Cross country 2A rankings (as of 9/ 27)
Boys — 1. Sehome, 2. Sequim, 3. Lindbergh, 4. Liberty-Issaquah, 5. Cedarcrest, 6. Ellensburg, 7. Bellingham, 8. West Valley-Spokane, 9. Renton, 10. Tumwater. Others: Selah, Anacortes, East Valley-Spokane
Girls — 1. Liberty-Issaquah, 2. Sehome, 3. Bellingham, 4. Ephrata, 5. Anacortes, 6. Cedarcrest, 7. Tumwater, 8. Selah, 9. Pullman, 10. Cheney. Others: Ellensburg, Steilacoom
Sequim Gazette staff
Sequim’s boys put on another dominating effort while the Wolves’ girls fended off a resurgent Kingston squad.
Sequim’s cross country teams earned a double sweep as both squads improved on 6-0 on the season, knocking off Klahowya and host Kingston on Sept. 30.
On the boys’ side, Sequim’s Jackson Oliver edged fellow senior Brendon Despain by two-tenths of a second for top honors (16:00 and 16:00.2), SHS freshman Ash Francis was fourth with a 16:16 finish, and Sequim seniors Chris Jeffko (16:49) and C.J. Daniels (17:00) went sixth and seventh. The Wolves tallied 20 team points to out-pace Kingston (37) and Klahowya (81).
“Chris and C.J., they know they have to get a little faster and they’re working on it,” Sequim coach Harold Huff said. “I’m not concerned yet. (Chris) has a way of peaking just right.”
Kingston senior Alexander Winn was the top non-Wolf with a fourth-place finish, in 16:08.
The girls race was a much closer contest — thanks to a slew of new Buc runners — but Sequim prevailed with a four-point win (33-37).
Leading the way once again was SHS senior Waverly Shreffler, whose 19:55 finish beat the field by one minute, 15 seconds.
Sequim’s Audrey Shingleton (21:44) edged teammate Kiara Pierson by about six-tenths of a second for fifth place.
“She (Pierson) is running really strong — she’s a tough competitor,” Huff said.
Sequim’s Elizabeth Rosales (22:21), Emily Webb (23:30) and Alexis Cromer (23:34) took 10th, 11th and 12th, respectively.
“We’re still looking for a fifth girl to pick it up,” Huff said, eyeing the Olympic League and West Central District meets.
Kingston, who finished fifth at the 2014 Olympic League meet (Sequim was second), has cut the gap between the two schools, and quickly. On Sept. 30, six of their top eight runners were freshmen. Leading the charge was frosh Claire Larson, who placed second behind Shreffler.
Huff said Kingston’s girls team may be the one to beat at the league meet, set for Oct. 22 at Sequim’s The Cedars at Dungeness golf course.
“It’s a pretty tight team; they’re going to get five across (quickly),” he said. “We’ll see if somebody steps up.”
Showdown in PT
While Sequim’s boys — ranked No. 2 in the state cross country 2A coaches poll — look to complete another unbeaten season Oct. 7 as they take on Port Angeles and host Port Townsend, Sequim’s girls look to knock off the Roughriders, a team they placed second behind at last season’s league final.
Sophomore Gracie Long, the defending district champ and one of the top runners in the state, leads the way for Port Angeles.
Huff said he’s curious to see how Shreffler, Sequim’s top runner, matches up with Long.
The Wolves were slated to run at the Nike Hole in the Wall Invitational in Lakewood on Oct. 10, but the squad decided to skip the non-league event.
“We basically all agreed we’d be better off doing a hard training run (instead of) being on the road all day,” Huff said.
Top teams from the Oct. 22 league meet advance to the Oct. 31 Westside Classic district meet at American Lake Veterans Golf Course in Tacoma. The top five 2A girls teams and top six 2A boys teams advance to the state 2A meet, set for Nov. 7 in Pasco.
Huff said Lindbergh, who finished third at last year’s district meet and fifth at state, will present a tough challenge for Sequim’s boys at this year’s district meet, even as Sequim eyes a rematch at state with defending 2A champ Sehome.
“Both those schools are running some really good times,” Huff said. “For (Sequim) to win at districts and state, they’re going to have to be on top of their game.”
