Davies' Luka Rout vying for top finish in ND cross country meet

FARGO — Fargo Davies boys cross country coach Jason Holland echoes the same sentiment to his standout junior Luka Rout before every race. Show people your gift, Holland said. That gift has propelled Rout to the No. 1 ranking in the North Dakota cross country coaches poll and top time in the state at 15 minutes, 4.9 seconds. Rout will look to end the fall campaign on a high note at the North Dakota Class A boys and girls cross country state meet on Saturday, Oct. 24, at Pipestem Reservoir in Jamestown. He s inching his way towards getting better every single race, Holland said. One thing that he always does is if there s something at stake, he always performs his best. Rout finished second last season at the state meet. He s won three meets this season, including his second consecutive Eastern Dakota Conference Championship at 15:28.7. I oftentimes wonder if he likes the attention, Holland said. Because he s so talented, people want to know who he