NC cross country coach Jon Knight may find reason not to retire

It may have been the anger over penalties levied against his program that prompted North Central boys cross country coach Jon Knight to contemplate walking away from the sport he loves.

That was before the season. He was talking to me out of his frustration.

That was before Knight and his coaching staff put together another masterpiece of a season.

So as it turns out, after an 11th straight State 3A championship last Saturday, it may not have been Knight’s final season.

He was even prepared to answer the inevitable question I would pose.

“I read a quote the other day that might bring me back,” he said. “It was in the New York Times, quoting Dali Lama. He was quoting a 13th-century Buddhist sage: ‘If one lights a fire for others, it will brighten one’s own way.’ If I keep going, it will be for that reason.”

Before the season began, Greater Spokane League administrators came down hard on Knight and NC as if it were the Bellevue football of cross country. Surely they had to make a statement to keep NC toeing that famous GSL line – no recruiting allowed (wink, wink).

A few years ago, NC was chided for trying to influence middle-school students to consider enrolling at NC. When the GSL changed its bylaws to make middle-school student-athletes off limits to high school coaches, NC asked if it was OK to talk to elementary students.

All NC was doing was playing by the rules. Or so it thought. Or so the assistant coach thought.

That NC assistant decided to retire. He should know the greater good he did for kids over decades of coaching transcends the penalty administered by the GSL.

The normally stoic Knight was ticked off, to put it mildly. All he’s ever done is won state titles with home-grown student-athletes.

Here’s hoping Knight returns. Not to continue the streak, but to continue to mold boys into men.

Hank Knight has run in a big shadow cast by his father, the coach.

So it was good to see the younger Knight have the breakout race he had at state, finishing second among his teammates.

He was also an overshadowed sibling. His sister, Katie, was a tremendous runner who earned a scholarship to the University of Washington.

“He’s been really solid for us all year,” Jon Knight said. “He’s been mostly our third man and it’s always been a different kid ahead of him. Today he just put it together.”

Hank Knight said he will cherish his senior year forever. He went out with a bang.

The Central Valley boys are a team on the rise.

The Bears showed their early potential at a meet in central Oregon. But then they stumbled in a showdown dual against NC. That led some to think CV was a year away.

Then at state, CV surprised, finishing second with a lineup of two juniors and four sophomores. Also, the Bears’ junior varsity won a league title.

Yes, the best is yet to come, which explains coach Kieran Mahoney’s excitement.

“I wanted to win, but it’s the bigger picture,” Mahoney said. “It’s 2017 and 2018. This is steady progression.”

Mahoney harkened back to the early-season hiccup in a dual loss at NC.

“For them to pick themselves up off the carpet …” he said.

That’s the beauty of cross country. There’s always a chance for redemption, and the Bears were all over it Saturday.