| Northwest Region
Regional Meet: November 15, 2008 at Boise ID
Oregon - Washington - Idaho - Montana - Alaska - Hawaii
Two teams and five individuals per gender will qualify for NXN national finals December 6, 2008 at Portland OR. |
Results - Photo Gallery
Boys Championship: Howard wins at the right time
Boys Story by Dave Devine, DyeStat Senior editor
Photos by Robert Rosenberg
 A year ago at the NXN Northwest Regional, North Central XC senior Jeff Howard (left) was in last place after the first 400 meters of the boys championship race, victim of a tumble that left him 124th out of 124 runners.
This year, with 100 meters remaining in the 2008 regional qualifier, he was fighting for the win.
Howard was reluctant to be considered a hero in 2007—after battling all the way back to 23rd place and saving North Central’s bid to the national finals in Portland (where they eventually finished sixth)—and he was even less of a chest-thumper after his stirring stretch drive on local favorite Barak Watson gave his US#1 team a single point start to the scoring.
“It's my job, every race,” the career backup man said, “to cover for Andy [Kimpel] if he’s not feeling it. All year I’ve been trying to close the gap between us, and I think today he just wasn’t fully recovered from that flu. I just did my job.”
Pre-race favorite and North Central #1 runner, Andrew Kimpel, was fighting his way back from a flu that had laid him low in the days preceding the Washington state meet, and was simply trying to hold form in the final mile of Saturday’s competition. Howard stepped up and ran down Watson, who’d surged ahead after a sharp turn on the course’s Poplar Lane near the end of the race.
“I beat Watson by ten seconds at Firman,” Howard recalled, “so I had a little confidence there. When I turned the corner I could see he just didn’t have that spark, he kind of looked a little rubber-legged, so I figured I might as well give this a shot, even though I’m not a kicker.”
Watson, the recent Idaho 3A state champion, hit the long homestretch with substantial daylight on Howard and Kimpel, and the vocal support of the home crowd urging him on. With 100 meters to go, he figured the race was his to lose.
“Right then I was thinking, ‘Okay, I think I’ve got this,’” he said, “but I knew people would be coming for me so I had to go. And then, about ten feet from the finish, I looked up to check my time and that’s when he slipped past.”
 Howard staged a dogged stretch run which carried him past Watson in the final stride (right).
“I still thought I might have won,” Watson said. “I couldn’t tell, but I thought I might have taken him.”
In the end, a video review confirmed that Howard eked out a 15:27.0 to 15:27.2 victory.
Washington’s Kevin Rosaaen got up for third as Kimpel willed his own rubbery legs down the rutted final straight for a fourth place finish, second in team scoring as both Watson and Rosaaen were competing unattached.
Asked whether Kimpel mentioned before the race that he wasn’t feeling a hundred percent, Howard shook his head and instead referred to the familiarity between teammates that develops through years and miles of racing together.
“I just kind of sensed it. Usually, he doesn’t let anyone get any gap, but when Barak [Watson] and Elliot [Jantzer] went back in the woods there, he kind of allowed a little gap, so I was like, ‘Well, I better go with them.”
First time win for Howard
North Central coach Jon Knight was quick to point out a stunning fact, given the level of the race and the poise Howard displayed in claiming the title.
“This is the first cross country race Jeff’s ever won. Ever. He’s always been behind Andy and Leon [Dean].”
By Howard’s own admission, Kimpel and Dean were major contributors to his breakthrough. Their summer work ethic rubbed off on their less diligent teammate.
“Every summer before this summer,” Howard said, “I’ve been what our coach calls a ‘pud.’ Kind of a slacker. The most I did before this summer was 30 miles a week, and this past summer I did 55. So that gave me a good base. Without that base, I don’t think I’d be doing as well this year. Pretty much it’s just been training. Starting to do what Leon and Andy do.”
 With Howard’s single-point starter, Kimpel’s fourth (15:33), and a 9-13 finish from Dean (15:49) and #4 man Ben Johnston (15:54), North Central XC pushed four across before any other team’s second, eventually recording 42 points for a comfortable win over runner-up Crusader Harriers (Jesuit OR), who tallied 116. The Harriers were led by (left) Ben Demaree in 24th (16:10) and Christian Burger in 25th (16:10), but their 11-second spread from the Oregon 6A meet expanded to 24 seconds in the more elite and densely populated field. Their second-place finish still punched their ticket to the Nike Cross Nationals and capped an outstanding day for the Portland OR high school, which included a win in the girls championship race, a win in the boys open race, and a runner-up showing in the girls open race.
