KEARNEY, Neb.— A middle school cross country team in Kearney is being praised for a state champion finish after a season of adversity.

Zion Lutheran’s middle school girls cross country team consisted of just five this season. The girls, Sarah Burger, Madison Vetter, Sofia Loza, Teagan Schweitzer, and Erin Freitag were led by Ismael Torres, who has coached at Zion since 2017. 

The competitive spirit and determination is a consistent theme that Torres has seen in his time at Zion.

“We can do anything that we put our minds to and we can do all things through Christ who strengthens us,” said Torres. “Since 2017, that’s what we’ve been saying. We’re small but mighty and we can make an impact. If you go look at the record books, you’ll see that.”

Going into this season, Torres decided to create a team motto for the girls. The motto, “Small but Mighty,” rang true throughout the season.

“We are all really close in and out of school,” said Burger. “So, we’re all mighty together.” 

Zion won the state meet by nine points, with two of their girls placing second and third. 

The girls participated in nine meets this season, including the state championship. At least two Zion athletes placed in the top ten at all meets, with multiple meets having all five place in the top ten.

Now, the girls will be taking a few weeks off before starting to prepare for track season.