Cardinal XC have eyes on return to state

It's nothing new that Medical Lake's veteran cross country coach Gene Blankenship is prone to make bold predictions about his teams' future.

One can do that with the success he's tendered at the school in distance running since arriving in 2010. There's 1A titles in 2013, 2014 and 2017, back-to-back runners-up in 2015 and 2016, a third in 2019 and last season fourth.

And as for 2022, Blankenship is once again confident his teams can make another appearance the first Saturday of November at Sun Willows Golf Course in Pasco.

Perhaps one of his best accomplishments was building the ML girls into a force for the future that had its first team podium finish, a second to Seaton Catholic in 2021.

"The girls ran as a team and finished second to private school (Seaton Catholic) that was just really, really good," Blankenship said. The winners outpointed the Cardinals 52-83. Remember in cross country, like golf, the low score wins.

Senior Grace Grubaugh was the top Medical Lake finisher at No. 12 in a time of 20 minutes, 25.2 seconds. Junior Kayla Ramsey clocked a 20.25.4 for a 22nd place in a very tight finish. Alexis Leone of Seaton Catholic won the individual title in a time of 18:05.2.

Four members of that girls group graduated, but three - including Ramsey - return prompting Blankenship to say, "I think my girls will make it (back) to state."

In the lead up to state, Medical Lake teams won championships at both the Northeast A and District levels in 2021 and the junior varsity program also finished strong.

Blankenship took his prognostication to yet another bold level suggesting the boys can possibly win a fourth state title.

The Cards were led by Reid Headrick a sophomore. While he finished third, Headrick was nanoseconds from a runner-up to individual champ Jamar Distel of NEA rival Riverside (15 minutes, 00.5 seconds).

"He was in second place and the guy that was in third dove at the line and knocked him off of second," Blankenship said. Kelton Gagnon from Klahowya High School and Headrick were separated by a tenth of a second, 16:16.7 to 16:16.8 at the finish.

Headrick has put in a solid summer of training, punctuated with some diversions, Blankenship explained. He attended a cross country camp in Oregon, "And looked pretty good down there," his coach reported. "And then he took eight more days off and went to Mexico."

Blankenship's closing prediction: "He has an outside chance of winning state which has never had never happened at medical 18 Cross Country by the way," he said of Headrick.

Medical Lake opens training on Aug. 20 and kicks off the 2022 schedule Sept. 10 at the Seaport Invitational in Clarkston.

Paul Delaney is a retired Free Press Publishing reporter and can be reached at pauldelaney53@comcast.net.