Individuals move on
This year the Northwest qualifier also had an individual component for the first time, with the top five individuals not competing for a qualifying team also earning berths to the Portland final. That addition gave the battles unfolding in the homestretch extra drama, as every position took on deeper meaning.
Washington’s Rosaaen was one runner who capitalized on the opportunity with his third place showing. Tagged as a Northwest favorite at the beginning of the season, Rosaaen was sixth in a Washington 4A state meet he’d been favored at one point to win. The chance to race a week later in Boise for a national qualifier gave him a welcome shot at redemption.
“I was a lot more confident coming into this,” he said after the race. “I was a lot less stressed out than I’ve been the last couple of meets. I just wanted to go out and have a good time…it felt really good, I was happy with how I ran.”
Behind Rosaaen, Cody Helbling ID (5th 15:34), Elliot Jantzer OR (6th 15:39) and Drew O'Donoghue-McDonald WA (7th 15:41) were nailing down the other automatic invites to NXN Finals.
O'Donoghue-McDonald’s Blue Train (Seattle Prep WA) squad was third in team scoring with 163 points, so if they are offered an at-large bid to the Portland race (4 are extended nationwide after the last NXN Regional meet has been contested on November 29), then 8th place runner Conor Peloquin (Gig XC WA) would receive the individual invitation. The invites could also extend deeper into the field if any of the initial five elect to race instead at the Foot Locker West regional qualifying race, scheduled the same day as the NXN Final.
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North Central XC WA poses with their trophy and 2008 Olympian Nick Symmonds - Photo by Robert Rosenberg
Results
Nike Cross Northwest Regional
Eagle Island State Park, Boise, ID
Last Completed Event
Event 6 Boys 5k Run CC Championship
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Name Year School Avg Mile Finals Points
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1 #476 Jeff Howard 09 North Centra 4:58.4 15:27.0 1
2 #708 Barak Watson 09 Una-Id-Nampa-Watson 4:58.4 15:27.2
3 #752 Kevin Rosaaen 09 Una-Wa-Fircr 4:59.8 15:31.3
4 #478 Andrew Kimpel 09 North Centra 5:00.3 15:33.1 2
5 #485 Cody Helbling 10 North Idaho LC 5:00.8 15:34.4
6 #733 Elliot Jantzer 09 Una-Or-Ashla 5:02.3 15:39.3
7 #54 Drew O'Donoghue-McD 10 Blue Train 5:02.9 15:41.0 3
8 #278 Conner Peloquin 10 Gig XC Club 5:04.4 15:45.5 4
9 #475 Leon Dean 09 North Centra 5:05.4 15:48.8 5
10 #604 Andrew Gonzales 09 Southridge RC 5:06.4 15:52.0 6
11 #76 Eric Fitzpatrick 10 Boise Striders 5:06.7 15:52.7 7
12 #681 Drew Jordan 10 Tornado TC 5:06.8 15:53.2
13 #477 Ben Johnston 10 North Centra 5:07.2 15:54.2 8
14 #204 Zach Elliott 09 Crater Comet 5:07.4 15:55.0 9
15 #740 Nathan Mathabane 09 Una-Or-Portl 5:09.7 16:02.2
16 #382 Jordan Baker 09 Mead XC 5:10.3 16:03.9 10
