Auburn-Adventist Race Summary | February 18, 2021, by Coach Larry Weber
The team ran well on a slow and soggy course. Both teams ran extremely well from a competitive standpoint. I was proud to see the Eagles running again after 15 months away from the racecourse. Holding cross-country in the wintertime is a unique experience, to say the least. We only have 7 weeks to train and race, based on our state rules. We complete week three of the season this Saturday.
JPII Boys
The boys’ team had an amazing team-based performance last night. It was fantastic to see these guys come together and do so well.
In cross-country, a perfect score is 15. The lowest score wins in cross-country. The first five runners’ places across the line for each team are added up and scored. Our boys’ team finished 1,2,3,4,5 for a perfect score of 15. It was wonderful to watch all of the boys compete so well, especially our new runners.
Kobe D. showed once again why he is one of the best runners in the State. Kobe won the race overall, followed by these varsity scorers: Trever D. second overall, Luke C. third overall, Joseph H. fourth overall, and newcomer Noah A. finishing in fifth overall. Noah’s race was awe-inspiring. It was his first-ever high school cross-country race! To see him run so well in his first race was pretty special.
Nathan M. and Sam R. finished as our sixth and seventh varsity runners. Both Nathan and Sam ran very well competitively tonight. Nathan and Sam both had great finishes.
What was impressive is that Freshman Logan J. finished in the top ten overall as well! To have 8 runners in the top 10 overall is a magnificent accomplishment for the boys’ team.
Ryan C. just missed the top ten overall too! Freshman Kaden H. had a great first high school race, as did Josh H.. I was impressed by the effort of all three runners. Ryan, Kaden, and Josh all finished strong over the last part of the race and never gave up.
The Team Scores (remember, low score wins in cross-country)
JPII 15, Crosspoint 58, Auburn-Adventist 62
JPII Girls Team
The defending state champions JPII ladies team had a strong team performance.
The Eagles were paced by Vivi K., who placed first tonight. Maggie L. finished a strong second overall, followed by Catelin K. in third, and Moriah S. in fourth. Remember, both Vivi and Moriah individually made the state podium in 2019. We are blessed with a powerful girls’ team this year.
Bella K. was our fifth and final scorer, followed by Holley N. and Emeline R.. Both Holley and Emeline were on our state championship varsity team in 2019. Bella finished her last section of the race hard. Holley and Emeline pushed the last section too. Watch out when all of these ladies get in better shape as we move through the season.
Taylor A. had a fine first-ever race as a freshman! Watch Taylor’s times come down as the season progresses. Emilie and Josie are going to improve tremendously as well, in my view. Both ran very well today on this course. I was impressed by how all three runners went for it today. I can’t wait to watch all three of these ladies’ progression when we start our hard training cycle.
The lady Eagles placed nine runners in the top ten overall. Way to go, Ladies!
Next up for the Eagles is a new training phase where we move from base slower mileage to more challenging training. We go to Bremerton next week for a meet with four or five teams as well. With an abridged 7 week season, we don’t have a lot of time to get in shape. Every day matters.
Thanks to both teams for your sportsmanship and the cheering of other teams too! And, thank you, parents, for your incredible support yesterday!!
Special thanks to Mr. Ashe for taking pictures and covering the race. Thanks to Mr. Herness for getting everyone out the door on time with all the COVID protocols he had to deal with yesterday. Mrs. Ashe assisted with the departure process as well, which we greatly appreciate. Mrs. Harley and Mrs. Steinbrecher also helped with the tents yesterday.
It truly takes a big team effort to make an event like this happen!
Last but not least, many thanks to Dr. Russell, my assistant coach, who continues to amaze me every day with her dedication, support, hard work, and love for all our kids.
Great job, Eagles! It is great to be back!
Blessings,
Coach Weber
Philippians 4:13
