Brother and sister lead Spartan runners: SHS cross country teams make run at state meet.

Byline: Emily Kram

Oct. 23--The Superior High School cross country team will be in Merrill Saturday for a Division 1 sectional meet. No Spartan cross country runner has advanced to the state meet since 2004, but this year Superior is optimistic. Leah Holmes, 14, is a freshman on the Superior High School girls cross country team. Her older brother Shane, 16, runs for the boys team as a junior. The two say they get along well, except for occasional bickering over which radio station to listen to. On the cross country course, both are top runners for their respective teams. "I wouldn't say we're competitive," Shane said, "because it's no competition." Leah conceded that her brother is faster, but she holds the advantage by a different measure. Any time a Spartan finishes first in a race, head coach Dan Conway presents the runner with a memento from the victory -- the empty shell from the starter's pistol. Conway said he began the tradition with Jason Aho, who advanced to the state meet individually for three straight years, from 2000 to 2002. Other strong …