A banner honoring the outstanding season by the Warsaw boys cross country team this past fall flies in the Tiger Den after being unfurled Friday night.

WARSAW – The 2012 season was a banner one for the Warsaw boys cross country program.

Jim Mills’ highly-successful program now has a banner to call its own hanging from the rafters in the Tiger Den at WCHS.

A banner signifying the Tigers fourth-place finish at the State Finals in October now hangs proudly in the Tiger Den. The banner was unfurled by members of Mills team Friday night as they were honored during halftime of the Warsaw-Northridge boys basketball game.

The Tigers had a remarkable run this past fall. Warsaw won the Northern Lakes Conference regular season and meet championships. The Tigers then went on to win the Culver Academies Sectional title and then the Culver Academies Regional championship. The squad then placed second to Valparaiso at the New Prairie Semistate.

Warsaw, led by its terrific trio of seniors Jake Poyner and Robert Murphy and junior Ellis Coon, definitely saved their best for last though in the fall.

The Tigers, whose goal all season was to get on the podium at the State Finals, accomplished that lofty goal. Warsaw captured a fourth-place finish, the program’s highest-ever, at the State meet held in Terre Haute.

The trio of Poyner, Coon and Murphy all earned All-State honors at the State Finals. Poyner placed fourth in the field, while Coon was sixth and Murphy ninth. Warsaw finished with a team score of 157 to place behind team champion Carmel (93), Fort Wayne Carroll (116) and Valpariso (149).  Senior Brysten James (62nd) and sophomore Daniel Messenger (76th) completed the Tigers’ team scoring at State. Sophomore Michael Compton (134th) and freshman Owen Glogovsky (137th) also ran for Warsaw in the season finale.

The banner honoring the 2012 squad flies in the southwest corner of the Tiger Den. It reads IHSAA Boys Cross Country Final Four 2012. The Tiger Den is filled with banners from Warsaw’s tradition-rich athletic programs, including ones honoring state championships for boys basketball (19840, girls basketball (1976 and 1978), softball (1991) and boys golf (2005).

Warsaw seniors Jake Poyner (left) and Robert Murphy are honored Friday night at the boys basketball game. The pair of All-State performers led Warsaw to a fourth-place finish at the State Finals this past fall.