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Oregon Road Conditions & Cams Email Story to a Friend September 23, 2005 Keeping pace In the wake of teammate Isaac Stoutenburgh, Crater junior Jake Keyser distinguishes himself By TIM TROWER Mail Tribune CENTRAL POINT — Jake Keyser runs in the shadow of heralded teammate Isaac Stoutenburgh. That says two things about Keyser, a junior on Crater’s boys cross country team: He doesn’t get as much publicity. He keeps up a pretty good pace. Advertisement The two runners are the heart and soul of a Comet team that has made tremendous strides in recent seasons, placing third last year at state and cracking the top 10 each of the past three seasons. Each is better off with the other’s presence, but in particular, Keyser benefits. "I’ve told him that since his freshman year," says Crater coach Justin Loftus, whose team is ranked seventh in the state. "Look at what you’ve got. This guy (Stoutenburgh) is going to be incredible, and you have to use that to your advantage. "Isaac is one of the best in the nation. I truly believe that; I don’t just say that lightly. I tell the kids it’s an opportunity to run with someone like that, and Jake takes it to heart. Some say, ‘Yeah, oh well,’ and others push to be that good. Jake is one of those who pushes." He’s pushing pretty hard, actually. While Stoutenburgh, a senior, is the No. 2 returner from last year’s state meet, Keyser is No. 4 (he placed 15th overall). While Stoutenburgh posted a blistering time of 15:29 for 5,000 meters this fall at a Yreka, Calif., meet, Keyser’s 15:55 is nearly a minute faster than the next-best Southern Oregon Conference time — and 26 seconds faster than Stoutenburgh ran last year on the same course. And while Stoutenburgh has set Crater class records in track, Keyser has come along and challenged them, bettering the sophomore 1,500-meter mark and matching the 3,000 time. Stoutenburgh’s achievements are a carrot on a stick in front of Keyser. "We have a friendly competition," says Keyser. "We joke around sometimes about it, but nothing serious." He relishes the chance to train with and compete against his gifted teammate. "We work out together, and it helps to have someone faster than you," says Keyser, whose mother, Jodie, is an assistant coach. "I have to push it pretty hard to keep up with him. It’s encouraging to have him there, too. He pretty much went through the exact same things I’m going through now. He was running the same times last year I am now." Loftus is learning, too. Based on last season’s training and competition, he discovered he could add miles to his runners’ weekly workload without compromising their fitness for meets. Now, the Comets are doing 80 or more miles per week, 20 more than last year. "It feels pretty good," says Keyser, who has noticed a significant increase in his endurance. "It gets kind of tiring, but it’s not too bad." Keyser and his teammates run every day, and three or four times a week they run before and after school. "It’s all about going out and doing the miles," says Loftus. "I pretty much live by that. It’s worked, and I’m not going to change it until it stops working. It’s a gradual progression over the years, and Jake is getting up there." Keyser has managed to put in the miles even as he’s pursued his other favorite sport, hockey. His family moved here four years ago from Casper, Wyo., where he used to play street hockey with neighborhood friends. Once here, he joined a burgeoning prep league and is now an eight-year veteran of the sport. He’s run competitively for about half that time. The only time one has infringed on the other was when he broke his arm in hockey and couldn’t run between hockey and track his freshman year. "I think they both help each other," says Keyser. "Hockey will strengthen your legs, and the conditioning is more for speed. Cross country gives me endurance, so I can skate for long periods of time without getting tired." A defender in hockey, he’s distinguished himself as one of the fastest players. But his hockey career might be put on ice next year as he focuses on the sport that could very well land him a college scholarship. That likelihood of colleges calling will increase if he meets his goals. Keyser wants to clock a time in the low 15-minute range this year and seeks to win the state championship before he’s through. Loftus wouldn’t put either past him. "One of the nice things about Isaac and Jake," he says, "is that they never say, ‘How much do we have left?’ They say, ‘How much more can we do?’" So far, they’ve done quite a lot. Reach sports editor Tim Trower at 776-4479, or e-mail Keeping pace ">[email protected] . Mail Tribune Home | Local News | Sports | Business | Obituaries | Life | Opinion AP News | Archives | Site Map | Community | Classified Copyright © 1997-2005 Mail Tribune, Inc. 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