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28 °F Forecast | Road Cams Saturday, December 4, 2004 Today's News | Classifieds | Autos | Homes | Jobs | Tempo | Health | Community | Home Delivery SECTIONS Home Page Local News Sports Business Obituaries Life Opinion - Politics Tempo AP News Weather Classified Archives Site Map SPECIAL SECTIONS Since We Asked Outdoor Journal Menu Guide How To Guide Wellness Connection Readers' Choice Real Estate Showcase Joy Magazine Homelife Magazine Wedding Guide Passport to the Rogue Valley EXTRA Newspaper in Education Personals Movie Times TV Times E The People MARKETPLACE Find a Car Find a Home Find a Job Classifieds Place an ad eSouthernOregon Automotive Communities Entertainment Publications Recreation Calendar CUSTOMER SERVICE Frequent Questions Advertising Information Home Delivery Employment Contact Us Media Kit Network Affiliate Oregon Road Conditions & Cams Email Story to a Friend November 6, 2004 Trophy in hand, Pirates focus on state today By TIM TROWER Mail Tribune Phoenix finally got its hands on the prize. Now it will see if that translates to success with its feet today at the Class 3A girls state cross country championships at Lane Community College in Eugene. The Pirates will be making only their second trip to state as a team in 30 years, following up last year’s participation. Prior to that, they hadn’t been since the first meet in 1974. Two Phoenix boys — Skyline Conference champion Kevin Jantzer and Tyler Davis — qualified as individuals. In Class 2A/1A, Cascade Christian’s girls team will compete, as will Mike Seus of St. Mary’s in the boys race. Advertisement The meet, which includes the Class 4A boys and girls competitions as well over the 5,000-meter course, begins at noon with the Class 2A/1A girls. Phoenix is believed to have won its first conference title last Saturday at Valley of the Rogue State Park, upsetting favored Mazama by eight points. When the Pirates went to state in 1974, says coach Bruce Timmerman, he’s not certain if it was as champion. And they almost won last year’s league title — they even had the trophy in hand — but a scoring adjustment after the meet showed Mazama actually won by one point. "The trophy got as far as our bus," says Timmerman, "then I had to go get it. Some of the girls had already gone home and didn’t find out until later. It was a real downer for them." It also was unsettling when the Pirates finally won the league crown Saturday that the trophy wasn’t on the scene. It was housed in an office at Rogue River High School. With that as a backdrop, Timmerman decided to have some fun. He got the trophy early in the week without telling his runners. "They thought it was far away, coming from back east," he says. Then, with the help of some of his boy runners, he set up a treasure hunt befitting a team nicknamed the Pirates. After classes Wednesday, the girls went through the school finding clues that took them from one place to another until they uncovered the trophy beneath a pile of old gear. Their excitement was evident, says Timmerman. To win it, Phoenix had to run its best race of the season against a steady, deep Mazama team that had beaten the Pirates soundly each time out. And they did it without top runner Marci Klimek, who also plays soccer and had a match that conflicted with district. By not running in the Skyline meet, she’s ineligible to run at state. The Pirates stepped up on all other fronts, however, with freshman Anne Hagy, senior Erin Moss and freshman Jodi Hurd leading the way with seventh-, ninth- and 10th-place finishes, respectively. They were followed by teammates Holly Dillemuth (12th) and Stephanie Vetter (13th), both seniors, as the final two who factored in the scoring. They will be joined at state by the Pirates’ other two runners, Francesca DeLuca (17th) and Bree Goosmann (29th). Moss is in her first year of cross country, and Vetter "ran the race of her life — so far — on that course." Phoenix’s goals at state are relatively modest. It would like to place better than it did a year ago, which would put it in the top 10. The Pirates were 11th in 2003. "They ran very well (at district) and put a lot into it emotionally," says Timmerman. "I just want them to relax and have a good time." None of the Pirate girls or boys are expected to challenge for individual honors. Jantzer, a sophomore, won district with a time of 18 minutes, 9 seconds. Davis was seventh in 18:37. Cascade Christian will be represented in the girls team competition by Megan Beard, Kate Hoskin, Rachel Vincent, Lindsey Hill and Ali Martin. Seus was runner-up in the district meet, clocking 17:41. Reach sports editor Tim Trower at 776-4479, or e-mail [email protected] Mail Tribune Home Local News | Sports | Business | Obituaries | Life Opinion - Politics | AP News | Archives | Site Map E Southern Oregon | Classified Copyright © 1997-2004 Mail Tribune. All rights reserved. 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