Sue Sitter/PCT Rugby Panthers Cross Country Coach Bill Jansen, right, leads his team on its first run of the season.

In all sports there are dynasties and then there are programs like the Rugby Girls’ Cross Country Team.

The Rugby Panthers girls’ squad is looking to claim its fifth consecutive state title going back to 2018, coming into the 2023 season.

The Rugby High School Panthers Cross Country season began with a traditional one-mile run led by Coach Bill Jansen Monday, Aug. 14 on Third Street Southeast.

“We practice at seven in the morning and seven at night now until school starts,” said Jansen. “Some people on the Towner crew, they start school this Wednesday (Aug. 16), so they’ll practice nights with us.”

This year, the Panthers co-op with Towner, Leeds and Benson County High Schools for Cross Country just like they have in the past.

The boys’ team has nine runners on its roster this year, down from 15 from last year. The girls’ team also showed smaller numbers, with 15 this year compared to 21 in 2022.

Jansen said he “no doubt” expected good things from both.

“Some are in decent condition right now and others will take a while to get to where they want to be,” said Jansen. “We go in the morning because it’s cooler and we can just get some miles in. Some of the kids have run miles in the summer and some haven’t run many, so we can get some miles on them in the morning. Really, we have 11 weeks, so it’s not a very long season. And at night, we do some faster stuff. It’s just nice to get us into it early in the year.”

Jansen said on the first day, “We run a couple of miles. I run the first mile with them and then they run another mile and we sit and talk through the season and the stuff that’s coming up here early. It’s more organizational today. They get to basically walk behind me for a mile and not have to worry about going very fast and laugh and make fun of me for a mile.”

Don’t let the laughing at the coach’s expense think that this year’s team isn’t serious about its continued success and storied history.

“As far as the season, on the girls’ side, we’ve got everybody back, basically. We’re hoping to do well again,” he said.

Returning for the girls are past all-state team members Brooklyn Bartsch, Hannah Senechal and Amelia Shepard.

The boys’ team will look for new runners to step up.

“And the boys, we lost our best runners,” said Jansen. “Austin (Dibble)’s gone, Gunnar (Larson)’s gone.”

Dibble made the North Dakota All-State Class B team for three years in a row from 2020 to 2022.

“It will be interesting to see where the boys are,” said Jansen. “Of course, we want to be in the top five at state. We were in the top five last year, so we would like to get back there again this year. So, we’ll see what we can do with the crew we’ve got.”

Did Jansen hope for a five-peat for the girls?

“That would be awesome,” he said.

Jansen finished his mile with his team close behind him. “Eleven minutes,” they shouted as they kept running.

The Panthers begin their season with a meet at Parkhurst Recreation Area in Jamestown Aug. 26 at 10 a.m.