Colton Cranney, a senior for the 2025 Star Valley High School Boys Cross Country Team, stepped into the studio for First Bank of Wyoming Sports Friday to discuss his season and the team’s season up to this point.

(0:00) Duke it down with you in studio for sports Friday today and joining us live in studio right now as well as star buddy high school (0:06) Cross-country runner senior Colton cranny today Colton. How are you? Thanks for swinging by today. I’m doing well.

How are you guys? (0:13) We are doing fantastic. Thank you so much for for getting up on a Friday and coming in. I know you school types (0:20) It’s hard to you know, if you have that I don’t know the schedules are anymore, but we appreciate you coming (0:24) There is school today, right? So we got you out of some (0:26) Sure (0:28) That’s a good thing.

That makes me feel better than I thought maybe we had woke him up or something like that (0:34) Cold one of the things I want to talk about with you is you have been part of this star (0:39) only high school cross-country program that has been so successful the last three for a state champs and and (0:46) You’ve had a couple of division one runners (0:48) Running running as part of your teammates the last two or three years in particular (0:53) Well, well, yeah three years and now you’re now it’s now you’re a senior kind of talk about that a little bit because (1:00) One I would assume it make it helps make you better at the same time. There’s probably like (1:06) Can I get in front of these guys? I just I’ve thought about that for a couple years now kind of walk us through (1:12) This this mindset of yours as you’ve been progressing through the star value high school cross-country program. Absolutely.

I think (1:20) You know as a freshman I had (1:24) Great runners hobby and Jace in front of me and I (1:29) was you know always kind of looking up to him like they were my role models and (1:34) Just throughout the years as I’ve you know developed relationships with them. It’s just (1:41) become more of just (1:42) You know trying to obtain that same excellence that they have (1:47) because (1:48) They really have and they’ve pushed me to (1:52) The heights that I’m at now, and I don’t think I’d be where I’m at without him. So, you know, I think just having that (2:01) Senior (2:02) Role model I think is a big part of where I am today (2:06) Has that helped in even into this year now that you’re the senior and they’ve graduated (2:12) Do you has that added any pressure or has it added maybe motivation to think that okay (2:18) Maybe now there’s some freshmen looking at me the same way.

I looked at I looked at those guys (2:23) What are your thoughts on that? I like motivation. I mean (2:27) you know, they were there for me when I was young and I can be there for the the younger kids now because (2:33) You know, it’s all the guys they look up to and we’ve all been there. We know what it’s like (2:39) So just being a good example to them and pushing them along and becoming great one day (2:45) Let’s talk about the Bob Conley invite.

You ran just yesterday (2:48) At the Bob Conley kind of talked to us about what this is. This is your fourth time (2:53) Well, you’ve run at it several times. I shouldn’t assume you’ve been there four times.

Yeah, but (2:58) talk about this course in particular and maybe some of the specifics about this course and (3:05) Some of this some of the strategy that goes into being towards the front of the pack of a race like that (3:11) you know, it’s a (3:12) It’s a relatively fast course all things considered. There’s some fast guys. We’ve raced (3:20) Same crew of guys for probably there’s probably the third meet that we’ve seen them (3:23) First starting with Cardinal Classic then Tiger Grizz and now here so that aspect is nice because you know your competition (3:31) You know what you’re going up against (3:33) And you kind of know their strengths the rugby guys (3:36) They really like to push the hills try to break you on them so you can expect that from them (3:44) Century guys they take it out quick.

You just got to be ready for that (3:49) But yeah other than that like, you know the course (3:52) You got a little bit of everything mixed terrain. You got some sand on the beach. You got some grass (4:00) Thankfully some of its nicely mowed (4:03) um (4:05) Yeah, I mean, it’s nothing like our home course, but it’s a good challenge (4:10) Colton you the way you talk about the course is it kind of makes me think of like the way golfers talk about courses (4:17) How does it change your mindset? I mean is it all about the footing is it all about? (4:23) Energy expenditure cuz cuz I mean you have some very specific ideas about the course (4:28) I just wondered how that affects runners because I have like I have no idea (4:32) I’ve no idea what you’re talking about as far as that goes, but it’s very interesting (4:36) well (4:37) Like I said with the grass thing like it’s incredible the difference it makes when you’re running on an inch of grass versus four inches (4:44) It’s it’s all about running efficiently (4:46) So like, you know just trying to conserve when you’re running on the sand or in the gravel because you know loose footing (4:53) You expend more energy.

