Admittedly, though, The Sauk Prairie senior just didn’t have enough to make it a reality.

"Right away, I had a bunch of people I knew competing for the championship, so I just took off after them at the gun, Kerska said of his start to the WIAA Division 1 prep cross country race at the Ridges Golf Course. "I just kind of went with them for as long as I could, and I stayed in that lead pack.

"Then, with about 1,000 meters to go, they started to part and I couldn’t go with. I fell back to fifth, and I just held my breath. ... It was painful, but it worked out in the end."

What it worked out to was a spot on the medal stand, something Kerska earned by finishing fourth with a personal best time of 15 minutes, 53.7 seconds — just less than 13 seconds behind winner Marcus Paulson of Sussex Hamilton (16:41).

The reason Kerska couldn’t keep up during the final 1,000 meters? A stretch of rolling hills, including one steep one, during that stretch left him with tired legs. Meanwhile, Paulson and Madison East’s Gabe Heck and Milwaukee Marquette’s Jake Erschen — who finished second and third, respectively — surged.

"... Right when I felt them surge, my only thought was to go with," Kerska said. "(But), I couldn’t get my legs to go any faster."

After falling to fifth behind Appleton East’s Taylor Wardall, Kerska was able to use a finishing burst to get by Wardall down the stretch.

Wardall finished sixth, while Will Casey finished fifth for Brookfield Central, which won the team title with a score of 99 — ahead of runner-up Marquette (115). The top six runners separated themselves from the field a little less than halfway through the 5,000 meter race.

Kerska, who finished 14th last season, said ending his prep cross country career on the medal stand was especially gratifying considering he spent the summer recovering from a pair of stress fractures in his left leg — which left his cross country season in doubt.

"I’ll take it," he said. "I would have liked first, but considering the circumstances of my summer, I’m happy to be here and perform well.

"I’m really happy with that."

— Sauk Prairie Eagle Sports Editor Dan Larson contributed to this story

Team scores: Brookfield Central 99, Milwaukee Marquette 115, Stevens Point 138, Neenah 146, Hudson 185, Madison Memorial 205, Hartland Arrowhead 235, Waukesha West 253, Janesville Craig 273, Kimberly 280, Appleton East 286, La Crosse Logan 294, Madison La Follette 301, Waterford 315, Kenosha Tremper 317, Schofield D.C. Everest 320, Middleton 397, Pulaski 429, Waukesha North 498.

Top individuals: 1, Paulson, Sussex Hamilton, 15:41; 2, Heck, Madison East, 15:43.7; 3, Erschen, Milwaukee Marquette 15:46.4; 4, Garrett Kerska, Sauk Prairie, 15:53.7; 5, Casey, Brookfield Central, 16:01.2; 6, Wardall, Appleton East, 16:08.8; 7, Hacker, Madison West, 16:12.3; 8, Krumbach, La Crosse Central, 16:13.6; 9, Derner, Waterford, 16:17.7; 10, Sandvold, Hartland Arrowhead, 16:20.8.