‘Just try to pass someone’

Every breath became a gasp for air, but Anders Holmes’ legs only began moving faster. He couldn’t tell exactly how many guys were ahead of him, but he knew it was too many. The cheerful shouts from the crowd grew into a motivational roar as he made one final turn. At the end of a long and dense tunnel of spectators, the finish line of the 2024 state qualifying meet was in sight.

The pain and exhaustion flooded the mind of Holmes, but one thing remained clear to him: “Just try to pass someone,” Holmes said.

Holmes reached one final gear, churning out one last kick. The finish was foggy to him, but those watching in Solon orange and black will remember for a lifetime.

Anders Holmes finished 15th place, the final individual qualifying spot. He was going to represent Solon at the state meet on his own, and he was only a freshman.

Holmes capped off his season placing 49th out of 132 runners at the class 3A state championship race. He placed fourth among freshmen in the race, running a 17:07.

While racing at state was an unforgettable memory for Holmes, he still wants more. Running that race alone with none of his teammates by his side didn’t sit well with him. This year, Holmes has made leaps to do whatever it takes to propel his team to a championship caliber team.

The “breakout race” for Holmes as a high school runner came last year at the Gilbert XC Meet in Ames. He finished in 17:27, thrashing the personal best of 18:30 that he had set seven days prior.

“I didn’t realize how well I was doing until I got to the finish line and saw my time,” Holmes said. “There were so many people which made me feel like I was a lot farther back than I actually was.”

From that point on, Holmes was the Spartans’ top guy.

Now in his sophomore season, Anders not only wants to run again at state, but he wants to run it alongside his teammates as well. Holmes set his new personal best time at the Gilbert meet earlier in the month, finishing in 17:00.49.

It’s not always easy for a 15 year old boy to step up and lead a team of 26 guys. Solon head coach Emy Williams has been impressed by the growth she’s seen out of the sophomore.

“Anders has really matured this year and become a leader for the team,” Coach Williams said. “He knows what he needs to be doing and knows how hard to push his body.”

Holmes has become a model for his teammates when it comes to practice and preparation.

“He leads by example,” sophomore teammate Preston Raasch said. “He’s really pushing each varsity runner to go faster.”

Despite dealing with some nagging injuries, Holmes aims to break the 17 minute mark by the end of the season. However, his bigger goals on the season revolve selflessly around the growth of the team.

“Trying to work on building younger guys up is important,” Holmes said. “That’s where I think we’re going to be really strong.”

Four of Solon’s top five varsity runners are underclassmen, a very rare occurrence in high school cross country. The Spartans have a serious shot of qualifying as a team for state this year and will be looking for the leadership of Holmes to get them there.

“He believes in himself,” Coach Williams said.

“He gives us hope for how well we can compete at state over the next few years,” Raasch said.

Holmes and the Spartan boys are looking to receive their first state qualification bid as a team in two years. After missing out as a team last year, the future is bright for Solon.

Not only is Holmes a promising young runner, he’s grown into a role model for his teammates. He leads by example and understands what it takes to succeed as a team in high school athletics: Running not only for yourself, but for the other six men aiming for the same finish line.