Friday, Nov. 14, 2008

Marcus, FM Boys Race to State

Cross Country Journal

By Zach Warner

Staff Writer

The finish for the Marcus boys cross country team at the 5A Region I race in Lubbock last weekend must have come with a certain deja vu.

After all, a victory came down to fending off its next closest competitors, which just so happened to be the same two teams trailing the Marauders the week before at the District 6-5A meet.

With its first-place performance at the regional meet on Nov. 8, Marcus proved it’s not only the top team in a talent-packed district, but the best in the region as well. The Marauders won with 64 points, just ahead of second-place Carroll (71) and Flower Mound (122), as all three qualify for the 5A state meet at 1:40 p.m. Saturday at Old Settler’s Park in Round Rock.

"It was great, because they set a goal to win it and they went out and did that," said Marcus coach Steve Telaneus, whose boys return for the second year in a row and sixth time since 2001. The Marcus boys were led by sophomore Craig Lutz, who finished first individually with a time of 14 minutes, 59 seconds. Brad Mazur also finished in the top 10, coming in eighth at 15:50.9.

With a strong cast, Lutz has been a constant that has helped drive the Marauders to state, Telaneus said.

"Every team has a desire to have a strong runner to lead the way," he said. "There’s a lot of pressure to be that kid. ... To see what he’s done through his hard work, that breeds confidence and becomes contagious for the rest of the team."

The Flower Mound boys captured the bronze at region to reach state for the fifth consecutive year. The Jaguars were led by Connor Adams, who finished fifth overall with a time of 15:45.5.

"I don’t think we had our best meet, but we made it out of there and that’s the main thing," said Flower Mound coach Andrew Cook. "[Adams] is someone who I know is going to go out and run his best."

Meanwhile, the Marcus girls finished fourth, just missing the cutoff for state. The Flower Mound girls finished eighth overall at region.

Both Marcus and Flower Mound teams have young runners that the coaches say will help continue to make them better in future years.