ArkansasTrackStats.com
Commentary.......Message from the Publishers: State Meet Recaps
11/2001
Wow.....there really is a good reason to
run the races in spite of the polls and predictions...sometimes the favorites
are knocked off or the margin of victory is much closer. All of these
happened Saturday, November 3, 2001 at the Arkansas High School Cross-Country
State Meet at Agri Park at the University of Arkansas in Fayetteville. After an
overnight rain that created a couple of small puddles and generally kept the
grass wet, the weather at meet time was a nice 65º with overcast skies, mostly
calm and high humidity. Race officials are to be complimented for keeping
the races right on time and in announcing official results promptly.
Recaps of the various races follow. Note that the Girls races were 4K (4,000
meters is roughly 2.5 miles) and the Boys races were 5K (5,000 meters is about
3.1 miles). Note that the “Rank in Final Poll” provided refers to the rank
within race classification, not the actual poll. For instance, the poll
combines 1A, 2A and 3A but 3A runs separately. Therefore, the highest ranked
1A/2A team would be ranked 1stt for that race and the highest ranked
3A team would be ranked 1st for the 3A race. Also, time splits shown
for individuals are estimates only.
1A/2A BOYS 9:30 a.m.
|
Runner/School |
Mile 1 (Place) |
Mile 2 (Place) |
Mile 3 (Place) |
5K (last 1/10) |
Avg/Mile |
|
1.
Joey McGarrah, Winslow |
5:17
(1) |
5:43/11:00
(1) |
5:45/16:45
(1) |
17:16.50 (31.50) |
5:34 |
|
2.
Brandon Cross, Acorn |
5:17
(1) |
5:43/11:00
(1) |
6:14/17:14
(2) |
17:44.63 (30.63) |
5:43 |
|
3.
Heath Phelps, Acorn |
5:24
(3) |
6:15/11:39
(2) |
5:59/17:38
(3) |
18:12.19 (44.19) |
5:52 |
|
4.
Joseph Van Milligan, Lutheran |
No
Time |
11:41
(3) |
6:00/17:41
(4) |
18:14.74 (33.74) |
5:53 |
|
5.
Chris Cottman, Acorn |
No
Time |
11:43
(5) |
6:16/17:59
(5) |
18:29.52 (30.52) |
5:58 |
Joey McGarrah of Winslow and Brandon Cross of Acorn set out early to
make this a two-some as they passed the mile in 5:17 well ahead of 3rd and
gaining ground. McGarrah,
running more like his mid-season form after recovering from a late season
health problem, looked determined to take the 1st place medal home
but Cross stuck to him tightly as they passed the 1.5 Mile mark stride
for stride with a good 100m lead on 3rd. The pair passed the 2 Mile in 11:00 flat and had the race well in
hand with a steadily growing lead over the pack. Although Cross fought hard to hang with McGarrah,
the Winslow runner held his pace the 3rd mile at 5:45 and
built a comfortable 29 second lead as Cross was struggling. McGarrah
turned the corner to home and sprinted hard as did Cross but the die was
cast for the first two slots. Heath Phelps of Acorn had held 3rd
the entire race but was tiring down the last 150m stretch as Van Milligan of
Lutheran kicked hard and was gaining ground every step to trim Phelp’s lead
from 12-13 seconds to a bare two at the finish. Chris Cottman of Acorn
moved up from 6th to 5th the last 150m for what would
turn out to be an important move for his team as he edged out Jerry Williams
of Pottsville.
|
School |
Score |
Places |
Avg Time (and per mile) |
Spread (Time/Place) |
Rank in Final Poll |
Acorn |
43 |
1-2-4-17-19 |
18:46
(6:03) |
2:02/18 |
1 |
|
Pottsville |
43 |
5-6-8-11-13 |
19:12 (6:12) |
:49/8 |
2 |
|
Lutheran |
47 |
3-7-9-12-16 |
19:04 (6:09) |
1:11/13 |
Not
ranked |
Cross country races rarely get much closer
than did this one. As the runners finished, coaches were realizing that it
would come down to how each team’s 5th runner fared. Acorn at first appeared to have it
wrapped up as Brandon Cross, Heath Phelps and Chris Cottman finished 2nd,
3rd and 5th. Then
Pottsville came home with Jerry Williams in 6th, Daniel
Riedmueller in 7th and Michael Jones in 11th
and still no more Acorn runners. Just as the crowd realized Acorn
and Pottsville were in a real race, Lutheran’s Joseph Van Milligan
took 4th, Adam Becker claimed 10th and Jonas
Rosenhahn grabbed 12th to make it extra tight. At this point, Acorn had 10 points
vs. Pottsville’s 24 and Lutheran’s 26. Pottsville was the
first to get their Top 5 in as Evan Huffman took 14th and Jason
Willis came in at 16th for an unofficial score of 54. Lutheran
was next to get their team home as Matt Reed took 15th and Justin
VanLandingham nailed down 19th
tallied 60 points. Still, Acorn was on the course. Finally Acorn’s James Halitzka came in
at 20th and Brandon Falls in 22nd for what
appeared to be 52 points. This was going to be very close depending in large
part on what other finishers were not on complete teams and did not count in
the team scoring. It would not be until the awards ceremony that the final
score was known.
