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52 °F 5 Day Forecast Monday, October 20, 2003 Today's News | Classifieds | Autos | Homes | Jobs | Tempo | eSouthernOregon | Home Delivery SECTIONS Home Page Local News Sports Business Obituaries Life Opinion - Politics AP News Weather Classified Archives Site Map EXTRA Newspaper in Education Personals Movie Times TV Times E The People CLASSIFIEDS Find a Car Find a Home Find a Job Find a Rental 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 Email Story to a Friend October 5, 2003 Ashland�s David Morgan (20) heads out for the start of the State of Jefferson along with teammates Cameron Barleen (3), Spencer Bonney (5), Andy Wright (1) and Adam Trautman (24). Morgan wins Saturday�s race with a time of 16 minutes, 27 seconds. Mail Tribune / Andrew Mariman Going the extra mile Ashland’s David Morgan sticks to a strict game plan to win the State of Jefferson By TIM TROWER Mail Tribune ASHLAND — Some things aren’t meant to be fast. Crockpots, massages and sunsets come to mind. But foot races are, so it gives one pause to hear Ashland cross country runner David Morgan say his victorious run Saturday in the State of Jefferson Invitational is his best of the year. Advertisement Not his fastest, but still his best. "Definitely," the junior nodded. What distinguished this tour over the roads and trails of Lithia Park was that it was the product of a strict, unwavering game plan, and it worked magnificently against strong competition. Morgan, content to let teammate and defending champion Andy Wright run on the lead with Crater’s Isaac Stoutenburgh for most of the race, made a determined move with about three-quarters of a mile to go and breezed to victory. His time of 16 minutes, 27 seconds over the 5,000-meter course was 11 seconds faster than runner-up Wright’s, but well off his season’s best. Morgan ran 15:54 in the high-powered New Balance Invitational two weeks ago, establishing a PR by 30 seconds. The one-two finish by the Grizzlies wasn’t enough to hold off Stoutenburgh and Crater in the team race. The Comets’ first five runners were bunched in the top 14 in team scoring, leading to 44 points. Ashland was second with 55 and South Medford third with 74. In the girls race, Crater junior Kendel Nelson pulled away from the field early and won with a time of 19:42. Ashland sophomore Natalie Hemphill placed second in 20:34.2. Mazama took the team title with 68 points, one better than Crater. For his part, Morgan was in no hurry to move to the head of the pack. "I was going to go with the leaders until the last half-mile to the downhill part, then just take off," he said. He was in third by about four seconds, then accelerated, and neither Wright nor Stoutenburgh was able to give chase. The final stage of the course is a long, uphill climb from a duck pond, through the woods and onto Granite Street. The course flattens over the final 300 meters. "I wasn’t looking back, I was looking straight ahead," said Morgan, who has emerged as fellow junior Wright’s equal in what has become a friendly but competitive rivalry. "I felt like I had a lot left, so I wasn’t worried." Ashland coach Bob Julian Jr. could tell. Halfway through the race, he predicted a Morgan win. "He looked fresher than the other guys," said the coach. Wright, in fact, was willing to take after Morgan, but queasiness in his stomach shot down that plan in a hurry. "I picked it up but my stomach didn’t," he said of cramps that caught him by surprise. He noted that Morgan looked strong and in command. "I was thinking, ‘I won’t let anyone on any other team beat me,’" said Wright. "I’m not as competitive with David as I am with other teams because I train with him all the time. But you still have that competitiveness." Stoutenburgh, only a sophomore, wasn’t surprised by Morgan’s decisive move. "I figured he’d try something like that," said the Comet. "He’s been doing well this year." Stoutenburgh came in in 16:46.4, one place in front of South Medford’s Chris McLean (16:53.0). Crater’s Geoff Donaldson was fifth in an eye-opening performance. He lowered his personal best by 40 seconds, placing fifth in 17:00.0. "We really worked hard on bringing the team up today," Comet coach Justin Loftus said of narrowing the gap between his top runners and second- tier guys. "Geoff really stepped it up." Loftus is looking forward to next week, when the Comets will go head-to-head against some of the best teams in the state — and a couple of national top 10s — in the Aloha Invitational. "We haven’t run against teams in the North or East," he said. "It’ll be interesting to see how we compete with them." Nelson was expected to take it relatively easy in anticipation of the Aloha meet. While she admitted it felt like she was going slow — "I’m sick, and sick does that to you," she said — Nelson overcame her cold to crack the 20-minute barrier for the first time this year. "I felt really good going down to the lower loop," Nelson said of the second stage of the course. "The downhill side was good." Not so the uphill stretch. "It’s not really that steep," said Nelson, "it’s just really long. You have to do it twice, and that’s the hardest part." As the race wore on, Hemphill didn’t challenge Nelson, but the Grizzly ran a strong race. Hemphill didn’t run cross country last season and competed in middle distance events in track. "She’s really picked it up from the last time we met," said Nelson. "She had me a little worried." Phoenix had two runners break the 21-minute mark and place in the top five: Marci Klimek was fourth in 20:55.5 and Amanda Phillips placed fifth in 20:57.1. 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 © 1997-2003 Mail Tribune. All rights reserved. Privacy Policy | Terms & Conditions Website Feedback 3 WEEKS FREE! ADVERTISERS SPECIAL SECTIONS Auto Finder Job Finder Home Finder Joy Magazine Homelife Magazine Tempo Real Estate Showcase Food for Thought Hike of the Week Wellness Connection Outdoor Journal Moving to Southern Oregon? Volunteer Openings Prime Times