Five Valley Teams Are Headed For State Cross Country Meets

The weather, forbidding in early morning Wednesday, warmed to the competition when teams from 32 schools chased 13 team and 64 individual state cross country berths.

Schools were not as lucky on Thursday, however, as they were forced to qualify in the rain.

Afterward, five Valley teams are bound for next Saturday’s state meet in Pasco.

East Valley’s girls and University’s boys were dominant, much as they have been throughout the season.

University’s girls, East Valley’s boys and Freeman’s boys also advanced. And three individuals - two from WV, one from Freeman - will go along.

Having her own impact

East Valley junior Korinda Godwin, making her third straight state trip, has awaited her chance to be No. 1.

“I thought this was my year,” Godwin said. “I trained hard all summer.”

In previous years she ran behind veteran runners. This year she has given way to precocious twin freshmen.

But coach Nick Lazanis doesn’t dismiss Godwin’s value.

“She’s been big for us,” he said. “She (broke) a record in Yakima that stood 20-some years.”

Godwin shrugs it off saying she shouldn’t have been in such a slow flight.

“The week before I had a bad race,” she said.

Godwin’s year has been inconsistent. She’s run as low as sixth for the Knights, mainly in league meets and at the Coeur d’Alene Invitational at Farragut State Park.

She’s also run as high as third, which she did Wednesday in regionals, finshing fourth overall.

“Mr. Lazanis says I put too much pressure on my self,” Godwin said. “I think maybe I worry, hoping to do what I thought I could do.”

What she is hoping for is to have fun and give a pair of graduating seniors, Ann Marie Adams and Cara Smith, their fourth successive state title.

“We’re running for the seniors pretty much,” said Godwin. “We’ve dedicated the season to them.”

If that means letting freshmen sprites Melanie and Melissa Frostad, who went one-two in regionals, beat her, so be it.

“I’ll get them later,” said Godwin.

Keeping their eyes on the prize

University seniors Dan Chavez and Seth Mott had some individual work to do.

The vastly improved Chavez achieved a season-long personal goal by placing third.

“I had to beat Ferris’s Dan Schruth,” he said. “It has been my goal for the year.”

Last year he was U-Hi’s sixth or seventh runner. This year he moved up to second behind Mott.

Mott won the race by defeating Mt. Spokane’s Tommy Becker for the first time in three tries.

“I really like racing him,” Mott said. “He has a running style exactly like mine.”

Mott knew whichever one grabbed the lead late in the race would keep it. Mott got the jump.

“I knew if I didn’t he’d pass me and neither one can catch the other,” said Mott.

They, along with Kris Martin dashed into the top four in the race’s final half mile. It made the team outcome academic.

Learning to run alone

A sub-par track season caused West Valley junior Sean McLachlan to give up basketball and focus on distance running.

Still, during this cross country season, something continued amiss until his fourth-place regional finish.

“I think it’s been a lot more mental without Clayton (Holmes),” said McLachlan, who was a middle school mile phenom.

Holmes, who graduated last year, had given McLachlan someone to chase. Last year they finished second and third in league.

“I had to think back to eighth grade and learn to race by myself,” McLachlan said.

McLachlan injured an ankle a couple weeks ago and the rest may have done him good. Still, he felt he could have run even faster on Wednesday even though he was the Frontier League’s No. 1 finisher.

Conditions weren’t ideal, he said. It was windy in places and the course, while not overly muddy, was soft. Junior teammate David McNeill finished 11th and will join him.

A first for the Knights

By finishing second in the 3A regional, East Valley’s boys achieved a first.

“We set a precedent,” said coach Dave McCarty. “This is the first time I’ve taken consecutive teams to state.” EV was easily the Frontier League’s best team this season. The Knights finished eight points behind race winner West Valley-Yakima, but could have just as easily reversed the finish.

No. 1 runner Jim Marlow, said McCarty, had beaten the race’s second and third place finishers earlier this year, but was ailing. Marlow finished ninth, behind teammate Ryan Coordes.

Marlow’s mother said tests ruled out strep throat. Marlow, she said, complained of a bad sideache.

Maybe next week the Knights, six of whom placed fifth through 18th and within 40 seconds of each other, can improve upon last year’s sixth-place state effort.

“Quite a few of our guys from last year are back,” said McCarty. “That makes a difference.”

The thinnest of threads

University’s girls qualified for state for the fifth time in the 1990s by the thinnest of margins. They finished fourth by one point.

“I kind of thought we’d be in a scrap for third and fourth, which we were,” said coach Steve Llewellyn. “It was closer than I anticipated.

With Jaime Miller finishing second as expected, Llewellyn pointed to the efforts of No. 3 finisher, freshman Michelle Pierce and No. 5 runner Robyn Cross as pivotal.

“Robyn had an exceptional race and Pierce ran extremely well,” he said.

State, he continued, could be a whole different ball game based on past history and the fact his team runs well on faster courses.

“It’s just nice to be there,” he said. “The ‘90s have been good to us.”

Russells lead Freeman bid

Freeman’s trip to the State A/B meet rested on the strong legs of the Russell brothers. They didn’t disappoint.

Junior John and senior Joe Russell placed third and fourth and the Scotties scored a team total 68 points to finish second at district.

Teammate Tom Ward finished in the top 20 and Scotties freshman Laura Halverson, with her fifth place effort, joins the boys team at state.

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