Timberlake runners optimistic

SPIRIT LAKE, Idaho – Timberlake junior Brian Tucker finished ninth at the 3A state cross country meet a year ago.

He’s the highest-placing junior returning and the second-highest returner overall this year. Timberlake coach Shawn Lawlor had high expectations for him and the team this year.

Tucker had lost his passion for running, though. So he called his coach to tell him he wasn’t going to turn out this fall.

“It was July 31, I remember the day well,” Lawlor said.

“I knew he deserved a phone call,” Tucker said. “I was letting him know my reasons for not turning out. At the time I felt it was something I didn’t have the time to do. I didn’t feel I could commit.”

As it was, Tucker hadn’t done any summer training.

So Lawlor thought it was important to meet with Tucker and his parents. Lawlor visited their home.

“I just wanted to tell him that we had a great chance to get a trophy at state and a lot of it was based on him coming back,” Lawlor said.

Lawlor wasn’t trying to drop a guilt trip on Tucker. He just wanted to make sure that Tucker made an informed decision.

Tucker changed his mind. He credits his mother for helping him see the light.

“My parents were pretty disappointed that I had decided not to do cross country,” Tucker said. “My mom read to me out of the Bible about the parable of the talents. It talks about how when you have a talent you need to use it, you need to go out and do something good with it. I was pretty sure I had a talent for running. It just convinced me that I needed to do cross country and put my talent to use.”

It’s taken just about the whole season for Tucker to round into form.

Lawler holds a team time trial at the beginning and the end of each year. The course, about 3 miles, goes into Spirit Lake and back to the school. He’s used the same course every year since he started the program in 2003. By using the same course, it allows him to track his runners’ improvement and keep an all-time list.

Tucker needed 18 minutes, 15 seconds to run the course in late August. But the Friday before the district state-qualifying race – the second time each season Lawlor has his runners do the course – Tucker ran 15:37.08, breaking the junior class record previously set by two-time 3A state champ Frank Lagrimanta.

Teammate Ryan Sacksteder, also a junior, ran 16:37 in August and 15:58.08 the second time.

Sacksteder was the team’s pacesetter through the first five races this season. Tucker finally caught him at the Lake Roosevelt race in early October.

At the district race at Mirror Lake Golf Course in Bonners Ferry last Friday, Tucker won in 17:38, beating Sacksteder, who was second, by 19 seconds.

Sacksteder is glad that Tucker has found his form.

“We’ve been able to push each other,” Sacksteder said. “I’ve been really happy with how I’ve progressed this year and how much I’ve improved over last year.”

The state meet is Saturday at Eagle Island State Park near Boise.

Sacksteder finished 33rd at state last year. In the final individual rankings released last weekend, Tucker is ranked fifth in the state and Sacksteder seventh.

Both should finish in the top five.

“That would cap off my season really well,” Sacksteder said.

Tucker hopes to challenge for the state title. But he realizes his lack of preseason training may come back to haunt him.

“It was a rough first half of the season. I definitely felt like I had gone backward,” Tucker said. “It was hard to get through it. After I decided to run I wasn’t about to quit. I still think I can contend for the state title. I know the guys ahead of me have probably trained more than me, but I think I can win. Even right now I’m running faster than I did at the same time last year.”

Tucker and Sacksteder are equally excited about the team’s prospects. The Tigers are ranked second behind Teton.

“I think we have a chance to win it,” Tucker said. “We have a lot of strong runners and they have a lot of desire.”

Sacksteder agrees.

“Our top five runners are gong to have to run their best races of the season,” Sacksteder said.

The best appears yet to come for the Tigers. They will graduate just one runner. Senior Jake Casey has consistently run third among the Tigers’ top seven this year.

“We’ll have basically our whole team back next year,” Sacksteder said.

“This team has a great future,” Tucker said.

At the least, the Tigers want to match the runner-up finish Timberlake had in 2005.

“I’ve just told the kids to focus on what we can control,” Lawlor said.

Lawlor’s girls finished a point behind IML power Bonners Ferry at district. They slipped from fourth to fifth in the state rankings. The top four teams at state earn trophies.

Timberlake hopes to capture the first girls trophy in school history.

Junior Alex Turbin captured the district title. She finished 15th at state last year (the top 20 earn medals). She is ranked 14th in the final state rankings.

“I’m hoping to be in the top five (at state),” Turbin said.

The Tigers will have to run well to earn a team trophy.

“I think it’s a realistic goal,” Turbin said.

The girls team, like the boys, graduates just one runner and will add some promising runners from the junior high program coached by Lawlor’s wife.

“We’re starting to reap the reward of the time invested in the programs,” Lawlor said.