The eighth-ranked Auburn Mountainview boys compete for a chance to move on to the state 3A championship in the Westside Classic district meet at Lakewood’s American Lake Golf Course on Saturday.
The Lions qualified as a team for the classic after a solid showing at last Saturday’s 3A sub-district meet. Auburn Mountainview took home second on the 5,000-meter course at Fort Steilacoom.
“Second is a good showing,” coach Tyler Nugent said, “but I know our team can run better. A couple of guys had off-days.”
Not having an off-day was the team’s No. 1 runner junior, Chris Scharer, who took fourth overall in the boys’ race with a time of 16 minutes, 29.2 seconds, just eight seconds off his personal best.
Junior Aarun Rumbaugh was 11th (16:59.2), followed by senior Dylan Summerlin in 14th (17:04.1) and senior Ethan Rumbaugh in 18th (17:18.1).
According to Nugent, the real surprise for the Lions was junior Will Faria’s 21st-place finish with a 17:28.2, smashing his previous personal best of 17:50.42.
“(Faria) really stepped up,” Nugent said. “He came into the meet as a mid-pack runner and finished in a spot that earned him all-SPSL 3A second-team honors. It was a huge breakthrough for him. Now we have a solid top five, and (they) can really do some damage the next two Saturdays if they all run well at the same time.”
The Lions will be tested in Saturday’s meet, which features 12 teams vying for six spots to the Nov. 5 state finales in Pasco. The top 30 individual runners also move on to state. Saturday’s 3A boys race begins at noon.
“The end goal is state,” Nugent said. “That is what they’ve been training for and that’s what they’ll be peaking for. I’m really looking forward to seeing how their season-long dedication and focus pay off.”
ALSO: Auburn Riverside senior Korey Krotzer was again the catalyst for the No. 9 Ravens, snagging first place at sub-district. Krotzer posted a time of 15:43.3. Junior Raven Trevor Love was 16th overall with senior Eduard Yakimchuck grabbing 30th and sophomore Trevor Gesell finishing 70th. Sophomore Mattias Gildermann rounded out Auburn Riverside’s top five with a 71st-place finish.
The Ravens will compete at the Westside Classic with 16 teams battling for eight berths to the 4A state meet. The classic begins at 12:30 p.m. Saturday in Lakewood. In addition, the top 40 individuals also earn spots at state.
In the 4A girls, senior Rachel Atwood keyed the Ravens with a second-place finish. Atwood notched an 18:48.3 finish at the sub-district meet. Junior teammate Lauren Saunders was 11th with sophomore Rachel Covey finishing 38th, senior Katie Alexander grabbing 43rd and junior Grace Werran 44th.
The Auburn boys are well represented at the 4A Westside Classic, with junior Tyler Flannery punching his ticket to district with a 12th-place time of 16:41.5.
Junior Brennan Wallin was 21st and Cole Frampton finished 45th.
The Auburn girls were led by junior Anna deCarteret’s 16th-place time of 20:25.8. Senior Kelly Grant, junior Anna Starr and sophomore Kimberly Anderson also qualified.
