Running room

SHORELINE — Brandon Thompson finally has an unobstructed view of what lies ahead and the King’s senior likes what he sees.

For three years, all Thompson saw in front of him were the kicked up heels of teammate Adam Roe. The two became training partners but Roe was a year older and always kept a small cushion between them when it counted.

Together, they guided King’s to three straight Class A/B state cross country titles. But with Roe now out of the picture, the focus shifts to Thompson to set the pace.

“I think Brandon will be better out there alone,” King’s coach Rod Wilcox said. “He’s working his tail off because he wants to go further than Adam. It’s going to be fun to see how far he can take it.”

Thompson got so used to running in Roe’s shadow, he’d go into meets with preconceived ideas of the outcome.

“There’s that mental block you put in your head,” said Thompson, a Junior Olympics national qualifier. “‘He’s beaten me my whole life. Why wouldn’t he beat me now?’”

This year, Thompson’s expectations aren’t so bleak. He’s aiming for an individual state title and hopes to cut his time to under 16 minutes.

At the 2001 state meet Thompson took fifth in 16:40. As a sophomore he placed third, though his time was nearly 30 seconds slower than last season’s mark.

“Brandon’s one of the best runners in the state. Now it’s just going to be how good does he want to get,” Wilcox said. “I think he’s ready to do some big things.”

So are the rest of the Knights.

King’s swept the boys and girls team championships last fall and appears to have the legs to do it again.

“It’s not really a pressure thing, they just know what they’re capable of,” Wilcox said. “Now they need to go out and do the work to get ready for it. It’s really a fun system.

“They don’t feel like they have to win it but they know they can win it.”

For the boys to make it four titles in a row, Thompson will need assistance from a deep supporting cast that includes five returners.

Senior Skylar Agnew dipped to 17th place at state last year after cracking the top 10 in 2000. Sophomore Brent Woodham took 20th at state in 2001 — the second-best placement for a freshman — to finish one place ahead of his brother Aaron, now a senior.

Juniors Steven Miller and Jacob Burningham also have state meet experience and a few other runners are challenging for varsity spots.

After placing second the year before, the girls earned their first state title in 2001 with four runners finishing in the top 15.

Three of those girls return, led by senior Rachel Strand, who joined the team midway through last season and went on to place 10th at state. Sophomores Heidi Kieling and Melody Miles placed 11th and 15th respectively and junior Rachel Wagner was 33rd.

Wilcox said the girls program is in the midst of a growth spurt down through the junior high ranks and if it continues, more state titles could be in the team’s future.

“They could put on a string that goes much longer than the guys have gone,” he said.

Not that the boys will be slowing down any time soon.

“Success breeds success,” Wilcox said. “It really feeds itself, so I don’t have to do a lot. I just have to make sure there’s somebody else to step in where the last guy left off.

“Every year we’ve got experienced guys coming back from the year before, so they’re great role models. They know what it takes to get there and the kids follow them.”