When the team scores were announced, Acorn
and Pottsville were tied at 43 and Lutheran was a very close 3rd
at 47. The tie was broken as Acorn’s
6th runner, Mark Christiana, finished 21st in the
team score (24th overall) compared to Pottsville’s Justin Smith
at 35th (40th overall).
Coaches can use this as an example for years to come how not only the
Top 5 count but the 6th and beyond can literally make the difference
in the team results. As in the Girls
race, it is too bad that a 3rd place trophy could not be awarded as Lutheran
finished so close to the leaders, doubly impressive as they had not been
ranked. While Acorn won with
pure upfront strength (1-2-4 finish), Pottsville
ran a terrific team race with a spread of only 49 seconds and eight places!!
Lutheran had a very respectable spread of 71 seconds and only 13 places.
1A/2A GIRLS 10:00 a.m.
|
Runner/School |
Mile 1 (Place) |
Mile 2 (Place) |
4K |
Avg/Mile |
Last ½ Mile |
|
1.
Ashley Dixon, Harding Academy |
6:15
(1) |
6:51/13:06
(1) |
16:11.07 |
6:28 |
3:05 |
|
2.
Kristen Kennerly, Magnet Cove |
6:17
(2) |
6:59/13:16
(3) |
16:31.86 |
6:37 |
3:15 |
|
3.
Melissa Arnold, Decatur |
6:15
(1) |
No
Time (5) |
16:38.74 |
6:40 |
No
Time |
|
4.
Annie Miller, Shiloh Christian |
6:17
(2) |
No
Time (4) |
16:40.79 |
6:40.4 |
No
Time |
|
5.
Megan Bradshaw, Lutheran |
6:15
(1) |
6:51/13:06
(1) |
16:41.95 |
6:40.8 |
3:36 |
The Top 5 emerged early to set the pace and
take charge with Bradshaw, Dixon and Arnold crossing the
Mile mark at 6:15 followed closely by Miller and Kennerly at
6:17. The 2nd mile saw Bradshaw
and Dixon open what looked like a safe lead of 5-6 seconds over the next
three with nothing but downhill remaining.
Dixon took off first and turned in a nice 3:05 last 800m while Kennerly
moved into a safe 2nd with 200m to go although trailing the leader
by nearly eight seconds. Arnold passed
the 200m to go mark in 5th but was closing fast on Bradshaw
and Miller. Miller hung on to 4th as Arnold
passed her near the finish and a fading Bradshaw slipped just behind Miller
for 5th after aggressively running the first two miles. Andrea Hobbs of Decatur (6th
at 16:57.73) and Ashley Henson of Alpena (7th at 16:59.83)
also broke the 17 minute barrier. Hats off to all of the Top 7 as they each
clocked their fastest time of the season in the State Meet.
|
School |
Score |
Places |
Avg Time (and per mile) |
Spread (Time/Place) |
Rank in Final Poll |
|
1.
Harding Academy |
62 |
1-11-14-16-20 |
17:46.24
(7:06) |
2:17/19 |
3 |
|
2.
Magnet Cove |
88 |
2-13-17-19-37 |
18:12.01
(7:16) |
3:28/35 |
2 |
|
3.
Shiloh Christian |
89 |
4-9-12-30-34 |
18:14.50
(7:17) |
3:00/30 |
4 |
Harding Academy won this race with traditional cross-country
tactics…..pack your top five closest together in time (2:17) and place (19) to
claim a strong victory. Of course, it never hurts to have the individual
champion as they did with defending champ Ashley Dixon. Then it got very interesting.
