The trouble with predictions

The trouble with having your pre-season preview and predicted standings come out after the first game, meet or match, you don’t have the advantage of passing time allowing people to forget before you prove yourself the fool.

It appears I gave up too early on Mead boys cross country, failing to take into consideration the power of tradition. Behind freshman phenom Andrew Gardner , the Panthers look to be in the Greater Spokane League hunt after all, behind Ferris and North Central and can contend for a state team berth as usual.

The Panthers lost 21-34 to Ferris in Wednesday’s season opener but won the others, including over Lewis and Clark who I picked ahead of them, and Gardner finished third overall at Shadle in 15:58.8, just 9.4 and .4 seconds behind state placers Adam Thorne of Ferris and Nathan Weitz of Shadle Park.

“Andrew is showing he’s going to be a great one already,” said coach Steve Kiesel following the season-opening biggie.  “He has to learn how to race over three miles and what better way than trial under fire.”

Gardner did fine.

Girls proved truer to form. Shadle Park beat Mead and LC doing nothing to diminish their favored status .