|
Top finishes help Phoenix boys take second place By TIM TROWER EUGENE - In the beginning, Kyle Gillette was going to follow teammate Nathan May to the finish line. In the end, the sophomore led a 3-4-5 finish for the Pirates, spearheading a runner-up placing Saturday at the OSAA-U.S. Bank Cross Country State Championships at Lane Community College. As stirring as Phoenix's trifecta was - May, battling the flu all week, gave every ounce he had left to make a pass just strides before the finish line to place fifth - it wasn't enough to overhaul top-ranked Wilsonville. The Wildcats got a 1-2 finish from Kobi Daum and Henry Emron to win going away. They scored 50 points to Phoenix's 102, with Daum clocking 16 minutes, 18 seconds over 5,000 meters for the individual title. Emron came in in 16:23. "I'm impressed," Gillette said after the Pirates received their team trophy. "I didn't think we'd do nearly this good. The whole week we were focused on going for it. I'm so surprised we did that good." In the 4A boys race, Klamath Union's Lauren Jespersen and Jacob Gomez produced big spurts at the end to place 1-2. The top local finisher was South Medford's Shaun Olson, who was 12th as the Panthers placed ninth in the team standings. Gillette, who finished behind May and teammate Lalo Flores at the Skyline Conference district meet a week earlier, planned to feed off his teammates. "I was just trying to hang with Nathan the whole race," said Gillette, whose strong finishing kick produced a time of 16:25. "I knew he'd bring me to a better time." But, with about a mile to go, he realized he had to make a move. "I was farther back than I wanted to be," said Gillette. "I was about 14th or so and I realized, 'Hey, this is the state meet. I've got to go.'" He edged past Flores down the final stretch, the latter clocking 16:25. May came in at 16:32. "I didn't think anyone would come up beside me," said Flores of Gillette. "He had a great kick." May, previously undefeated this year and unaware of the dominance Wilsonville would end up exhibiting, narrowly eclipsed The Dalles' Zach Worth at the finish, then tumbled, spent, to the track in the finishing chute. "Every place counts at state," he said. "I wanted the team to do good. I worked my hardest and gave it all I had. I didn't know if I could catch him, but I thought if I pushed myself, I could get one more place overall." Phoenix coach Bruce Timmerman told his top runner to go out hard for as long as he could, then make adjustments as necessary. "He ran the only way he knows how," said the coach. Timmerman credited the Pirates' fourth- and fifth-place finishers, Adam Chizek, who was 42nd in 17:42, and Brenton Ferguson, 69th in 18:19, as being the difference between second place and fourth place in the team competition. Phoenix was only six points better than third-place Astoria. Fourth-place Philomath scored 141. "They both improved their times and put in a gutty effort on a tough course," said Timmerman. All five Pirate placers will return next year. May and Flores are juniors, Chizek is a sophomore and Ferguson a freshman. "We'll shoot even higher next year," said Timmerman. Despite the rousing ending by Klamath Union's two stars, the Pelicans were second to Bend in the team race. Bend scored 100 points, KU 118. Jespersen gave Klamath its fourth individual champion in six years with a time of 15:29, the same as Gomez. They both surged past Sunset's David Axel in the final 20 meters. Olson, who covered the course in 16:11, improved by nine spots over his place at last year's state meet. South Medford teammate Alando Pacas was 17th in 16:24. Olson is a senior, Pacas a junior. Reach sports editor Tim Trower at 776-4479, or e-mail ttrower@mailtribune.com |
|
Mail
Tribune Home | Ottaway Newspapers, Inc.
| Dow
Jones & Co., Inc. | Privacy
| Contact
Us |
