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SUNNY Temp: 41 °F Wind: CLM at 0 mph Thursday, November 28, 2002 SECTIONS Home Page Local News Sports Business Obituaries Life Opinion - Politics AP News Weather Classified Archives Site Map EXTRA HomeLife Magazine W3 Magazine Jobs @ Mail Tribune Tempo A & E Oregon CarZone Wellness Connection Real Estate Newspaper in Education Prime Times Outdoor Journal Personals Movie Times TV Times E The People CLASSIFIEDS Find a Car Find a Home Find a Job Find Everything E SOUTHERN OREGON Automotive Communities Entertainment Publications Recreation Calendar ABOUT US FAQ What's New Advertise Home Delivery Classified Ad Contact Us Media Kit Email Story to a Friend November 1, 2002 Phoenix will settle for nothing less than a Class 3A title this weekend By TIM TROWER Mail Tribune Phoenix has a couple of lofty goals as it prepares for the cross country state championships Saturday: One, win the team title. Two, finish 1-2-3 in the individual standings. The upshot is, neither is the least bit far-fetched. "We were talking about it last year," says junior Kyle Gillette, "but we didn’t pull it through. This year, we know we can do it. We’ve got the potential, we’ve got the training, all it is is a matter of getting through the race. I think we can be 1-2-3." History would suggest as much. Phoenix has most of its runners back from last year, when it was second at state to Wilsonville. And the Big 3 — Gillette, Lalo Flores and Nathan May — are back after finishing third, fourth and fifth, respectively. The two Wilsonville runners who came in ahead of them graduated. Phoenix will be just one of many rooting interests when the 4A, 3A and 2A/1A boys and girls meets are contested at Lane Community College in Eugene. It starts with the 2A/1A girls race at noon. In the 4A ranks, Ashland sends its Southern Oregon Conference champion boys and girls teams, while Crater’s boys and North Medford’s girls are also entered for the first time in each school’s respective history. Kendel Nelson, second in the SOC championships to North Medford standout Danielle Jordan, represents the Crater girls. At the 3A level, Rogue River sends its boys and girls teams, each of which was runner-up in the Skyline Conference meet. In the 2A/1A meet, St. Mary’s Leah Sawyer, the District 6 girls individual winner, and Ben Tribelhorn, runner-up in the boys race, will compete. There are factors outside of sheer talent that bode well for the Phoenix boys. One is that they have experience. May, the Skyline Conference champion who wasn’t at full strength last year at state, and Flores are making their fourth state appearances. Gillette and No. 4 runner Adam Chizek will be there for the third time. "We’ve been through it all and know how it is, the pressure and stuff," says Flores, a senior. "Half these kids we’re going against don’t know what they’re getting into. It’s not an easy thing." The first third of the mile is critical because adrenaline gets the best of some runners. "These kids go out at an amazing pace and go, ‘I feel good,’" says Flores. "But they’re running too fast. They don’t know what to do once they’ve run the PR of their lives for a mile and still have two more miles to go." The Pirates will go out faster than most but at a pace that’s comfortable for them, says Gillette. "Fast enough," he says, "that all the other runners will know we’re out to win it, and they have to be ready for it." Phoenix is buoyed by the improvement of its No. 4 and 5 runners Chizek, who was 42nd at state last year, and David Moran, who improved his personal best by 47 seconds at the Skyline meet. Wilsonville graduated four of its top five runners off last year’s championship team, but it has restocked. That was evident in the Creswell Invitational Oct. 17, when the Wildcats won against a field that included the top four teams from state last year — Philomath and Astoria were the others. If Phoenix is to win, says coach Bruce Timmerman, it may need the likes of Siuslaw, Molalla and Philomath to wedge their runners in front of Wilsonville’s bottom half. "Hopefully," says Timmerman, "that will give us a little cushion." Reach sports editor Tim Trower at 776-4479, or e-mail [email protected] Printer Friendly Version Email Story to a Friend Subscribe Archive: Click to Search M Mail Tribune Home Local News | Sports | Business | Obituaries | Life Opinion - Politics | AP News | Archives | Site Map E Southern Oregon | Classified Copyright 1997-2002 Mail Tribune. All rights reserved. Privacy Policy web master feedback A D V E R T I S E R S