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Pel boys off to state
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| H&N photo by Andrew Mariman At their heels: Led by Alex Peterson’s, middle, second-place finish, the KU boys earned a team trip to state Saturday. |
Deep race sees KU garner team ticket to Eugene
By Steve Matthies
H&N Sports Writer
Klamath Union coach Rob Coffman knew his team would have to run its best race of the season.
So did coaches from Crater and Ashland.
“The biggest thing for our kids, they knew it was gut-check time,” Coffman said after the Pelicans slipped past Ashland to finish second in the Southern Sky Conference boys cross country meet Saturday at Moore Park.
Ashland’s girls, meanwhile, ran stronger and challenged Crater for its team title.
Crater sweeps
Crater swept the team titles in the meet to determine Class 5A state meet entries on an unusually warm, sun-swept course that saw Mazama also have a solid performance.
The top two teams and the top four individuals not on those teams won trips to the state championships next Saturday at Eugene’s Lane Community College.
That will mean the KU boys go as a team along with two individual girls.
Mazama will send one boy and two girls to compete as individuals.
“At least we have more going to state this year than we did last year,” Mazama’s Kirby Garlitz said after he qualified for another trip to Eugene. He will be joined by Sara Nelson and Stephanie Kersten.
KU had hoped to send both its teams, but the boys clearly had the best chance.
“Mason (Aspera) and Karl (Britsch) were solid,” Coffman said. “Alex (Peterson) did what he was supposed to do. Nick (Anderson) represented what all of our kids did. The kids just competed.
“We knew we had four solid runners, but needed the fifth, and Culley (Dumbeck) was just phenomenal. He closed the gap. In the last 800 meters, he overtook two Ashland runners.
“We’re not deep,” Coffman said, “so there was no margin for error.”
Anderson overtook two Crater runners in the final 400 meters of the 5K race to finish fifth.
Peterson was second behind Crater’s Zach Elliott, the latter of whom turned in some of the state’s fastest times this season, regardless of class.
“We went out slow at the start and knew was it a tempo race the first 2K,” Peterson said. “At the top of the second hill, Zach Elliott made his move and I went with him. At two miles, Zach laid it down hard and I stayed close.”
Elliott won in 16 minutes, 41.66 seconds, a blistering time on what many consider the toughest cross country course in the state. Peterson finished in 16:49.09.
“I was really proud of how the team performed,” Peterson said. “We showed up when it counted. I was really excited when I saw Nick run past the Crater guy (Max Runia). If I wasn’t doubled over, I would have been jumping up and down.”
Runners doubled over in pain after an intense run was the norm Saturday, for both boys and girls.
KU and Mazama runners mumbled about the challenge of the course, but runners from the Rogue Valley were less forgiving.
“I hate, I mean I hate, this course,” several Ashland and Crater runners mumbled as they stumbled out of the finish chute.
“We just ran as hard as we could,” said KU’s Chelsa McDonnell, who was second in the girls race. She finished in 20:24.24, with Crater’s Kayleigh Tyerman winning in 19:55.87.
“It was a huge advantage running on our home course,” McDonnell said. “It’s a definite plus to run on it, and going to state is an accomplishment. We would have liked to have gone to state as a team, and we knew every girl would have to run the race of her life. Sometimes, it doesn’t happen.”
It did not Saturday, but McDonnell will be joined by teammate Erin Westfall at the state meet.
So did coaches from Crater and Ashland.
“The biggest thing for our kids, they knew it was gut-check time,” Coffman said after the Pelicans slipped past Ashland to finish second in the Southern Sky Conference boys cross country meet Saturday at Moore Park.
Ashland’s girls, meanwhile, ran stronger and challenged Crater for its team title.
Crater sweeps
Crater swept the team titles in the meet to determine Class 5A state meet entries on an unusually warm, sun-swept course that saw Mazama also have a solid performance.
The top two teams and the top four individuals not on those teams won trips to the state championships next Saturday at Eugene’s Lane Community College.
That will mean the KU boys go as a team along with two individual girls.
Mazama will send one boy and two girls to compete as individuals.
“At least we have more going to state this year than we did last year,” Mazama’s Kirby Garlitz said after he qualified for another trip to Eugene. He will be joined by Sara Nelson and Stephanie Kersten.
KU had hoped to send both its teams, but the boys clearly had the best chance.
“Mason (Aspera) and Karl (Britsch) were solid,” Coffman said. “Alex (Peterson) did what he was supposed to do. Nick (Anderson) represented what all of our kids did. The kids just competed.
“We knew we had four solid runners, but needed the fifth, and Culley (Dumbeck) was just phenomenal. He closed the gap. In the last 800 meters, he overtook two Ashland runners.
“We’re not deep,” Coffman said, “so there was no margin for error.”
Anderson overtook two Crater runners in the final 400 meters of the 5K race to finish fifth.
Peterson was second behind Crater’s Zach Elliott, the latter of whom turned in some of the state’s fastest times this season, regardless of class.
“We went out slow at the start and knew was it a tempo race the first 2K,” Peterson said. “At the top of the second hill, Zach Elliott made his move and I went with him. At two miles, Zach laid it down hard and I stayed close.”
Elliott won in 16 minutes, 41.66 seconds, a blistering time on what many consider the toughest cross country course in the state. Peterson finished in 16:49.09.
“I was really proud of how the team performed,” Peterson said. “We showed up when it counted. I was really excited when I saw Nick run past the Crater guy (Max Runia). If I wasn’t doubled over, I would have been jumping up and down.”
Runners doubled over in pain after an intense run was the norm Saturday, for both boys and girls.
KU and Mazama runners mumbled about the challenge of the course, but runners from the Rogue Valley were less forgiving.
“I hate, I mean I hate, this course,” several Ashland and Crater runners mumbled as they stumbled out of the finish chute.
“We just ran as hard as we could,” said KU’s Chelsa McDonnell, who was second in the girls race. She finished in 20:24.24, with Crater’s Kayleigh Tyerman winning in 19:55.87.
“It was a huge advantage running on our home course,” McDonnell said. “It’s a definite plus to run on it, and going to state is an accomplishment. We would have liked to have gone to state as a team, and we knew every girl would have to run the race of her life. Sometimes, it doesn’t happen.”
It did not Saturday, but McDonnell will be joined by teammate Erin Westfall at the state meet.
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| This meet’s elite |
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