High Schools

<< Previous   of   Next >> Mark Mulligan / The Herald  (click to enlarge) The Jackson High School boys cross country team practices Wednesday afternoon at Willis D. Tucker Community Park in Mill Creek.   ADVERTISEMENT   HIGH SCHOOL SCORES AND SCHEDULES: By sport: BaseballBoys basketballBoys golfBoys soccerBoys swimmingBoys tennis Boys trackBoys wrestlingCross countryFootballGirls basketballGirls bowlingGirls golfGirls soccerGirls swimmingGirls tennisGirls trackGirls wrestlingGymnasticsSoftballTrackVolleyballWrestling By date: June 28 June 29 June 30 July 1 July 2 July 3 July 4 July 5 July 6 July 7 July 8 July 9 July 10 July 11 July 12 July 13 July 14 July 15 July 16 July 17 July 18 July 19 By school: Archbishop Murphy Arlington Bothell Cascade Cedar Park Christian-Everett Cedarcrest Concrete Coupeville Darrington Edmonds-Woodway Everett Friday Harbor Glacier Peak Grace Academy Granite Falls Highland Christian Prep Jackson Kamiak King's La Conner Lake Stevens Lakewood Lopez Island Lummi Lynnwood Mariner Marysville-Pilchuck Meadowdale Monroe Mount Vernon Christian Mountlake Terrace North Sound Christian Oak Harbor Orcas Island Shorecrest Shoreline Christian Shorewood Snohomish South Whidbey Stanwood Sultan Tulalip Heritage    • Stadium map By league: Cascade Conference Non-conference Northwest 1A/2B Northwest 1B Northwest 2B Wesco Wesco 3A Wesco North Wesco South STANDINGS: Select league Cascade Conference baseball Cascade Conference boys basketball Cascade Conference boys soccer Cascade Conference boys wrestling Cascade Conference football Cascade Conference girls basketball Cascade Conference girls soccer Cascade Conference softball Cascade Conference volleyball Northwest 1A/2B baseball Northwest 1A/2B boys basketball Northwest 1A/2B boys soccer Northwest 1A/2B boys wrestling Northwest 1A/2B girls basketball Northwest 1A/2B girls soccer Northwest 1A/2B softball Northwest 1A/2B volleyball Northwest 1B boys basketball Northwest 1B boys soccer Northwest 1B girls basketball Northwest 1B girls soccer Northwest 1B volleyball Northwest 2B football Wesco 3A Football Wesco North baseball Wesco North boys basketball Wesco North boys soccer Wesco North boys swimming Wesco North boys tennis Wesco North boys track Wesco North boys wrestling Wesco North football Wesco North girls basketball Wesco North girls soccer Wesco North girls swimming Wesco North girls tennis Wesco North girls track Wesco North softball Wesco North volleyball Wesco South baseball Wesco South boys basketball Wesco South boys soccer Wesco South boys swimming Wesco South boys tennis Wesco South boys track Wesco South boys wrestling Wesco South football Wesco South girls basketball Wesco South girls soccer Wesco South girls swimming Wesco South girls tennis Wesco South girls track Wesco South softball Wesco South volleyball CONTACT THE HERALD Report scores and results to 425-339-3470 or 1-866-6-SCORES (Call after 4:30 p.m.) E-mail information including items for Tuesday's Communities Sports Roundup and Thursday's Outdoor Calendar, to sports@heraldnet.com Kevin Brown, Sports Editor kbrown@heraldnet.com   Published: Tuesday, October 7, 2008 Pack mentality Jackson's ability to stay grouped has the Timberwolves' boys cross country team ranked No. 1 By Mike Cane Herald Writer It was a peaceful afternoon at McCollum Park. Other than the distant drone of traffic in South Everett and the relaxing flow of a nearby stream, one couldn't hear much. But then the Timberwolves emerged. Traveling in a pack of four, the runners from Jackson High burst out of the forest and quickly proceeded toward their prey: The finish line. Within a few minutes they were sharing the glory of another dominant cross country victory. Jackson boys swept the first four places Thursday in a 3.1-mile race. The time gap between the No. 1 runner, Ben Lance, and the fourth-place runner, Mitchell Briggs, was merely a second. In a sport where traveling fast and staying in a tight herd is the ultimate team goal, the Jackson Timberwolves appear difficult to stop. "If we stay together and work together we can do