In the classroom, he’s a science teacher. But this fall, Kentridge High’s Ryan West also has become a master mathematician by crunching numbers.
And in early November at Sun Willows Golf Course in Pasco, the school’s boys cross country coach is hoping those numbers add up. Because if they do, the upstart Chargers will find themselves where no other Kentridge team before them has: Among the state’s top 10 teams.
“We really haven’t had a chance to go out and just fly. We’re going to drop more kids under 17 (minutes),” the fourth-year Kentridge coach insisted.
Why 17 minutes?
“That’s kind of the magic number,” West said.
For West and the Chargers, 17 minutes will be the indicator as to whether KR enjoys merely a strong year or a year that could make school history. Three Chargers entered the week below the 17-minute mark, led by Alex Horton, the team’s lone state participant last year.
At the Seaside 3-Course Challenge in September, Horton blistered the terrain, clocking out at 16:03. Also breaking the 17-minute barrier are Sterling Bath (16:46) and Taylor Abernathy (16:58).
After the Kentridge trifecta, there are other Chargers quickly closing in on the mark, including Grant Wilson (17:00), Alex Porter (17:02), Troy Bunker (17:08) and Neil Sherwin (17:27).
Depth has been the key this fall for the Chargers.
“Cross country is much more of a team sport than people realize,” said West, whose team’s 7-1 league mark this year is the program’s best since 1999. “That’s our big strength. We have good depth. We don’t have the big studs of Auburn Riverside and Tahoma … it’s the fact that we have … kids who run well together.”
West is hoping they run well together at the state meet, which is slated for Nov. 6. The road to that meet will begin Saturday, Oct. 23, when Kentridge competes in the South Puget Sound League meet at Fort Steilacoom Park. The top 10 teams and top 50 individuals from the league meet advance to West Central District on Oct. 30 at American Lake Golf Course in Tacoma. From there, the top eight teams and top 40 individuals earn tickets to Pasco.
If Kentridge’s numbers hold steady, the Chargers likely will nab one of those top eight slots and thus compete at state as a team for the first time since 1987.
“We want to make it to state, and looking back at the teams that have made it, they’ve (mostly) been under 17 minutes,” Horton said. “To make t would be really sweet. It would be the first time in more than 20 years.”
First, however, some times have to drop. And while cutting up to 30 seconds might seem daunting — even impossible for some — the Chargers have reason to believe.
“It’s what we’re all striving for,” said Bunker, who missed state by two places a year ago. “We’re working our butts off to get under that 17-minute mark. I think we will be able to do it.”
If the Chargers are able to get five runners under 17 minutes in time to qualify for the state meet, the potential to make an impact once on the Pasco-based course is real. Of the 16 teams that advanced to state last year, only eight boasted of having five runners under 17 minutes.
In addition, six of those state-qualifying teams had three or fewer runners below the magical 17-minute mark. That’s not to say the Chargers are ready to challenge powerhouses Mead, Ferris or even SPSL champion Auburn Riverside.
But rest assured, an uprising is taking place at Kentridge. In fact, when the dust settles on the season, this edition of the Chargers could be the most successful in the school’s 42-year history. During that span, KR has qualified for state three times as a team, but never cracked the top 10. The best finish came in 1987, when the Chargers placed 12th.
The difference, however, has been the offseason training regime of the runners, West said.
“This summer, we had a consistent 20 guys coming out three days a week,” he said. “That has taken us from being a decent district team to a contender for the state meet this year.”
And a team that, like its coach, is still trying to crunch a few numbers.
THE NORTH’S TOP 10
Below is a look at the top 10 male and female times in the SPSL North this fall.
BOYS
NAME, SCHOOL TIME
1. Kenny Krotzer, Auburn Riverside 15:42.9
2. Derrick Daigre, Kent-Meridian 15:43.67
3. Nic Lawrence, Auburn Riverside 15:57.1
4. Keefe Hanson, Auburn Riverside 15:57.5
5. Alex Horton, Kentridge 16:03
6. Jeff Miles, Auburn Riverside 16:17.8
7. Tyler Freeberg, Mount Rainier 16:20
8. James Dagley, Tahoma 16:25
9. Danny Lunder, Kentwood 16:25
10. Chase Braxmeyer, Jefferson 16:27
GIRLS
NAME, SCHOOL TIME
1. Rachel Atwood, Auburn Riverside 18:40
2. Alexia Martin, Kent-Meridian 18:59
3. Anna deCarteret, Auburn 19:27
4. Kailey Ulland, Kentwood 19:40.49
5. Julianna Mock, Tahoma 19:44
6. Sarah Robbins, Kentlake 19:52
7. Ruby Virk, Kent-Meridian 19:52.93
8. Molly Shiroishi, Kentridge 19:53
9. Elizabeth Oosterhout, Tahoma 20:04
10. Leah Kiyohara, Jefferson 20:11
A complete listings of the times across the state can be found at www.athletic.net
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