Prep roundup: Top-ranked NC turns back Tigers
Two of the best cross country runners in the West were to square off Wednesday afternoon at Mead, but Shadle Park’s Nathan Weitz’s illness left the Mead Panthers’ Andrew Gardner to run alone.
But that individual showdown in the Greater Spokane League was replaced by a high-stakes team battle at Audubon Park.
North Central (4-0), ranked No. 1 in 3A, whipped Lewis and Clark (3-2), No. 2 in 4A, just a few days after the Tigers finished ahead of the Indians at a meet in Boise.
“We thought about what we did wrong on the course at Bob Firman and we saw that we went out too fast,” NC sophomore Austin Frostad said. “We figured if we raced with a little more strategy, we’d get the guys that got us last time.”
The top end of the race went as expected, with LC’s Kenji Bierig pulling away from NC’s Vince Hamilton and Casey Adams, finishing the 3-mile course in 15 minutes, 20 seconds, 5 seconds clear of Hamilton.
The difference was that Frostad and Andrew Wordell finished in front of the next four Tigers to spark the 24-31 win.
“The last half of the last race we had no idea where they were hiding at in the crowd,” Frostad said. “Today we knew where they were and what we needed to do.”
The Indians had to overcome the loss of No. 3 runner Keith Williams, who collapsed in Boise because of the heat and had to drop out Wednesday.
“There was a lot of pressure,” Wordell said. “I just heard coach say Keith dropped out. Then I knew I had to advance to that next level if we wanted to win this race. … With 100, 150 meters I was pretty sure we got this.”
For girls, NC (2-2) edged the short-handed Tigers 26-29 (2-3), with NC’s Katie Knight cruising in 17:57, 2 minutes clear of second place.
Also in the league, at Mead, Gardner coasted to a 64-second win (16:21) on the 5,000-meter course, helping the Panthers (2-2) defeat the Highlanders (2-3) 25-32. Among girls, Mead’s Baylee Mires beat Shadle’s Kendra Weitz, sister of Nathan, and Katie Morris by 13 seconds (19:58) as the Panthers (4-0) pulled out a 27-28 win over the Highlanders (3-2) the second-ranked 3A team. … At Central Valley, the host Bears (5-1) used their pack strength to hand Gonzaga Prep (4-1) its first girls loss, 25-32. The Bullpups’ Audrey Hiatt (19:31) and Taylor Cherry went 1-2, but CV took the next five places. Among boys, University (4-0), ranked second in 3A, dominated against the Bullpups (1-4) and Bears (2-4). The Titans had five in the top six, paced by Jon Smith (16:04). … At Ferris, the host Saxons boys (3-1) upended Mt. Spokane (3-2) 24-32, but the Wildcats (3-2) won the girls race 37-20. Alex Kimsey of Ferris paced the boys (16:20) while Brooklin Young led a 1-2-3 finish for the Mt. Spokane girls (20:48), one-half second in front of teammate Molly Cole.
• Great Northern League: At Clarkston, Richard Ambura led a 1-2-3 finish as West Valley defeated the host Bantams 17-44. WV’s girls pulled it out 27-30. Mariah Martin won for the girls, but Clarkston took the next four places before the Eagles sent the next five runners across the line.
Girls soccer
• GSL: Kylie Drynan, Mikayla Anderson, Lindzee Baker and Amanda Van Wormer scored during a 4-1 shootout as Mead (8-0-1, 3-0) defeated host Mt. Spokane 1-0. The Wildcats (6-2, 2-1) had their five-match winning streak snapped. … Also in the league, Abby Mauer took a through ball from Sarah Barrentine, cut by a defender and scored to the low far post at 88 minutes as Lewis and Clark (8-0-1, 3-0) recorded a 1-0 win at Ferris (4-2-1, 1-2). … Alex Richardson scored at 70 minutes to give Central Valley (6-2, 1-2) a 1-0 win at North Central (1-6, 1-2). … Alyssa Novak scored her second and third league goals to lift Shadle Park (7-1, 2-1) to a 3-1 win over University (3-2, 1-2) at Albi Stadium. Kendra Dejanovich scored at 8 minutes for Shadle, rifling a shot from the top of the 18-yard box. … Shannon McFaul totaled two goals and one assist as Gonzaga Prep (7-2, 1-2) posted a 6-0 win over visiting Rogers (1-4, 0-3).