July 23, 2014 at 2:10 p.m.
Set for semi-state (10/19/07)
JCHS girls cross country
Set for semi-state (10/19/07)
The Patriots are once again seeking to prove the seedings don't mean anything.
Jay County High School's girls cross country team entered the 2006 semi-state meet as the No. 16 team out of 20, and not even on the radar for a state berth. At the end of the day, they finished seventh, just two positions short of a trip to the state finals and nearly 200 points in front of 16th-place Northeastern.
As they've prepared for the 2007 semi-state meet hosted by New Haven Saturday at IPFW, coach Les Bantz said his Patriots are not interested in knowing where they're seeded. Instead of worrying about the numbers, they're focused on their own goals.
"We're hoping to get in the top six teams so we can go on to state," said junior Kylie Wellman. "I think that would be really awesome."
For the record, the seedings - they are based on regional results - show Jay County again on the outside looking in as it competes in a regional that includes six teams ranked in the top 20 in the state. The top six teams, instead of five as in 2006, will earn state berths.
No. 4 Carroll and No. 5 Northridge are almost locks for spots in the state meet, and No. 16 DeKalb, No. 17 West Noble, No. 18 Goshen and No. 19 Concordia make up the rest of the state-ranked group. Mishawaka, which has two runners seeded in the top 20, seems the most likely to have a chance to knock out one of the top-rated teams and earn a trip to Terre Haute.
According to the web site www.hoosierauthority.com, the Patriots are the No. 16 team again this season, although they are in a tight group with sectional foes Frankton and Pendleton Heights as well as Penn and Homestead among others. Whitko, Wapahani, Bellmont and Delta are seeded as the bottom four teams.
After getting career-best times from each of his top four runners - Alysha Miller, Amanda Johnson, Kylie Wellman and Leah Wellman - Bantz said he is looking for more of the same at IPFW.
"As a team, I just expect them to have improvement from last week," he said. "That's what I'm expecting, that's what I'm hoping for, that's what I'm pretty sure is going to happen.
"They're real excited. ... I think they're confident ... in what they've been doing and what their capabilities are. ... I really think if we've got a good day and we've got a good fast course we'll see some pretty good times out of them. ... I really believe that. I just think they're ready."
Individually, the top 15 runners will earn state berths. That also leaves Miller, a freshman, and Johnson, a senior, on the outside looking in according to the seedings, but Bantz said he believes both are capable of making a run at the state finals.
Miller finished third at the Delta regional in 19-minutes, 44.4 seconds, and Johnson was right behind her in fourth at 19:54.45. Both are seeded in the mid-to-low 20s for the semi-state race.
"I'm excited," said Miller. "Everybody needs to be focused and ready to go."
Samantha Simonson of fourth-ranked Carroll enters as the No. 15 seed at 19:18.30, while her teammate Chelsea Blanchard is the favorite to win the meet after her regional championship time of 18:35.43. Carroll's Brianna Johnson finished just a hair behind Blanchard in the regional at 18:35.82.
"There are a lot of girls in the 18s," said Bantz. "That whole 50 on the first page of results is going to be under 20. They know that it's not going to be easy."
The Wellman sisters, both of whom joined Miller and Johnson in the top 10 at the sectional and top 15 in the regional, are projected to come in somewhere between 60 and 100. Junior Cassie Laux was the No. 5 runner for the Patriots in the regional in 52nd at 23:14.94.
"For the team to (make it) we're just going to have to have everybody run beyond," said Johnson. "Everybody is going to have to be focused through the entire race and everybody is just going to have to put it all out there."
Rupp running for SA
The only area athlete competing in the boys race Saturday at IPFW will be Nathan Rupp of South Adams.
Rupp finished 11th in the Marion regional at 16:48.80 following a ninth-place finish in the sectional meet at Bellmont. He is seeded 48th in the semi-state, while the No. 15 seed is Norwell's Klayton Reed (16:13.9).
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Jay County High School's girls cross country team entered the 2006 semi-state meet as the No. 16 team out of 20, and not even on the radar for a state berth. At the end of the day, they finished seventh, just two positions short of a trip to the state finals and nearly 200 points in front of 16th-place Northeastern.
As they've prepared for the 2007 semi-state meet hosted by New Haven Saturday at IPFW, coach Les Bantz said his Patriots are not interested in knowing where they're seeded. Instead of worrying about the numbers, they're focused on their own goals.
"We're hoping to get in the top six teams so we can go on to state," said junior Kylie Wellman. "I think that would be really awesome."
For the record, the seedings - they are based on regional results - show Jay County again on the outside looking in as it competes in a regional that includes six teams ranked in the top 20 in the state. The top six teams, instead of five as in 2006, will earn state berths.
No. 4 Carroll and No. 5 Northridge are almost locks for spots in the state meet, and No. 16 DeKalb, No. 17 West Noble, No. 18 Goshen and No. 19 Concordia make up the rest of the state-ranked group. Mishawaka, which has two runners seeded in the top 20, seems the most likely to have a chance to knock out one of the top-rated teams and earn a trip to Terre Haute.
According to the web site www.hoosierauthority.com, the Patriots are the No. 16 team again this season, although they are in a tight group with sectional foes Frankton and Pendleton Heights as well as Penn and Homestead among others. Whitko, Wapahani, Bellmont and Delta are seeded as the bottom four teams.
After getting career-best times from each of his top four runners - Alysha Miller, Amanda Johnson, Kylie Wellman and Leah Wellman - Bantz said he is looking for more of the same at IPFW.
"As a team, I just expect them to have improvement from last week," he said. "That's what I'm expecting, that's what I'm hoping for, that's what I'm pretty sure is going to happen.
"They're real excited. ... I think they're confident ... in what they've been doing and what their capabilities are. ... I really think if we've got a good day and we've got a good fast course we'll see some pretty good times out of them. ... I really believe that. I just think they're ready."
Individually, the top 15 runners will earn state berths. That also leaves Miller, a freshman, and Johnson, a senior, on the outside looking in according to the seedings, but Bantz said he believes both are capable of making a run at the state finals.
Miller finished third at the Delta regional in 19-minutes, 44.4 seconds, and Johnson was right behind her in fourth at 19:54.45. Both are seeded in the mid-to-low 20s for the semi-state race.
"I'm excited," said Miller. "Everybody needs to be focused and ready to go."
Samantha Simonson of fourth-ranked Carroll enters as the No. 15 seed at 19:18.30, while her teammate Chelsea Blanchard is the favorite to win the meet after her regional championship time of 18:35.43. Carroll's Brianna Johnson finished just a hair behind Blanchard in the regional at 18:35.82.
"There are a lot of girls in the 18s," said Bantz. "That whole 50 on the first page of results is going to be under 20. They know that it's not going to be easy."
The Wellman sisters, both of whom joined Miller and Johnson in the top 10 at the sectional and top 15 in the regional, are projected to come in somewhere between 60 and 100. Junior Cassie Laux was the No. 5 runner for the Patriots in the regional in 52nd at 23:14.94.
"For the team to (make it) we're just going to have to have everybody run beyond," said Johnson. "Everybody is going to have to be focused through the entire race and everybody is just going to have to put it all out there."
Rupp running for SA
The only area athlete competing in the boys race Saturday at IPFW will be Nathan Rupp of South Adams.
Rupp finished 11th in the Marion regional at 16:48.80 following a ninth-place finish in the sectional meet at Bellmont. He is seeded 48th in the semi-state, while the No. 15 seed is Norwell's Klayton Reed (16:13.9).
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