Bothwell deserves to be 100 percent at Class 6A state meet

We’ve heard so many stories about football teams being hit with the flu this season, but it’s happened in other sports, too.

One case that hopefully won’t alter a season’s worth of success is a big topic in the cross country community right now.

Westmoore senior Toby Bothwell has dominated all season long, winning all but one race before two weeks ago. The only race he didn’t win was against Ponca City’s Victor Others, Bothwell’s biggest competition for the 6A title. However, Bothwell came back to beat Others in their next meeting.

But, after winning races and posting times in the low 16-minute range all season, Bothwell has been under-the-weather at the wrong time.

Starting with the Mid-State Conference meet on Oct. 13, Bothwell’s winning streak came to an end, placing third in 16:39. Then, in Saturday’s west-side Class 6A regional in Norman, he ran a 17:05 and had his lowest placing of the season, seventh.

Seeing as how Bothwell has run a 16:14, it’s clear he has the ability to win a state title. While having to play through illness happens to a lot of athletes, it would be a shame for Bothwell to be hampered in the biggest race of his career. I’ll be posting another update on Bothwell’s status Thursday.