E.D. White boys take Div. 3 cross country title

Just three days after earning the first ever volleyball state championship for the school, the E.D. White Cardinals brought home another to display in the trophy case – this time in Division III boys’ cross country.

Not that it’s anything new for the Cardinals, as last Tuesday’s feat marked the seventh consecutive title for the team and the 14th win overall.

However, this state title had a little something different. It was the first state title the Cardinals had won without former head coach Eddie Cole.

Cole led the Cardinals to all the other state titles in his 32 years as coach of the team. He left the program over the summer to be closer to his family. The Cardinals left the meet in Natchitoches last week continuing his winning tradition.

“These kids are great,” cross country head coach Don Grabert said. “I had coached most of them with the track team anyway, so they were as familiar with me as I was with them. Eddie (Cole) was great with the kids, but we’re a family. They stuck through it and we’ve come together in the transition.”

The Cardinals finished in first place with a total of 38 points. Jewel Sumner was second (66 points), with Redemptorist (83 points) coming in third.

The top finisher for the Cardinals was senior Jordan Reed, who finished second with a time of 16 minutes, 21 seconds. Junior Christopher King (seventh, 16:52), Evan Thibodeaux (eighth, 16:53) and senior Ethan Miller (ninth, 17:23) also finished in the Top 10.

“We should have had five kids in the Top 5 but we think the fifth had low blood sugar and had to limp to the finish line,” the coach explained. “But to have four in the top is quite an accomplishment and says a lot about the hard work the kids put into the program.”

The E.D. White girls finished third overall in their meet. Academy of the Sacred Heart (32 points) led the way, followed by Jewel Sumner (65 points), then the Lady Cardinals (94).

Sophomore Taylor Dugruise paved the way for her team finishing third with a time of 20:04.

Lindsay Constant (12th, 20:46), and Kaitlin Kuylen (15th, 20:53) all finished in the Top 20.

Grabert credits all of the Cardinals runners for putting their heart into what they believe.

“The reason this team has been so successful is because not only do we have good runners, but these kids are committed,” he said. “They work hard and actually want to be out there. It says a lot about a team. They are motivated, and it shows year after year.”