Local cross country standouts headed to New Prairie Semistate

Kokomo Tribune - October 24, 2014

Kokomo runners Ethan Sharp and Colten Pearce have been linked since they were little kids.

Today, they tackle their biggest obstacle of the season, the New Prairie Cross Country Semistate.

"It's kind of interesting that Colten and Ethan have been best buddies since elementary school," Kokomo coach Ricke Stucker said of the two juniors at semistate. "It's very appropriate that they're going together. They're two entirely different kids, but they help each other."

Sharp was the highest-placing boy or girl at last Saturday's Culver Academies Regional, taking sixth in the boys race. Pearce was second and both moved on to this Saturday's semistate.

They join the Western squad and Cass' Cail Brown in the boys side of the semistate. On the girls side are the Western and Maconaquah teams as well as Cass' Haley Johnson and Peru's Jessica Zvers.

The challenge to emerge from New Prairie is considerable. While the regional round features just two sectionals, the semistate brings together four regionals. The top six teams advance, as well as the top 10 runners on non-advancing squads.

"Ethan will probably have to place in the top 25 to get out," Stucker said. "It depends on the weather conditions and time. That course runs very slow. If the weather is decent, he'll go for his season-best record. But if it's not, we'll just worry about the place.

"Colton, we're trying to get a season-best out of him also. If the weather conditions are right, I think we can do that. We were there as a team last year so we know the course and we know what it's like with that many people of that caliber, so it's not going to scare us. Usually it scares people that are there for the first time. I've always been a believer that you have to be there once before you can be good at any high-level course."

Sharp has the fastest time of any Howard County boy this season, clocking a 16:28. Western's Riley Carter has the second-fastest time at 17:00 and Panther Josh Everetts the third-fastest at 17:11. All three times were posted at Indiana Wesleyan.

Western's contingent is led by Everetts, who took 14th at the regional, followed by Caleb Maddox (20th), Auston Davenport (28th), Carter (36th), Alex Taylor (51st), Cooper O'Neal (54th), and Josh Scott (56th).

Western coach Gary Jewell conceded that his squad is a longshot to get out of the semistate. On paper, were it seeded, he thinks the Panthers would be seeded around 20th, so the first goal is to run better than last week when the Panthers took fifth at the regional.

"A lot of teams make it to semistate and they look at it as the end of the line and they don't run very well," Jewell said. "We look at that as one of the season goals, to get to the semistate and improve on what we did the previous year."

Jewell emphasized that to get out as an individual, runners can't drift too far back.

"If you can make it into that top 30 and hang on, you have a legitimate shot at running as an individual in the state meet, but you've got to be there. This is the time of year where you need to have some heart," Jewell said. "We have some kids on the team with a lot of heart. The kid that shows up and can get in the race and shows the most heart has the best shot at making it out."

GIRLS RACE

Western's and Maconaquah's girls finished dead even last Saturday at the Culver Academies Regional, tied with 118 points. Western took third and Maconaquah fourth on the tiebreaker.

Western coach Joni McCracken said the Panthers did so well at the regional, it's hard to expect an even better showing.

"We know we're not going to advance to the state meet as a team, so we have to set realistic individual goals," she said. "We're working on the mental aspect of it."

She said there's a fine line between letting the fast pace of the race help you to a faster time, and going out so fast that you can't maintain that speed and burn out too quickly.

"That's basically what we're trying to do is stay within their ability, but push the limit," McCracken said. "You race against faster people, you're going to race fast. I want them to realize they do belong at the semistate and they do belong in that pack and go with them — with the control they have learned — at the beginning of the race."

Western's Nicole Hampshire led all local girls at the Culver Academies Regional, taking ninth. Also for Western Taylor Walden was 25th, Allison McMinn was 33rd, Cora Johnson 34th, Logan Buck 35th, Samantha Luginbuhl 44th and Jama Claxton 48th. Johnson is taking the ACT on Saturday and won't be able to run. She's being replaced by Taylor Nunan.

Hampshire has the fastest time of any Howard County girl this season, posting 19:35 at meets at New Prairie and Logansport.

Olivia Winegardner finished 11th to lead Maconaquah at the regional, followed by Madison Winegardner (20th), Kate White (21st), Haley Wimmer (28th), Vanessa Frazier (52nd), Bekah Shinn (59th) and Amanda Shinn (64th). Olivia Winegardner and Frazier competed at the semistate as individuals last season. Mac coach Charlie Hubler said the team is excited to have reached as a team this time around.

"You've got to be ready for the wave of runners," Hubler said. "You're constantly going to have runners pass you, as you pass other runners.

"We talked about sometimes you can just relax and get caught in a wave of girls and they're pulling you and the next thing you know you're doing fantastic, and the next thing you know you've got half a mile to go and you're going for it. So we're not holding anything back."