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One would have to be a fool not to know what the goal of the Warsaw girls cross country team is this year.
Afterall, it was printed so clearly on the back of a black, long-sleeved shirt worn by a Tiger runner at last Saturday's Northern Lakes Conference championships.
"I'd Rather Be In Bloomington" it said in big orange letters.
Bloomington, as in Nov. 4 and the state championship, a place the Tigers finished 13th last year.
And if Warsaw coach Paul Sibray seems excited about this year's state tournament - the sectional round of the tournament is Saturday - he has reason to be.
Gone from last year's 13th-place team at state is one runner that figured into the top six - Summer Boyd, who graduated and is now at Morehead State University.
So confident is Sibray about his team's chances, he says he won't see the real competition until the semistate round.
"We're pretty good through the regional," Sibray said. "Semistate, that's when it'll get a little tougher. I think the sectional will be a replay of the conference. Northridge is a tough team, and Goshen was 11 points behind us (at the NLC meet). I don't think anyone else will come in and challenge."
Warsaw will compete in Saturday's 11-team Elkhart Central Sectional at Ox Bow Park. Running in the sectional with Warsaw will be Bethany Christian, Concord, Elkhart Central, Elkhart Memorial, Fairfield, Goshen, Jimtown, Northridge, NorthWood and Wawasee.
The top five teams as well as the top 15 individuals advance to the regional round of the state tournament.
Sibray's Tigers went through the Northern Lakes Conference with a 5-1 record. Combined with its second-place finish at Saturday's NLC meet - a meet that took place on the same course the sectional will be run on - Warsaw claimed its first Northern Lakes Conference title since 1987.
"It's gonna take a lot of effort from the girls," Sibray said. "We have three girls that typically run up front, but we have to close the gap from our 1-2-3 runners to our 4-5-6 runners."
Senior Hillary Barlow paced the Tigers at the NLC meet, finishing second in a time of 15:19. Jennifer Finch and Rachel Rondeau finished fourth and 13th, respectively. No other Tiger finished in the top 20.
In last year's run to the state finals, Warsaw finished second to Northridge at the sectional, finished fifth at the regional, and finished second at the Manchester Semistate.
With their times at the NLC meet, three Tigers broke their personal-best time, while three others had their best time of the season.
"I'm very happy with the girls," Sibray said. "Everybody is really making good progress. I have a good feeling about what's going to happen. I can't fault the girls' effort, it's just been a year where things have been different. We are looking forward to the state tournament."
Tippecanoe Valley, Whitko and Manchester will compete in Saturday's Manchester Sectional along with Carroll, Churubusco, Columbia City, Huntington North, Northfield, Southwood, Wabash and White's.
Typically this sectional is dominated by teams from Wabash County like Southwood and Northfield.
"I hope we will be able to place in the top five (teams)," Tippecanoe Valley coach Terry Screeton said. "I think we have a strong possibility of doing that, but it will be really tight. We ran well at the conference, and we hope to run well at the sectional as well. Northfield, Huntington North, Southwood and Carroll (Allen) are very strong teams in the sectional. If we can beat just one of them I think we can move on.
Said Manchester coach Fred Miller: "I expect to see the girls beat a couple teams. If we run stronger and push each other in the middle of the pack I think we can improve our times. Huntington North, Northfield and Wabash will probably be the strongest teams there."
Both the Elkhart Central and Manchester sectionals will start at 9 a.m. The boys races will follow at 9:30 a.m.
ELKHART CENTRAL SECTIONAL
When - Saturday at 9 a.m.
Where - Ox Bow Park (between Goshen and Elkhart off U.S. 33)
Who - Bethany Christian, Concord, Elkhart Central, Elkhart Memorial, Fairfield, Goshen, Jimtown, Northridge, NorthWood, Wawasee, Warsaw
MANCHESTER SECTIONAL
When - Saturday at 9 a.m.
Where - Manchester High School
Who - Carroll, Churubusco, Columbia City, Huntington North, Manchester, Northfield, Southwood, Tippecanoe Valley, Wabash, White's, Whitko
