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Two motivational quotes Osawatomie cross country coach Amber Campbell stresses to her runners are, “you get what you put in” and “what doesn’t kill you can only make you stronger.”
They shore up a philosophy she expounded when she took over as head coach in 2003. 
“I’ve had kids in the past who just did the necessary work and still were successful,” she said. “But when I finally got it through to the kids that the workouts and running that we did during the week were only going to go so far, that they needed to get out on the weekends and run, they needed to continue to run all year long and especially during the summer.”
Campbell thought with time, her runners would buy into that philosophy. Over the past three years, the doctrine has born fruit: two state medalists, five state qualifications (Brendan Soucie twice), two Pioneer League boys’ team titles. The results were even better than Campbell originally anticipated.
Soucie saw his labor pay off in a big way in the past two years and Kueser did this fall. Both ran to personal bests at Bonner Springs, then qualified for the Class 4A state meet a month later on the same course, before ultimately culminating their season at the state meet in Wamego, where Soucie placed 18th to earn a medal and Kueser 35th.
Campbell’s philosophy has been welcomed. Tabitha Keast, a senior, shaved four minutes off her time at the league meet compared with last year. Julia Dorsett, Natalia Diediker and Michael Del Valle are among other Trojan runners who have seen reductions in their times.
But the biggest question heading into next season is this: Can the Trojans see four consecutive years in which at least one runner qualifies for state? Campbell knows there will be some big shoes to fill: Del Valle, Billingsley, Dorsett, Soucie, Kueser and Keast will be lost to graduation.
But none of those footprints will be bigger than Kueser’s and Soucie’s.
“It is always hard to replace such talented kids,” she said, “but I’m certain that there are others out there who are just waiting to write their own chapter of OHS cross country history.”
Campbell said she doesn’t have to look too far to find a group of runners that can carry on the torch. She’s got several athletes on her team who are capable of continuing the tradition, she said.
Diediker, Crystal Firley, Cody Applegarth, Jerrod Bechtel, Grant Maimer, Keenan Tate, Shay Neal, Rebecca Fisher, Shelby Allen and Morgan Pope will look to do just that.
Applegarth, a sophomore, ran to several personal bests in the final month of the season. Maimer, a freshman, adapted well to the high school level as the season progressed. He and Applegarth were only a few places from earning a medal at the league meet. Bechtel, also a sophomore, suffered an illness only a few days prior to the first meet, but when he returned, he ran strong. Pope, a sophomore, shaved two minutes off her previous best at the regional meet.
Campbell can’t help but get excited about the potential.
“I believe that I have a really good core of kids coming back next year,” she said, “and with the success that they had this year, that will only add fuel to their flames to take it to the next level.”
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