Kings of the (Big) Hill — Iola finishes atop medal stand

Buoyed by Jesse Taylor's first ever career cross country victory, Iola High's harriers placed four runners in the top six and easily beat all comers to win the Parsons Invitational. The win came at Big Hill Lake on one of the toughest courses in the state.

September 17, 2021 - 2:22 PM

Iola High's Jesse Taylor, second from left, leads a caravan of runners in the early going of the Parsons Invitational Cross Country Meet at Big Hill Lake Thursday. Taylor wound up winning the his first career cross country race. Photo by Montgomery County Chronicle

BIG HILL RESERVOIR — It’s perhaps the toughest course of the cross country season.

Labette County’s Big Hill Reservoir features a little bit of everything. It starts and ends in a valley, but the middle features steep inclines as runners meander their way along the reservoir’s western shoreline.

Tack on temperatures in the upper 80s, and a healthy heaping of Kansas humidity, and just finishing upright is an accomplishment in itself.

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