Sophomore Mason Williams led the Cardinals. Park's defense.
After seeing most of his two-time defending champion state 1A cross country team largely decimated by graduation, Medical Lake head coach Gene Blankenship was going to be happy with more simple goals, such as simply qualifying for this year's event Nov. 7 in Pasco.
Following the Cardinals' overall finish by the boy's team at last Saturday's Highlander Invitational, Blankenship is rethinking things.
"If you merge all the times on the boy's, we finished sixth overall," Blankenship said. "We were only beaten by 4A schools." Pullman, a 2A school was two points back.
The Cardinals were third in the Sophomore Division with four runners scoring. "If we score five we finish second," Blankenship added. Boys run by their class in school while girls compete in large school and small school divisions.
"I don't know exactly what it means; I think we're stronger than I thought we were," Blankenship said.
The top Medical Lake finisher was sophomore, Mason Williams, who was second overall. Williams clocked a time of 13 minutes, 33.10 seconds, six seconds back of Central Valley's Gabe Romney at 13:27.10 on the 2.5-mile course. Normally races are run on a 5-kilometer course, just a shade over three miles.
Jacob Dingfield was seventh in the senior race and was the second fastest Medical Lake runner at 13:41.
On the girl's side, Jenavieve Cogswell, just a freshman, finished seventh overall in a time of 17:38. Top finishers in the Highlander are found in the West Plains Scoreboard on page 4.
"Almost everyone on the team that's run the course before PR'd," Blankenship said. A PR is a personal record for a runner. Medical Lake took 20 boys and 10 girls to the Highlander.
This is the first race of the season for Medical Lake and if those numbers continue to improve, "I think we're going to do exceptionally well," Blankenship said.
Next up for the Cardinals is the Super One Invitational in Coeur d'Alene, and a possible early head-to-head meeting with Riverside. The Rams, top-ranked in the preseason polls, are one of the teams Blankenship said would be in the mix for the Northeast A League title.
The Cardinals are No. 3 in the poll voted upon by cross country coaches in the state.
Paul Delaney can be reached at pdelaney@cheneyfreepress.com.
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