The thing about the Parkland girls cross country team is that they are good. They’re so good that when they finish second out of 14 teams, the mindset is that they can do better.

“We still have a lot of work to do,” Trojan head coach Loretta Dodson said after her team’s second-place finish Oct. 16 at the Eastern Pennsylvania Conference Cross Country Championships, held at Bethlehem Municipal Golf Course. “I think just maybe working on individual goals and what they need to do to be a better team.”

Dodson’s program has long been known for its structure, discipline and team-first approach. Her sterling record over the years validates that approach.

The Lady Trojans finished the day with 99 points, 21 back of first-place Easton.

Madison Zaun, the talented senior, once again led the way for Parkland, running a wise and strong race and finishing in 19:44. That mark was good enough for second place overall, eight seconds behind Freedom’s Lauren Charboneau.

Emily Beers finished second for the Lady Trojans and 19th overall with a time of 21:06. She was closely followed by teammate Ava Bendetti, who took third for Parkland and 21st overall at 21:12. Coming in fourth for Parkland was Lily Goense with a mark of 21:21, which was good for 23rd overall.

“Some of the girls ran a nice race,” said Dodson. “I thought Maddie [Zaun] ran a nice, smart race. I thought Ava ran a smart race. Lily always runs a smart race. But I just think we need to work a little more with the girls and make sure it sinks in.”

Parkland’s Julianna Elsesser claimed 34th place in the tournament, while Emma Garchinsky finished 43rd and Stephanie Snyder took 49th place. Lauren Williams finished 82nd overall and Kayla Kinney claimed 92nd in the event.