Document text
Edwards, Dobons claim 4A running crowns By GREG STILES EUGENE -- Southern Oregon's dynamic duo of Ian Dobson and Paris Edwards shined brightly on a surprisingly sunny day at the Class 4A state cross country meet. Dobson led Klamath Union to an upset of defending boys champion Bend, while Edwards paced the Ashland girls to second place -- the Grizzlies' best performance since a 1992 runner-up finish. "They came out and ran as hard they could today," said Ashland assistant coach Kate Brandy. "You could see the conviction on their faces. When I saw that, I knew they would do as well as they did today." Edwards, whose previous two bids to win state came up short, left all doubt and her competition far behind in covering the 5,000-meter course in 18 minutes, 49 seconds. Klamath Union's Liz Lindgren was nine seconds behind in 18:58, while Jesuit's Laura Harmon was clocked in 19:03. Crater senior Janelle Goeres was 10th in 19:43. Jesuit, ranked among the top-10 programs in the nation by Harrier Magazine, won its second straight title with 52 points. Ashland scored 99, Grant 128 and Mountain View 138. Southern Oregon Conference runner-up Crater was 13th. Edwards stormed up the hill and took command less than 400 meters into the race. "I'm in the best shape of my life, and I was going out hard," said Edwards, who finished second in 1997 and third in 1998. "I knew I'd have some competition early, but I was confident today. The past couple of years were a really big learning experience. "I wouldn't say I've put in extra time, but I've run with a lot more dedication and put a lot of heart into what I do." For Ashland, senior Anita Sindelar finished 15th (19:55), junior Jessica Stowell was 27th (20:32), junior Drew Larson 32nd (20:37) and sophomore Kelly Bishop clinched Ashland's trophy, finishing 53rd (21:07). Edwards said that with all but Sindelar coming back next year, it's not unreasonable to think about winning a team championship as well. Klamath's Lindgren made it a 1-2 finish for the SOC. "Paris is such a great runner that she's been intimidating," Lindgren said. "It definitely made me faster. It's easier to focus on someone than if you're trying to pace yourself." Crater's Goeres capped a fine senior season by exceeding her expectations. "I was very surprised and happy," Goeres said. "Actually, I was just hoping to finish in the top 20. I just kind of kept passing people in front of me and the Lord was with me all way telling me to `Keep going, keep going."' In the boys team race, Klamath Union scored 42 points to Bend's 48. Defending state boys champion Bend returned everyone from last year and even added a transfer from Pacific -- Lane Neely, who placed sixth. But Klamath Union's boys continually cut the gap on the Lava Bears. "There's been a rivalry between us all year," said Klamath coach Marnie Mason-Johnson. "The kids believed in themselves, were well prepared and it couldn't have been any better. They beat us by 20 at Stanford, and by one at the Lava Bear Classic." Bend was ranked among the top programs in the country by Harrier Magazine but couldn't prove it championship day. "Rankings make for healthy competition," Mason-Johnson said. "But they don't decide championships; races like this do. This is great for us." The Pels had four runners in the top 11. Dobson was clocked in 15:38 -- the fastest finish since Klamath Union's Tracy Garrison covered the course in 15:36.5 in 1983. Sophomore Jacob Gomez was eighth (16:17), freshman Lauren Jespersen 10th (16:29) and senior Evan Garich was 11th (16:33). Junior Jimmy Addison wrapped up the win with a 16th-place finish (16:39). South Medford senior Perry Custance placed fourth in 16:03. Last year, Custance finished 13th after tripping early in the race and getting trampled. "The start wasn't terribly fast," Custance said of this year's race. "The runners were a lot less aggressive." Custance ran between eighth and ninth place until he started picking up the pace coming out of a pond loop with about 500 meters to go. "I wish I would've started my surge a little earlier, back by the baseball field, with a half-mile to go," he said. Today's Sports Index Mail Tribune Copyright� The Mail Tribune 1999, Medford, OR U.S.A.