NATCHEZ — Saturday marked the end of an era for the Natchez High School cross country team and head coach Larry Wesley, as senior Charles Marsaw, who joined the team as an eighth grader, ran his last distance race for the Bulldogs.

Marsaw saved his finest performance for last too, finishing in the top 50 runners in the state for the first time in his career, he said.

“It felt good, because I’ve been running for a while, and top 50 was my highest ever,” Marsaw said.

Although Marsaw also competes for Natchez High’s indoor and outdoor track teams, Saturday marked his final cross country race as a high school runner. He said he was pleased with the way he improved as a distance runner in his career, and he has come a long way since his eighth-grade year.

“I was originally playing basketball, and a friend told me about cross country,” he said. “I had asthma when I first started, and I kept running and the asthma got better. Then I just fell in love with it. It’s something I love to do.”

Wesley said coaching Marsaw for five years was a joy.

“I won’t get another Charles Marsaw,” he said. “He was with me from eighth grade, and we fought a lot of battles together. The thing about Charles is he was always a scholar too.”

Wesley said Marsaw’s perseverance and his will to win made him one of the best cross country runners the Bulldogs have seen, and the two have created a quality relationship during their time together.

“For the last three, maybe four years he’s been the top cross country (runner) for boys,” Wesley said. “But the most important thing is when you have an athlete from eighth grade to 12th, y’all have a bond and have a connection. He is pleasant and a pleasure to work with. He always tries to do the right thing.”

Marsaw said Wesley has been a great influence on his track career.

“He motivates me to my fullest capacity,” he said. “And sometimes his tough talk makes me run harder and gives me a challenge. He makes me mentally harder.”

Marsaw said one of his best experiences this season was the first race in Vicksburg.

“I wasn’t in very good shape, and it was a tough course with hills and concrete roads,” he said. “I ran very good and beat people who were expected to finish in the top 10.”

Marsaw said he finished sixth in that race.

“It felt good, it helped push me through the year.”

Marsaw said he is not usually the biggest guy in his races, but his size sometimes works to his advantage.

“A lot of guys underestimate me, because I’m smaller in stature, and that gives me an advantage because I’m the underdog,” he said.

Marsaw said his heart and determination are what makes him a successful runner.

The 17-year-old runner will not have much time to rest with indoor track season right around the corner, and he said he is now working on getting stronger and faster before the Bulldogs look to challenge for championships during the indoor season.

“This is my first year running (indoor),” he said. “It should be pretty exciting. There will be good competition, and I love competition. It brings out the best in me.”

Marsaw said his goal for indoor season and for the outdoor season in the spring is to go after the state championship.

Once his career at Natchez is over, Marsaw hopes his abilities will land him at an in-state school with a good track program.

“Hopefully Mississippi State,” he said. “But any Mississippi school with a track program and an engineering program.”

Wesley said Marsaw’s work in the classroom, as well as on the track, sets him apart from a lot of student athletes looking to make it at the next level.

Until then Marsaw just hopes to see his team succeed.

“I believe the indoor team will be pretty good,” he said. “We got some football guys coming in, and the relay team should be real good.”