So it’s just kind of about being smart that way and not (4:59) Over exerting yourself just keeping (5:02) Also, just a good mindset being able to push through it when it gets hard and I’m assuming you take that race by race (5:09) but it’s also got to be part of a whole season right because (5:13) You’re kind of in a unique situation that you and some of your teammates have been not just this year (5:17) But previous years where you’re not just running it against the Wyoming high school competition (5:22) You’re going to places like this one, but some other pretty prestigious national type races, right? (5:27) and so (5:29) How do you keep the whole season it? (5:32) Conserve your energy, but still be able to power through those those races as a whole. I (5:37) think a big thing is (5:40) Just always keeping your eye on the next race, you know, whether you win or lose the race of today (5:46) You still gotta move on forget about it because you got another one next week and that’s the that’s the next important thing (5:53) so just (5:56) You know keeping that in perspective like as much as (6:01) Maybe nice and fun to win. It’s a (6:05) You know, it’s a big thing (6:07) But the next week you got another race that you need to focus on you can’t keep dwelling on (6:13) The wins and losses of yesterday.

Well, you ran (6:16) Over in Oregon at the Tillamook Tillamook. I’m sure the locals hit and look probably well you were there (6:23) How do they say it? There’s I guess muck. Okay (6:27) I’m saying I couldn’t I could think I could fight was a local would be like muck.

I’m running the muck (6:32) but (6:34) At sea level obviously, you know people may be casually understand or or have heard things about running (6:41) It’s at altitude versus running at sea level. You had an amazing time there (6:46) In fact the fastest time ever for a Wyoming high school runner 1450 and change (6:51) Talk about that experience from that running at the muck and going (6:56) 1450 it was incredible. I mean everything about that day just kind of lined up (7:01) Weather was perfect (7:04) Competition was perfect.

I mean those are some fast guys in Oregon. They’re no joke and (7:11) Yeah, obviously the the low elevation aspects. I mean we’re used to running up here.

I mean our home course is (7:18) 6,300 or something like that (7:21) it’s a it’s a big change and I think (7:24) you know, I’m happy with how I (7:27) utilized all those things that day and (7:30) put to work for me because yeah, I mean it got me the the state record and that’s (7:35) That’s pretty awesome to me. That’s pretty awesome. Indeed Colton cranny in studio this morning senior at star body high school in the cross-country team (7:42) So what’s coming up next? (7:44) Colton for you for the rest of the season you and the the Braves I should say, um (7:51) Big things just eyes forward to regionals and state.

We have a smaller meet for Bridger this next this next week on a (7:59) I’ve no clue to Thursday or Saturday. I think it’s on the 9th. Yeah.

Yeah. All right. Yeah, and then uh, (8:07) So, you know rip a fast race there and then it’s on the in-state competition on (8:12) At regionals so and then on to state obviously, that’s that’s the big one got a hawk down some (8:20) some Sheridan Bronx (8:22) well, I’m gonna throw this out there because (8:24) Obviously the the Braves have had a great run.

They’ve won three in a row the three Pete (8:29) But you coming back as a senior I was kind of looking at this, you know a year ago year plus and (8:36) You obviously have a great chance to be the individual champ and I’m sure that’s one of your goals (8:41) But as far as the as the team title, I kind of feel like the Braves are being overlooked just a little bit team wise (8:50) They’re like, oh, okay. Jace Burton gone. Hobby.

What’s all gone? (8:54) Some other seniors, you know, but you’ve got some fast teammates. You’ve got some dudes kind of what you know (9:00) Is that kind of been a mindset for you guys this year that oh people thought the run was over (9:07) But we’re not but we’re gonna come and see what happens (9:10) Absolutely, I mean we’re not out of it yet and (9:14) I think that race in Oregon’s like it’s a good confidence builder for us all, you know (9:19) Let us know that we’re capable of more than we thought and I mean, it’s not gonna be easy at all (9:27) you know, there’s some tough teams and (9:30) We’re gonna have to really really work it but (9:34) Yeah, I think I (9:35) Think we’re going in as what people think are the underdogs, but we we know we’re better than that. So (9:42) See what we can make happen come state Colton.

What what do you think might be next for you long-term after high school? (9:51) Are you still trying to figure things out? Would you like to run collegiately? Not sure yet. Where are you at there? (9:56) I would love to run collegiately after a mission. I’m I’d love to I think it’d be a (10:02) Great experience just to build on the high school experience.

I’ve had already and I could just (10:08) I don’t know. It’d be incredible and why that’s I mean (10:13) We think about you’ve been describing these races that you’re doing and how hard and difficult it is (10:18) What motivates you to do it? Why do you like it so much? (10:20) I mean to be able to even want to go to the next level make that jump to collegiate (10:25) What motivates you to run like this? (10:28) Man the love for the sport, I guess I mean it’s (10:32) It’s hard to justify it to people that might not understand it. But I mean (10:36) you just certain feeling of accomplishment after you run a personal vest or (10:42) beat the guy that you’ve never be before it’s it’s another feeling and also just (10:48) self improvement self progression, it’s (10:52) It’s incredible just to see how far you’ve come in a few years (10:55) And that’s just more motivation to see how far you can take it (11:00) So that’s Colton cranny this morning on first Bank of Wyoming sports Friday Colton appreciate your time congrats on the great season so far (11:07) I know you have a lot left coming.

So good luck you guys moving forward. Thank you (11:10) It’s part of first Bank of Wyoming sports Friday this morning on the SBI radio network