Magnet Cove and Shiloh were locked in a duel for
runner-up from the git go. As the
runners passed the 200m to go mark, the race was still on the line and each
team’s front runners were struggling to move up. Magnet Cove had a 3-4 point lead but was by no means home
free. Shiloh’s Andrea Kendrick picked up some ground as she passed Lindsay
Kelly of Pea Ridge at the
finish by only .43 seconds and they were helped out when Magnet Cove’s
third runner, Brittney Eickhoff, slipped behind Laura Riley of
Harding Academy and Sarah Johnson of Centerpoint in the last
30m. Each team’s 4th and 5th
runners would easily hold their place down the stretch and Shiloh’s bid
would come up just one point short. Too
bad there is not a 3rd place trophy as Shiloh had a tighter
spread in both time (3:00 to 3:28) than Magnet Cove and in place (30 to
35) that normally wins the day. However, Magnet Cove had four in the Top
20 to overcome the spread as Shiloh’s 4th came in at 30th.
3A BOYS 10:30 a.m.
|
Runner/School |
Mile 1 (Place) |
Mile 2 (Place) |
Mile 3 (Place) |
5K (last 1/10) |
Avg/Mile |
|
1.
William Prettyman, West Fork |
5:08
(1) |
5:32/10:40
(1) |
5:34/16:14
(1) |
16:46.21
(32.21) |
5:24 |
|
2.
Michael Simkins, Berryville |
5:22
(3) |
5:50/11:12
(2) |
5:45/16:57
(2) |
17:30.87
(33.87) |
5:38.9 |
|
3.
Cesar Lemus, Berryville |
5:22
(3) |
5:50/11:12
(2) |
No
Time (3) |
17:31.50 |
5:39.2 |
|
4.
Valentin Ahumada, Oak Grove |
No
Time |
11:12
(2) |
No
Time (4) |
17:39.14 |
5:41.6 |
|
5.
Miquel Gil, Berryville |
5:22
(3) |
5:50/11:12
(2) |
No
Time (4) |
17:39.69 |
5:41.8 |
Defending champion William Prettyman of
West Fork led the pack from the very start and took a clear lead at the
400m mark. From there he was off to the races running alone. By the Mile mark Prettyman had a 12
second lead (5:08) which was lengthened to 32 seconds at the 2 Mile mark
(10:40/5:32) and to 45 seconds by the
end of the race. Meanwhile a pack of Berryville Bobcats were bunches
together for most of the race in the 3-7 slots as Michael Simkins, Cesar
Lemus and Miquel Gil cleared the way for yet another Berryville 3A
championship. Valentin Ahumada of
Oak Grove ran with the Bobcats and eventually grabbed 4th as he
outdueled Gil the last 300m in an exciting finish. Just ahead of them Simkins
and teammate Lemus raced the last 800m almost stride for stride with Simkins
taking a narrow lead of about .6 seconds with a final sprint the last 50m. Derek
Sherwood (6th, 17:40.94) and Justin Cajero (7th,
17:44.99) of DeQueen ran together most of the way in 6th-8th
place with Montrail Brooks (10th, 17:50.35) of Warren
and Antonin Jadoul (8th, 17:45.35) of West Fork
fighting for a spot. David Shelby of Lamar ran in the second pack the
entire race and held on the last mile for 9th in 17:49.08.
|
School |
Score |
Places |
Avg Time (and per mile) |
Spread (Time/Place) |
Rank in Final Poll |
|
1.
Berryville |
35 |
2-3-5-11-14 |
17:44.29 (5:43) |
:36/12 |
1 |
|
2.
West Fork |
98 |
1-8-23-27-39 |
18:24.93 (5:56) |
2:52/38 |
4 |
|
3.
DeQueen |
99 |
6-7-12-33-41 |
18:29.53 (5:58) |
2:03/35 |
2 |
The Berryville Bobcats led all
season in the Coaches Poll and they led from start to finish in the race as
well as they had 4 of the Top 10 at the Mile mark and 4 of the Top 11 at the 2
Mile mark. Led by senior Michael
Simkins, sophomore Cesar Lemus and senior Miquel Gil, the Bobcats also
tallied top finishes by freshmen Jose Ramirez (11th,
17:52.83) and Drew Ray (14th, 18:06.54) to take the
championship trophy back home to Carroll County yet again win a crushing win
over runner-up West Fork. The Bobcats achieved an excellent
spread of only 36 seconds and 12 places.
The race for runner-up was heating up as
the race went on. West Fork used
the win by Prettyman to good advantage in putting pressure on the DeQueen
pack who was closing on West Fork the entire race. DeQueen actually had a tighter time
spread than West Fork (2:02 to 2:52) and a tighter place spread of 35 to
38. However, the race came down to
which 5th runner would have enough the last mile to secure the
win. In the final analysis, DeQueen
needed to be only 2-3 seconds faster at the 3rd, 4th or 5th
positions to move up the needed 1-2 places to claim runner-up. Instead, West
Fork edged out a close lead for the trophy.
