CLOVER JV DOMINATES LUMINARY RUN
The 2009 Clover Cross Country Season began August 25, 2009 with a bang! All teams participated for the first time at the annual Luminary Run held at Ashbrook High School in Gastonia, North Carolina. Besides Clover, 6 teams were in attendance. Prior to the meet it looked as if North Mecklenburg High School would be the team to beat. That held true as the NM girls took forst for the JV girls race. But, things would soon change! In the boys JV race Clover completely took over. Employing a "run from behind" strategy the guys showed a glimpse of things to come for the program as they placed 5 runners in the top 9 and seven in the top 14. In short, they ran away with the race scoring a team total of 25 points. Pretty impressive! The JV guys were led by Steve Sparrow who took first place. Tactically, Steve ran a near perfect race, taking the lead with 300 meters to go and outkicking his competitor to the finish line. Following were Cameron Hailey, Alex Ruziska, Jason Greene, and Evan Edmunds to round out the top 5. A nice way to get the season going.
Both Varsity and JV girls took 3rd place. The JV was led by Shanice Kronbeem. Running in her first ever cross country race Shanice showed that she has the drive to succeed in cross country. We are certainly looking for good things from her. The varsity was led by Grace Thompson's 4th place finish. Grace ran well, holding something in the tank from the beginning. After the race she showed her classic Grace competitiveness by telling me that she wanted to run near the fron more from the beginning. I love her fire and just hope she continues with it. Other runners can take a lesson from her! Rounding out the top five for the girls were Carley Schaeffer, Ellen Westmoreland, Kaitlin Pubentz, and Brittany Traw.
The Varsity boys race was last to run. The guys started after 8PM on a poorly lit course. This caused a concern and made it very difficult for runers to see, especially on a course we have never run. We ran well in spite of the circumstances. The evening's closest race was this one with Mick Francis overcoming a 75 yard deficit in the final 300 meters, much of it in the last 60 yards. This completed the Clover sweep! Top five finishers for the guys were Thomas Honeyman, Alex Flores, Zane Milbradt, and James Houston. The men finished third for the meet, just 8 points from first. Had they been healthy and at full strength they would have run away with the race in convincing fashion. Results from the meet are attached.
Overall, it was a good night for our team. It is on nights like this that cross country is fun again. Success really is the fuel for enjoyment. Runners and parents, you should all be proud. We were by far the largest group of runners at the meet and showed that we are progressing toward becoming a class program!
