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Runners aim for zone title
For high school cross-country teams in the north, the season doesnt start in September.
You can tell if the kids have been running over the summer, College Heights Secondary coach Jeff Goodrich says. Isaac (Goodrich) and Julia (Babich) are both looking very strong so far this year, and Ariel (Gilbert) is running better than shes run before.
Goodrich finished second in the senior boys division of a race at 10 Mile Lake on Saturday, while Babich was leading the senior girls race when she was misdirected and ended up off the course.
Its better that it happened here than at the zones, Goodrich says. Our girls team looks pretty strong. Julia is one of the strongest runners in the zone.
Even without Babich, College Heights runners claimed four of the top eight spots in the senior girls race at 10 Mile Lake, with Sydney Irving fourth, Ariel Gilbert sixth, Abby Goodrich seventh and Bianca Zemliak eighth.
Sheridan MacArthur finished fourth in the junior girls race, while Kaitlyn Joyce was second in the juvenile girls event.
On the boys side, after Goodrichs second-place finish in the senior boys event, Colten Illingworth finished fourth and Thomas Cosh 11th in the same race.
Its a short season up here, Jeff Goodrich says. It always is, but this year I think we had one race fewer than normal. Im not sure what happened.
In previous years, he said, College Heights usually had more boys than girls competing, but the pendulum has swung the other way recently.
You need to have five runners for a team, so Im not sure well have an official boys team at the zones.
The zones are in Vanderhoof on Oct. 19, and the course wont be a surprise.
Weve already had one race on the same course this year, and its the same course theyve used out there the past few years, so the kids know it pretty well.
Its about a 2k course, so the girls will do two laps and the boys do three.
One thing that hasnt changed in the zone this year is a dominant runner in the senior level. What has changed is the name and division.
The girls event is wide open this year with Emma Balasz (Kelly Road) graduating. Julia has a real good chance to medal.
In previous years, the question in the senior girls division was Whos going to finish second to Ella? This year, the same question is being asked in the senior boys division.
Alexander Nemethy (of Vanderhoof) is just so strong. It is a question of wholl finish second, and I think Isaac and Colten both have good chances to medal.
Qualifiers from the zones will head to the provincial in Langley.
