Preps
Cross country conference championships
PINELLAS COUNTY ATHLETIC CONFERENCE
By JOHN C. COTEY, Times Staff Writer
Published October 16, 2003
WHEN: Today; girls start at 5 p.m., boys at 5:30.
WHERE: Taylor Park, Largo.
GIRLS RACE
THE FAVORITE: St. Petersburg sophomore Kerry Allen returns to the site of her season-opening win, when she ran the 3.1-mile course in 18 minutes, 40 seconds to beat Indian Rocks Christian's Melissa Kotchman at the Largo Invitational. IRC isn't in the PCAC, removing Allen's primary competition. No county runner has come within a minute of the Green Devil, and that probably won't change today.
THE CHALLENGERS: The race for second could be interesting. Seminole's Heather Bailey has been the second-best public school runner this year and ran a 20:38 at Taylor Park. Palm Harbor University's Kerrie Savery was fourth in that race in 20:48. Bailey ran a 20:39 at the flrunners.com meet two weeks ago. Savery ran a 20:46. Other candidates are Countryside's Anna Dreschryver and Clearwater's Alex Lechner.
TEAM BATTLE: Defending champion Largo has some ground to make up if it is to win. Last year, the Warhawks chased the Packers all season, and 2003 finds the roles reversed. Seminole won 47-71 at Taylor Park, and Largo is unbeaten in the county since. Largo had a better showing at the flrunners.com meet, but Madeline Parholo didn't run for Seminole. PHU lacks depth, but Savery and Sarah Wilkerson make it a strong bet for third.
BOYS RACE
THE FAVORITE: Ken Magee set the tone at the Largo Invitational and hasn't looked back. He has the county's best time and remains a half-minute faster than his nearest competitors. Magee was second at the PCAC last year, running a 16:07, 13 seconds faster than he ran earlier this season at the Largo Invitational. He was pushed in that race, and if he is pushed today, he could put up a similar time.
THE CHALLENGERS: St. Petersburg's Clayton Hofstra admits beating Magee seems impossible, but he will take another stab at it. Hofstra finished 28 seconds behind Magee at the Hurricane Invitational in September, as close as he has come, but he is running with more confidence after winning the City meet. Teammate Tommy Nagy also will put some pressure on Magee. But outside of them, the upset possibilities appear scarce.
TEAM BATTLE: Seminole should win, but the battle for second among defending champion Largo, Lakewood and St. Petersburg will provide the most drama. And PHU isn't to be discounted either. Lakewood has improved after failing to field a full team last year and has talked about topping the Packers. Sophomore James O'Berry ran his best race at the PCAC last year. St. Petersburg's top two are better than Lakewood's, but its depth isn't. Largo will count on its depth despite not having a sure top-5 runner.
BAY CONFERENCE
WHEN: Friday; girls start at 3:30 p.m., boys at 4.
WHERE: Taylor Park, Largo.
GIRLS RACE
THE FAVORITE: IRC's Melissa Kotchman destroyed the field last year but is bothered by a bad hip and hasn't been as dominant. Even so, she is unlikely to be caught by a strong field that might make this one of the best conferences in the state. Kotchman last ran at flrunners.com and finished in 19:32 on a demanding course. The two weeks off since should help her at Taylor Park, where she went 4-0 last year.
THE CHALLENGERS: Shorecrest's Cori Morris (second at the Bay Conference in 2002) and Pavandeep Birk are as strong a 1-2 as there is in this race and always finish within a few places of each other. At last week's Disney Classic, they finished within one second of each other. They can't beat a healthy Kotchman, but they should duel for second with Berkeley Prep's Farah Elchalal.
TEAM BATTLE: This promises to be outstanding with four teams among the state's top 13 competing. Shorecrest continues to get closer to IRC. The Chargers were second to IRC at the Keswick Invitational by seven points and need improvement from the 4-5 runners. IRC is No. 6 in Class A and Shorecrest No. 7. And don't forget about Berkeley Prep, which is No. 10, and Keswick, No. 13. The race will be decided by the 4-5 runners.
BOYS RACE
THE FAVORITE: A month ago, IRC's Nathan Holden would have been an easy favorite. But Keswick senior William Werly is one of the county's hottest runners. Werly beat Holden, running a 17:19 at the Keswick Invitational. (Holden was third.). A week later, Werly had the City meet won before he pulled up short in the chute. He finished fourth at last weekend's Disney Classic in 16:50 and ran a 16:22 for second to Holden at last year's conference meet.
THE CHALLENGERS: Holden is hoping to reverse his recent string of poor outings, and doing so here would be a good start toward getting back in postseason form. He must shave at least 30 seconds off his recent times. If he can't, then teammates Mike Mayleben and Tim and Zach Rousenolous could make a charge. All finished in the top 6 last year.
TEAM BATTLE: IRC is the defending champion but beat Keswick by only 10 points last year. If Holden, the preseason No. 2-rated runner in the county, continues to struggle, the Crusaders will be ready to pounce. Easier said than done, however, as the Golden Eagles - ranked No. 4 in the state - have superior depth. Even with Holden running one of his worst races of the year at the Keswick Invitational last month, IRC still beat second-place Shorecrest by 38 and Keswick by 58. Shorecrest has a solid pack but with no standout can only hope to top Keswick for second.
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