The 2013 XC season ended this week in Natchitoches, Louisiana. Although some athletes are preparing to make a final trip to National meets, such as Nike South, (TX) or Footlocker regionals (NC), the majority of runners will begin to make preparations for the Indoor track season.
Looking back on Natchitoches, there was many emotional moments for the athletes at the state meet: titles were stolen in the final meters, teams found their way to the podium that few expected to be there, streaks were extended, runners hit the wall, but others sprinted to victory in state-wide surprise.
We were fortunate enough to be close to the action this year for both days of the meet.
Check out our short summary from Day 1.
On the final day of the meet, the winds died down and temperatures cooled slightly to give runners a shot at faster times. As large class runners began hitting the tape, it was apparent that some runners weren't running the times they expected, turning it into the talk of a long course. Whether it was long or on the mark, the State's best were present in it's entirety. Some teams and individuals caved in these conditions, while others thrived.
In boys 3A competition, new distance powerhouse, John Curtis, came to Northwestern State University and distanced themselves from the competition, tallying 25 points with placing 6 runners in the top 10. If claiming the team title wasn't enough, sophomore Devyn Keith took home individual honors after a battle with U-High's, Hank Patrick. While running together for much of the race, Devyn was finally able to surge away from Hank at the final hill before taking it home on the track.
John Curtis would also take home hardware in the girl's race; however, it would be the runner-up trophy (the first in the school's history), as Sacred Heart was able to capture the show with the low score of 20 points. Although dominant today, ASH's year didn't start off with as big of a bang. Being unranked and under the radar until a few weeks ago, a "motivational" speech set them in motion. They have been scrambling up the totem pole ever since, culminating with their win Tuesday in Natchitoches.
In 4A competition, as expected, Drake Heinz of Benton led his team to the individual and team title. For the senior, it was a nice way to cap off his final cross country campaign. In the girls action, the favorites were all present as the lead pack went through the mile: Boyce, Bourque, Tanner, Gregoire, and Breaux. It wasn't until late in the race that the original 5-pack began to dwindle, until there were only three going into the final hill. It was at this point that Carley Boyce, of SSA, proved to be the strongest. She was able to pull ahead on the track, opening a gap in the final 400 meters to take the win and record one of the fastest times of the day (18:54). In team action, Kevin Castille's Panthers continued their dominance in the championship season, dethroning our #1 in Week 6. They finished the season with a win and team title over SSA, who were the favorites at the start of the race.
Heading into the large class races, the crowds began to gather for the highly anticipated competition. With most of the state's faster runners being housed within these classifications, the excitement built and one had to literally sprint to get a good spot on the course. In the girl's 5A race, many predicted there would be a dogfight between highly ranked Mandeville and St. Joseph. The outcome would surprise just about everyone as neither of these teams would even make the podium. In the individual race, unsurprisingly, Allison Ringle went out gapping the field as Oilivia Murphy and Annie Hill (undefeated in 2013) gave chase. As runners approached the two mile mark, Allison still had a sizable lead. However, Annie Hill began to fade and new comer, Mia Meydrich, found her way to the front appearing to be moving faster than either of the other runners in the race. In the final mile, this proved to be true as Mia caught a struggling Allison Ringle and put the pedal to the metal to take home the individual crown. Meydrich raced as if she wanted to prove every prediction wrong. In the race for the girl's team title, the surprising pack of black singlets, Parkway, would prove too difficult for any other team to handle, while Dominican would capture runner-up honors. Both teams were not predicted to finish in the top 3.
Mia Meydrich talks about the 5A girls race.
As 5A boys got ready to take off, all eyes fell on St. Paul's.
Just like the past three years, they were entering the state meet as heavy favorites. In 2011, a key runner collapsed in the final meters from dehydration, causing them to come up shy in the team standings. In 2012, a West Monroe team ran out of their minds and toppled the Wolves. Entering 2013 with a team that could literally put their 5 guys in front of most of the top teams 2nd - it was really St. Paul's race to lose. Could they finally beat "the curse"? As the gun went off, the mob of runners shook the ground and jockeyed for position before disappearing from the spectator's view. At the mile mark, St. Paul's had solidly positioned themselves for a top finish. However, at mile 2 it became apparent why this team was so good and expected not only to win, but to completely overwhelm the other teams. Coming back into view, it now appeared 5 SPS runners ran in the top 11. Heading home for the track, it was a two man race for individual honors, a St. Paul's Senior and a St. Paul's Freshman. Starting to run out of gas with 400 meters to go, Zach Albright was giving it everything he had to hold on. However, a fast charging freshman, Eric Coston, seemed to be moving strong and would catch Zach with only meters remaining to become one of the few Freshman to ever win the 5A boys title. As runners piled onto the track, is was incredibly obvious that the curse would finally be silenced. St. Paul's would win with 34 points, while Catholic High tallied with121.
Coach Chatham of St. Paul's talks about the curse and St. Paul's.
And so closed the 2013 Louisiana XC season with curses broken, favorites toppled, underdogs championed, and predictions scrambled.
For more coverage including, results, photos, videos, and more check out our 2013 State XC Championships page here.
