CROSS COUNTRY: Kentwood, Kentridge boys bolt to state berths

One broke through.

Another broke down only to get back up and deliver one of the season’s most courageous performances.

Despite the heavy rain, there were plenty of local highlights from which to choose during the Class 4A Westside Classic cross country race at Fort Steilacoom Park on Saturday, Oct. 30.

Led once again by another strong performance from No. 1 runner Alex Horton, the Kentridge High boys team broke through on Saturday, taking sixth place with 180 points. Horton, a senior, blistered the course with a time of 16:10.3, which was secondly locally only to Kent-Meridian burner Derrick Daigre (16:08.7).

The top eight teams and eight individuals earned berths to this weekend’s Class 4A state meet, which will be held at Sun Willows Golf Course in Pasco. Kentridge’s Grant Wilson, who completed the 3.1-mile course in a season-best 16:50.2, was the only other Charger to crack the top 40.

The performances between Horton and Wilson helped the Chargers earn their first team state berth since 1987.

“It’s very fulfilling,” said Kentridge coach Ryan West. “Horton finally ran the race we knew he was capable of, and Grant had a breakthrough performance. It’s nice for the guys to see that all their hard work paid off.”

Hard work – and essentially raw determination – also paid big dividends for the Kentwood boys, specifically for No. 2 runner Will Richmond. Richmond, who competed at the district race a year ago with a case of swine flu, returned Saturday ready to crack the top 40. Shortly into the race, however, the Kentwood runner slipped on a slick patch of grass and fell to the ground.

“After about 400 meters or so, there’s a hill that turns and swings left. I went a little farther off the gravel path because there was grass and I thought it would be safer,” explained Richmond, who did not crack the top 100 during last season’s race. “I ended up sliding on the bottom of the hell, fell down, and got passed by a bunch of people.”

Richmond, who suffered abrasions to his elbow, wasn’t down for long.

In fact, the Kentwood runner bounced back up and proceeded to deliver one of his finest races to date, completing the course in 16:36.8, which was good enough for 30th place.

“After falling down, he got back up and ran like he was going 100 (miles per hour),” said Kentwood coach Ken Paul. “He’s so tenacious. He’s got more guts than an outhouse rat.”

Richmond’s performance, along with another rock-solid effort from senior Danny Lunder, who took a team-best 24th (16:29.0), helped the Conquerors grab a fourth-place finish as a team, which assures the Conquerors of their first state berth since 2006.

Kentwood was pegged to make a strong run at a state berth last fall, but struggled mightily at the district meet in part due to a less-than-healthy Richmond.

The Conquerors turned things around on Saturday.

“These guys have been on the threshold for this kind of improvement for quite some time,” Paul said. “Hopefully they will be able to maintain or continue this performance (at state).”

Auburn Riverside cruised to the boys team title, registering 50 points, followed well in the distance by Gig Harbor (96). Auburn Riverside’s Korey Krotzer cruised to the individual title with a time of 15:27.8.

Tahoma was the only other local boys team to advance to state, taking seventh with 202 points. The Bears, as they have been all season, were paced by sophomore sensation James Dagley, who took 20th with a time of 16:19.2.

Tahoma also delivered the goods on the girls’ side, taking third with 114 points to earn a team berth to the state meet. The Bears pushed three individuals into the top 16: Julianna Mock (7th, 19:00.3), Elizabeth Oosterhout (14th, 19:13.6) and Lauren Clawson (16th, 19:18.8). Tahoma took second at last year’s state meet.

Kent-Meridian star Alexia Martin continued to lead those from the Kent School District, taking eighth with a time of 19:02.5. Martin took ninth at the state meet last year. The Royals were making their first district appearance as a team in more than a decade. Ruby Virk, Martin’s teammate, also enjoyed a strong race, clocking out with a time of 19:29.8, which was good enough for 19th place and an individual state berth.

The Kentwood girls just missed a team berth, taking ninth place with 241 points. South Kitsap, which garnered 223 points, took eighth place.

Kentwood’s Kailey Ulland, who took eighth at state a year ago, led the Conquerors by taking 17th with a time of 19:21.5. Also cracking the top 40 for the Conquerors was Tessa Carlin, who clocked out with a time of 19:48.9, which was good enough for 35th place.

Kentridge’s Molly Shiroishi, who played on the soccer team last fall, also earned an individual berth to state, finishing in 31st place with a time of 19:47.4. Kentlake’s Sarah Robbins, who finished in 24th with a time of 19:35.1, was the only other individual from the Kent School District to advance.