Cloverdale cross country wins tri-meet over Cougars, Patriots

Wednesday, September 14, 2011

CLOVERDALE -- Cloverdale was the site for a three-way cross country duel Tuesday night, as the host Clovers racked up a pair of wins over visiting North Putnam and Owen Valley.

With conditions changing week by week, running a race has been anything but simple for runners across the state and that was no different for the three competing squads.

North Putnam's Katie Douglas narrowly edged out Owen Valley's Cheyenn Wright for first place in the girls' race, as Douglas hit the finish line at 23:02, fractions ahead of Wright's 23:03.

Cloverdale, meanwhile, took the third, fourth, fifth, seventh and eighth spots to wrap up the team win over the Patriots. Claudia Monnett paced the Clovers with a 24:38, followed by Amillia Nally's 26:24 run.

The Clover boys also used a strong group finish to pull away from North Putnam. A second place run from Jordan Smith, followed by teammate Joe Rumley canceled out the first and fourth place finishes of Cougar runners Dalton Spear and Trenton Osborn, respectively.

Chris Worthington took sixth with Jake Waycott in seventh and Nick Cupp in 10 to help propel the Clovers to the win.

Cloverdale head coach Rod Mann was happy for the wins, but still was wanting a little more from his squad.

"Considering it was warm again, I thought they did pretty good but I'm still not happy with their mental performance. We're working on that. Physically, they're ready," Mann said about his girls' squad.

"I was pleased today. Again, the mental attitude, I'd like for that to be picked up. I understand when you're hurting you've got to block that out, and that what we need to focus on. Performance wise, I'm not too disappointed considering the weather," Mann added when asked about his boys' runners.

For North Putnam head coach Kevin Lutes, the individual wins and times were a good step for his young squad.

"Times were off for a lot of people, especially for Katie. Without Paxton (Stephenson), who graduated, Katie's really learning how to race on her own. We've been working since Saturday on how to start separating from people," Lutes said.

"Dalton, his race, he was about twenty seconds off of where he was in better conditions at the last meet. He had some ankle problems yesterday, but he was the freshest of the guys. Trenton had a great time. He and Jared both had great races," Lutes added.

For Lutes' younger runners, it was a solid step as they take a week off before their next meet.

"Claire ran a decent time for her. She's coming from no running background at all, so this is a good meet for her," Lutes said

"We had thirteenth through seventh from guys who are either in their first or second year, and they're getting more comfortable in these races. They're learning how to push themselves past themselves past that first mile," Lutes added.

"They just need some more experiences. I wish we could have done this a couple of years ago, but they're coming together well now.

For Mann's weary squads, a week and a half break looms, one that Mann hopes to use for multiple purposes.

"We're going to do a couple of long distance runs and have a lot of sprint work. We need to get our timing down, so a lot of sprint work," Mann said.

"They really need the time. We've had meets every Tuesday, Thursday and Saturday through August until this week. We'll work hard and work on the mental aspect," Mann added.

"We'll have some light practices where they can relax and can mend up any injuries that they've gotten. We'll be alright and they'll be ready."

At Cloverdale

Girls' Results

Cloverdale 27, Owen Valley 41, North Putnam Inc.

1. Douglas (NP) 23:02; 2. Wright (OV) 25:03; 3. Monnett (CL) 24:38; 4. Nally (CL) 26:24; 5. Nees (CL) 28:16; 6. Jemison (OV) 28:56; 7. Worthington (CL) 30:39; 8. Reed (CL) 31:05; 9. Dean (NP) 36:18; 10. Counderman (OV) 37:55; 11. Chapman (OV) 38:18; 12. Ciscoe (OV) 39:50

Boys' Results

Cloverdale 28, North Putnam 41, Owen Valley Inc.

1. Spear (NP) 18:52; 2. Smith (CL) 18:58; 3. Rumley (CL) 19:08; 4. Osborn (NP) 20:13; 5. Sparks (OV) 20:57; 6. Worthington (CL) 21:04; 7. Walcott (CL) 21:14; 8. Staley (OV) 21:26; 9. James (NP) 21:57; 10. Cupp (CL) 22:00; 11. Whitlock (CL) 22:30; 12. Nees (CL) 23:03 13. Mindiola (NP) 23:42; 14. Herrman (NP) 23:53; 15. Saylers (NP) 23:58; 16. Mason (NP) 24:01; 22. Hawkins (OV) 28:13; 23. Hey (OV) 28:30