Will Saari has literally taken the lead for the Fairmont boys cross country team this fall.

After being a regular top-three finisher last year for the Cardinals, Saari has become Fairmont’s No. 1 finisher in almost every meet, regularly medaling in big events.

Saari said he tries not to put too much pressure on himself and that helps him to stay calm. He said part of the fun of being one of Fairmont’s front-runners is being with his friends.

“It’s been fun because me, Connor (Artner) and Tony (Ortega) are really good friends,” Saari said. “We’re always together at school and we’re always together when we run for practice.”

Cardinal head coach Bob Bonk said out of the three leading runners and team captains, Saari is a relaxing presence.

“Of the three guys, he’s probably been the quietest,” Bonk said. “Tony Ortega is no doubt the ‘fire up’ guy and Connor (Artner) is very focused every day, he’s very serious. Will is a little more laid back and kind of takes things as they come.”

Saari said he has been running cross country since sixth grade, but he became one of Fairmont’s top finishers during big races last year.

He finished 13th at the I-90 Invitational as a sophomore with the best Fairmont time of 17:17.9 before placing 20th at the Big South Conference Meet. Saari went on to take the final state-qualifying spot at the Section 2A Meet with an 11th-place finish in 16:48.23.

Saari took 116th at the Class A state meet last year. He said the state meet was a great experience, but he did run into one major issue.

“State was amazing, I couldn’t breathe, but the course was beautiful and there was such good competition,” Saari said. “It was so much fun.”

Saari couldn’t breathe because he has asthma. He said he takes a puff from his inhaler before and after every race and usually runs with an inhaler in hand, but he has had a few races without an inhaler.

“If I don’t have it, it’s awful,” Saari said.

But most of the time, Saari has a good time running, he said he enjoys the free feeling that comes with long runs. He said most of the time when he runs, he has a song stuck in his head and runs to the beat. Saari said there is one song that he runs to more often than others.

“I like, ‘I Want it That Way,’ by the Backstreet Boys,” Saari said.

Bonk said Saari put in more work over the past summer than he had in previous years and it shows not just in his growth on the course, but in his leadership.

“That’s, I think not only in terms of his running, but in terms of kind of being more of an example to the younger guys, I think he’s done a nice job of that,” Bonk said. “He had a good summer this year, he definitely trained more than he had before. He had some really good summer races and I think that has carried over into the season.”

The extra work has turned into high places in big meets.

Saari placed eighth at the Metcalf Invitational in Mountain Lake early in the season, then finished fourth at the Turkey Trot in Worthington with a time of 16:59.5.

Saari led the Cardinal boys with a second-place finish during the Cardinal Invite at Cedar Creek Park, a 13th-place finish at the Milaca Mega Meet and an 18th-place finish at the I-90 Invite.

Bonk said he sees Saari as a runner who rises to the occasion at big events.

“He’s kind of laid back, he doesn’t say a whole lot,” Bonk said. “He’s one of the guys that I think has the ability to perform best in the meet situations compared to practice, he kind of saves a little there in practice.”

Saari will have opportunites to rise to the occasion soon at the Big South Conference Meet on Tuesday at Mountain Lake Golf Course and then the Section 2A Meet is Oct. 24 at Riverside Town and Country Club golf course in Winnebago.

Saari said he continues to not put too much pressure on himself, but he doesn’t take the glory for his success.

“I’d just say that I give all the glory to God,” Saari said. “It’s not me.”