Ravens look to maintain pace, make ninth consecutive state appearance | Boys Cross Country

September 29, 2010 7:06 pm
Auburn Riverside junior Korey Krotzer will pace the Raven cross country team this season.
Auburn Riverside junior Korey Krotzer will pace the Raven cross country team this season.

The faces may change on the Auburn Riverside boys cross country team, but the results remain the same.

For the past eight years the Ravens have qualified for the Washington State 4A meet.

Last year the team – led by seniors Kenny Krotzer and Nate Gesell – finished sixth at the state meet. This year, despite the loss of it’s two top runners, the squad looks poised to continue their streak of state appearances.

“We’re a little better this year and definitely closer, especially the seniors,” senior Nic Lawrence said.

“We definitely have a tougher top-four,” senior and co-captain Jeff Miles added.

The key this year is depth, with a strong core of runners in the two-through-seven spots, following the lead of No. 1 runner Korey Krotzer.

“It’s really hard to replace Kenny, but Korey is doing really well this year,” Miles said. “By next year, if not this year, he’ll be right where Kenny was.”

With Krotzer setting the pace, followed by Miles, Lawrence and senior Keefe Hanson, the team will look to senior Skyler Cowan and juniors Edward Yakimchuk and Sam Bailey to step up.

“Number five is up for grabs,” Krotzer said. “And we have a lot of guys who can get in the 16s (16-minute time) and they can perform really well.”

Also key for this year’s runners is team unity.

“I think one of the things that makes the team better this year is the closeness,” Bailey said. “We hang out a lot and have a lot of team dinners and do things to stay close. It’s important with cross country, to have that pack to run better.”

Coupled that closeness with a strong work ethic, and co-captain Hanson believes the team has a shot at bettering last year’s state finish.

“They’re really hard workers,” he said. “Our workouts are a little more intense and I think the guys are a little more dedicated this year. We have a really strong top group and we’re all really good friends and push each other.”

“We expected more last year, we didn’t run as well as we hoped,” Miles added. “We’re definitely looking at a top-three finish at state this year and we’re working really hard.”

“We want to try to keep our state legacy going,” Cowan said.

Auburn Riverside’s next meet is 4 p.m. Oct. 6 versus Kentridge and Kentwood at Clark Lake Park in Kent.