3A GIRLS 11:00 a.m.
|
Runner/School |
Mile 1 (Place) |
Mile 2 (Place) |
4K |
Avg/Mile |
Last ½ Mile |
|
1.
Becca Wallis, Eureka Springs |
6:11
(1) |
6:51/13:02
(1) |
16:26.12 |
6:34 |
3:24 |
|
2.
Jana Derlikowski, Pulaski Academy |
6:23
(2) |
6:47/13:10
(2) |
16:33.17 |
6:37 |
3:23 |
|
3.
Amber Rappe, Dover |
No
Time (3) |
No
Time (3) |
16:36.17 |
6:38 |
No
Time |
|
4.
Stephanie Craig, Central Ark Christian |
No
Time |
No
Time (5) |
16:48.17 |
6:43 |
No
Time |
|
5.
Lauren Ellis, Berryville |
No
Time (4) |
No
Time (4) |
16:56.58 |
6:46 |
No
Time |
Becca Wallis of Eureka Springs (1st, 16:26.12) put a quick end to the
suspense as she took an early lead and promptly stretched it to 11 seconds at
the Mile mark over 2000 runner-up Jana Derlikowski of Pulaski Academy (2nd,
16:33.17) who crossed at 6:23. Close
behind Derlikowski coming down the dam was a pack made up of Amber
Rappe of Dover (3rd, 16:36.17) , Lauren Ellis of Berryville (5th,
16:56.58) and Stephanie Craig of Central Arkansas Christian (4th,
16:48.17). Wallis kept
pressuring the field during the second mile although Derlikowski
narrowed the gap a little to only eight seconds and opened a small lead on the
rest of the pack with Rappe hanging on.
Wallis held on as Derlikowski made a final charge that
came up a little short. Rappe closed a little and opened a finished with
a safe lead over Craig who slipped past Ellis the last 800m.
|
School |
Score |
Places |
Avg Time (and per mile) |
Spread (Time/Place) |
Rank in Final Poll |
|
1.
Berryville |
62 |
4-5-14-17-22 |
17:27.64
(5:38) |
:56/18 |
1 |
|
2.
Perryville |
69 |
6-9-10-19-25 |
17:35.47
(5:40) |
:43/19 |
Not
Ranked |
|
3.
Dover |
74 |
3-7-8-21-35 |
17:32.95
(5:39.7) |
:53/32 |
4 |
What was supposed to be an easy win for Berryville
almost turned into a major upset as Perryville came from nowhere to give the Lady
Bobcats a scare. After the first
three runners from each team had finished Berryville held only a slim
23-25 lead. Thanks to a strong finish by Dover’s 2nd and 3rd
runners (Jennie Baumberger, 8th, 17:22.30 and Megan Metz,
9th, 17:23.56) who slipped ahead of Perryville’s 2nd
and 3rd in the last half mile, Berryville would lengthen
their lead the last mile for a 7 point team win. Fast finishing Dover
nearly picked up Perryville as Dover’s 5th runner fell
about 10 seconds short of the needed place.
Actually Berryville appeared to be in trouble early as they only
had two runners in the Top 10 at the Mile mark and Batesville Southside
(ranked No. 2 in the Final Poll) had four. As the runners completed the loop
and headed back up the dam, the anxious Berryville fans could be heard
asking who was the team running in a tight group with four runners between 6th
and 12th. Perryville was
making a serious challenge to the Lady Bobcats with Kim Pitts in
6th (7th,
17:20.75), Whitney Kerth in 7th
(10th, 17:24.19), Paula Leach in 8th
(11th, 17:24.71) and Charly Kelley in 12th (20th, 17:43.46). Berryville’s Anabel Trujillo
(6th, 17:18.41) surged the last mile to move ahead of the front Perryville
runners to give Berryville a chance.
The victory was secured as Shawna Miller (15th,
17:30.09) and Elizabeth Brantley (18th, 17:40.07) each moved
up a spot over the last 200m and Trista McGinley (23rd,
17:53.03) held her own.
4A BOYS 11:30 a.m.
|
Runner/School |
Mile 1 (Place) |
Mile 2 (Place) |
Mile 3 (Place) |
5K (last 1/10) |
Avg/Mile |
|
1.
Quincy Googs, Fair |
5:16
(1) |
5:36/10:52
(1) |
5:31/16:23
(1) |
16:55.33
(32.33) |
5:27 |
|
2.
Steven Helmick, Robinson |
5:16
(1) |