the fall will give it a shot. That’s going to help build our program for the future.” Brown County Semi-State - Boys Columbus North 55, Floyd Central 117, Bloomington South 127, Bloomington North 131, Jasper 208, Evansville Reitz 223, New Albany 223, Edgewood 265, Northview 281, Castle 288, Gibson Southern 300, Terre Haute South 322, Evansville North 345, Austin 345, South Knox 363, Springs Valley 382, Tell City 393, Brown County 405, Jennings County 423, Seymour 468. Top Ten 1. Aidan Lord, New Albany, 15:21.1. 2. Ryan Rheam, Bloomington South, 15:27.2. 3. Will Russell, Columbus North, 15:36.9. 4. Clayton Guthrie, Columbus North, 15:41.3. 5. Jaryn Weinel, Jasper, 15:41.6. 6. Jacob Mitchell, Bloomington North, 15:48.5. 7. Aaron Lord, New Albany, 15:50.9. 8. Kyle Clark, Bloomington North, 15:51.6. 9. Mateo Mendez, Columbus North, 15:54.9. 10. Chase Austin, Brown County, 15:55.0. Springs Valley — Grant Brown, 31st, 16:39, Alan Marshall, 40th, 16:50, Carson Brown, 101st, 17:45, Max Pendley, 143rd, 18:26, Harry Dybsetter, 174th, 20:42, Matthew Woolsey, 176th, 22:14, Henry Dybsetter, 177th, 26:50.