our best," said Briggs, a junior who placed seventh last year at the Class 4A state cross country meet. And what, exactly, is Jackson's best? Last season the squad tied a program record by taking fifth at the 4A championships. This fall its aspirations are much bigger. "We want to go beyond that and hopefully go top three and get a trophy," said Lance, a senior. Just the top four squads receive trophies. In 2007 Briggs, Lance and the other T-wolves missed getting hardware by one spot. They watched the top four teams (Mead, Gig Harbor, Tahoma and Central Valley) celebrate. "We were so close. I just really want to get a trophy this year," Lance said. It's an attainable goal, based on Jackson's performance so far. For the second consecutive week the T-wolves are ranked No. 1 in the Washington State Cross Country Coaches Association 4A poll. It's the first No. 1 state ranking in team history, Jackson coach Eric Hruschka said. It also represents a potential shift in Washington's cross country power sources. Since 1988 Spokane schools have won every big-school state team title. Thirteen of the championships belong to Mead, last year's champ. But on Sept. 27 Jackson displayed its potential at the Stanford Invitational in California, finishing higher than any other team from Washington, including Mead as well as other state-ranked squads Southridge, Gig Harbor and Seattle Prep. Jackson placed second overall. Mead was eighth. "It was probably the biggest race we've had in our high school careers ever," said Briggs, who placed 37th overall at the Stanford Invite. "I think we all realized that there are a lot of good teams out there and we still need to work hard. I think we all really matured from it." Jackson's three fastest finishers in the 5K run were Lance (16 minutes, two seconds; 14th place overall), junior Connor Frederickson (16:13; 18th) and Briggs (16:30). The California trip was a great experience for Jackson, Hruschka said: "Performance-wise, we ran very well: B-plus, A-minus. For where we're at in the season probably an A, but we've got some big-gun guys that are just getting back in there." One of those recovering "big guns" is Briggs. He hurt his hip in early August and it led to a quadriceps problem. But here's good news for the top-ranked T-wolves. "It's finally coming around now," Briggs said. "The last two weeks I've been running and getting a lot better." In cross country the team with the lowest combined score wins, and the top five finishers from each qualifying squad earn team points. When Jackson runners placed first through fourth and seventh last week at McCollum Park, they scored 17 points -- nearly a perfect score (15 points). And get this: Hruschka said Jackson could have run better -- possibly a first- through seventh-place sweep -- but he rested two runners who were tired from the Stanford Invite trip. Jackson's 4-1 football team may be getting most of the sports-related attention at the school these days. But the boys cross country crew is providing plenty of other reasons to celebrate. Jackson runners said they enjoy the accolades, including the No. 1 state ranking, yet remain zoned in on the ultimate prize. "It's nice to be recognized," Lance said, "but we still have to keep the intensity up (and) keep working hard because the rankings really don't mean much. That's why they run the race, to find out who's the best." Lance's attitude meshes with an observation made by Hruschka, who hopes to see his team keep racing to new heights. "Coaches all the time talk about, 'Wow. That kid has a lot of talent but they don't use it.' This is a group of (Jackson) kids that has talent that's using it," Hruschka said, "and they're working hard to try to find out how far they can take it." Writer Mike Cane: mcane@heraldnet.com. Check out the prep sports blog Double Team at www.heraldnet.com/doubleteam. READER COMMENTS Be the first to comment. You must be a registered user and verify your e-mail address to post comments to blogs or articles on HeraldNet. To register, click here. 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