Striving for bests

The Jay County and South Adams High School girls cross country teams would like to put last season’s semi-state effort far behind them. The Starfire boys would love to make an impact as they make their first trip to the event in school history.
All three will compete Saturday at 1 p.m. in the semi-state meet hosted by New Haven at IPFW.
“Obviously I want us to run to our potential,” said JCHS coach Brian McEvoy, whose team is making its fifth consecutive semi-state appearance. “I don’t think we’ve run to our potential as a team yet. … It’s something you’ve got to mentally prepare yourself for.
“We’re making a strong point that the season didn’t end last Saturday. (Semi-state) should be a fun experience, but the ride home should be fun too.”
“I think if we run season-best times … in that atmosphere, it means a lot. … Our program really needs to take that step.”
Neither girls team had their best effort on a wet, muddy course at IPFW last season as South Adams finished 16th and Jay County 19th.
The only Patriot athlete to run close to the times she had in previous weeks was then-senior Kari Hemmelgarn, who led the Patriots in 109th in 22 minutes, 26 seconds. The team was seeded 16th, but finished in front of only Delta in the 20-team field.
Sawyer Shane was 71st in 21:33 to lead the Starfires, who entered the meet as the No. 14 seed.
“We want to definitely do better than we did last year,” said senior Leah Wellman, who was the team’s No. 2 runner for Jay County in its run to a third straight regional title. “Nineteenth was not where we wanted to be.
“Last year after regional we just settled … I think we felt we accomplished everything we could.
“We need to go into (semi-state) knowing that we do belong up there”
Reaching their goals will not be easy by any means, as the girls field at IPFW features six of the top 20 teams in the state.
No. 13 Columbia City is favored to win the meet with 73 points — all projections are based on regional times — followed by No. 12 Huntington North, No. 10 Carroll, No. 20 Concordia, No. 19 Homestead and No. 16 West Noble. Those six teams stand out in a field in which South Adams, which is making its third straight semi-state appearance, is seeded 11th and Jay County 16th.
The top five teams and top 15 individuals will advance to the state finals.
The Starfire boys are also seeded 11th based on their average regional time of 16:48. Homestead, ranked 17th in the state, is the favorite to win the semi-state, and the field also includes No. 8 St. Joseph, No. 16 West Noble and No. 18 Mishawaka.
“We want to run the best race we’ve ran all season. We’ve put in a lot of work for this one day,” added South Adams coach Clint Anderson, who pointed to a top-10 team finish as goals for both his boys and girls. “I’ve always thought if you can do that, anything can happen.”
Two South Adams runners are seeded in the top 15, putting them in position to advance to the state finals.
Based on regional times, Starfire junior Hannah Moore is the No. 12 seed in the girls race. Eric Isch is the No. 14 seed in the boys competition.
The top seed for Jay County is Katie Simmons at No. 64.
One of the keys to success for all of the runners Saturday is to stay strong in the immense, talented field.
While each sectional and regional generally includes about 70 total runners, the semi-state field doubles that. And with 150-plus runners stretched across a start line, it can be easy to get lost in the shuffle.
“That’s part of why we go up to the New Haven (meet during the regular season),” said Anderson. “We want to get a taste of that. That starting line is wide, and depending on where they place you, you could have all kinds of issues within that first 400 meters. …
“If you know what you’re getting into, then you can react to it. … That first quarter-mile is pretty important, because if you get overwhelmed … it could be your death knell.”
“It’s so much bigger,” said JCHS senior Logan Laux. “There are so many more girls.
“It’s always just a fight to the finish because you’ve worked so hard all season. It’s all you have left.”
The meet will also give Megan Taylor a chance to run for just the second time this year. The JCHS senior, who was the No. 3 athlete for the Patriots at the 2009 regional meet, competed at the season-opening Bellmont Invitational, but has missed the rest of the 2010 campaign because of a torn meniscus.
She had surgery to repair the injury on Sept. 20, and has worked her way back to earn the opportunity to compete in the semi-state.
“To miss your whole season, especially being a senior, stinks. And especially because we have such a great team. I wasn’t able to be there for these girls.
“(Getting to run Saturday) means a lot to me.”[[In-content Ad]]