PASCO – Everyone has a bad day now and then.
Joey Bywater had one a week ago – at least for a runner of his caliber – when he faded to a fifth-place finish at the Class 4A District 1 cross country meet.
But the best way to ease the sting of a frustrating performance is to follow it up with a grand one, and Bywater, a Lake Stevens junior, did just that on Saturday. Bywater bounced back in a big way to place second in the 4A boys race at the state cross country championships at Sun Willows Golf Course.
“I came back and got second, which I can’t complain about. I ran as hard as I could,” said Bywater, whose No. 2 finish is the best ever for a Lake Stevens boy.
Bywater, who won the 4A 3,200-meter state track title last spring, and junior Kyle VanSanten (14th) helped the Vikings win the fourth-place team trophy for the second consecutive year.
Ferris (51 points) held off Mead (72) and Central Valley (92) for its fourth straight championship.
After briefly leading just after the 1-mile mark, Bywater finished second behind winner Cameron Quackenbush of Ferris. Quackenbush, who headlined Ferris’ team-championship victory, completed the 3.1-mile course in 15 minutes, 44 seconds. Bywater crossed in 15:48, followed closely by Mariner senior Dak Riek (15:49).
Quackenbush, one of four Ferris runners in the top six, started to pull away near the 2-mile mark. He seemed to tire near the end but had already built a sizable lead over Riek and Bywater, who placed 21st last year.
” (Bywater) took his shot. (Quackenbush) was just tougher today,” Lake Stevens co-head coach Ernie Goshorn said.
Mariner’s Riek also ran well one week after he gave up a lead late in the district race and took second. He broke his own school record for the best state finish for a Mariner boy. Last year he was 12th in 16:08, a time he beat by 17 seconds on Saturday.
” (Riek) ran a pretty smart, strong, confident race,” Mariner coach Dave McFadden said.
“If there was any mistake,” McFadden added, “it was just that we let (Ferris’ Quackenbush) get away a little too early. But you can always second-guess yourself.”
Riek, a native of Sudan who has received recruiting interest from the University of Washington, praised the winner: ” (Quackenbush) had a perfect race today.”
Riek didn’t take quite as intense of a pace on Saturday as he did last week, when Yonatan Yilma of Edmonds-Woodway rallied to beat Riek for the district title. Riek’s strategy paid off as he looked strong all the way to the finish. “I don’t even feel tired,” Riek said. “I feel good, pretty strong.”
E-W’s Yilma made the awards podium as one of the top 12 finishers. He placed 11th in 16:05.
Other top local individuals included Kyle King of Oak Harbor (35th, 16:49), Snohomish’s Chris Goodman (46th, 16:59) and E-W’s Justin Wolfe (47th, 16:59).
Michael Manning took 50th to help Jackson place eighth in the team standings.
The Lake Stevens boys, ranked No. 5 in 4A in the Washington State Cross Country Coaches’ Poll, celebrated back-to-back fourth-place showings. Besides Bywater and VanSanten, the team’s other top finishers were seniors Stephen Marti (52nd) and Kyle Larson (64th), and sophomore Scott Larson (84th).
Before last season, Lake Stevens had never won a top-4 team award since co-head coach Cliff Chaffee took over the team in 1975. Now they’ve snared two straight.
“Obviously, we’re very excited about taking a trophy,” Chaffee said.
Class 3A boys race
Coming off a decisive district-championship victory last weekend, the Everett High boys team had high hopes for its first state appearance since 1999. But the fifth-ranked Seagulls weren’t very pleased after taking 10th on Saturday.
“I’m kind of disappointed. I had pretty high expectations,” said senior Axel Stanovsky, Everett’s top finisher (18th, 16:53). Logan Ordona (32nd, 17:09) was the team’s only other runner in the top 74.
Seattle Prep’s Max O’Donoghue-McDonald won the 3A race for the second straight year. He dominated the field, completing the course in 15:32, 31 seconds faster than the No. 2 finisher.
“He’s a great guy. You couldn’t pick a better guy to have the talent he does,” Everett’s Stanovsky said of O’Donoghue-McDonald, who was 22 seconds faster than last year.
North Central crammed four runners in the top 15 to grab the team championship.
Talk to us
> Give us your news tips.
> Send us a letter to the editor.
> More Herald contact information.