17 #772 Drew Coco 09 Whitefish AC 5:10.4 16:04.3
18 #337 Sam Salus 09 Kodiak XC Club 5:10.6 16:04.8
19 #203 Josh Elliott 10 Crater Comet 5:10.7 16:05.3 11
20 #361 Trevor Thompson 10 Lindbergh RC 5:10.8 16:05.6 12
21 #601 Adam Thorne 10 South Side Harriers 5:11.7 16:08.2 13
22 #356 Matt Miland 09 Lindbergh RC 5:12.0 16:09.3 14
23 #79 Max Hardy 09 Boise Striders 5:12.2 16:09.8 15
24 #229 Ben Demaree 10 Crusader Harriers 5:12.3 16:10.1 16
25 #228 Christian Burger 09 Crusader Harriers 5:12.4 16:10.4 17
26 #616 Simon Sorenson 09 Spartans 5:12.5 16:10.7 18
27 #50 Erik Berg 09 Blue Train 5:12.6 16:11.2 19
28 #234 Andy Kiyokawa 09 Crusader Harriers 5:12.7 16:11.6 20
29 #312 R. Dallin Farnswort 12 Highland XC Club 5:13.3 16:13.3 21
30 #52 Charlie McDonald 09 Blue Train 5:13.5 16:13.9 22
31 #412 Ben Lance 09 Mill Creek XC Club 5:13.6 16:14.3 23
32 #409 Mitchell Briggs 10 Mill Creek XC Club 5:13.7 16:14.7 24
33 #116 Taylor Bean 09 Burley RC 5:14.6 16:17.3
34 #627 Peter Slauson 10 Stark Street AC 5:14.9 16:18.3 25
35 #474 Alexander Avila 10 North Centra 5:15.0 16:18.7 26
36 #235 Patrick Maag 09 Crusader Harriers 5:15.3 16:19.4 27
37 #759 David Garcia 09 Una-Wa-Seatt 5:16.0 16:21.6
38 #506 Colby Wilson 09 Preston CC Club 5:16.0 16:21.8
39 #83 Greg Montgomery 09 Boise Striders 5:16.2 16:22.4 28
40 #621 Curran Carlile 10 Stark Street AC 5:16.3 16:22.7 29
41 #742 Timothy Bradley 10 Una-Wa-Blain 5:16.4 16:22.9
42 #127 Connor Whan 10 Burlington RC 5:16.5 16:23.2 30
43 #383 Jordan Curnutt 09 Mead XC 5:16.6 16:23.6 31
44 #118 David Fillmore 09 Burley RC 5:18.4 16:29.3
45 #488 Brian Nelson 10 Nyssa XC Club 5:18.6 16:29.8
46 #720 Ryan Jaggi 10 Una-Id-Weiser-Jaggi 5:18.8 16:30.5
47 #778 Lars Lunstrum 09 Wildcat XC 5:19.1 16:31.5
48 #611 Kyle Branch 11 Spartans 5:19.3 16:32.1 32
49 #35 Eamonn Kerr-Daly 09 Axemen RC 5:19.4 16:32.4
50 #128 Tyler Williams 10 Burlington RC 5:19.8 16:33.6 33
51 #683 Evan Fiske 10 Tri-Cities L 5:19.9 16:33.9 34
52 #647 Kelton Sears 10 Tahoma XC RC 5:20.0 16:34.2 35
53 #236 Willie Milam 10 Crusader Harriers 5:20.1 16:34.5 36
54 #415 Sean Roe 11 Mill Creek XC Club 5:20.3 16:34.9 37
55 #465 Cory Ytsma 09 Mountain Vie 5:20.4 16:35.3 38
56 #694 Drew Povey 09 Una-Id-Clift 5:21.2 16:37.8
57 #473 Casey Adams 11 North Centra 5:21.3 16:38.2 39
58 #269 Chris Adgar-Beal 09 Gig XC Club 5:21.7 16:39.4 40
59 #594 Timothy Colliton 11 South Side Harriers 5:21.8 16:39.7 41
60 #249 Ian Birch 09 Donnelley Sports RC 5:22.0 16:40.3
61 #682 Anthony Armstrong 12 Tri-Cities L 5:22.1 16:40.5 42
62 #732 Jager Warner 10 Una-Mt-Towns 5:22.2 16:40.8
63 #574 Clinton Overman 09 Sehome XC RC 5:22.3 16:41.1 43
64 #413 Ian McLeod 09 Mill Creek XC Club 5:22.7 16:42.6 44
65 #600 Alemayhu Kimsey 12 South Side Harriers 5:23.1 16:43.8 45
66 #641 Casey Campbell 10 Tahoma XC RC 5:23.4 16:44.6 46
67 #570 Scott Carlyle 11 Sehome XC RC 5:23.6 16:45.4 47
68 #358 Joseph Patti 09 Lindbergh RC 5:24.7 16:48.8 48
69 #628 Samot Turina 09 Stark Street AC 5:24.8 16:49.1 49
70 #385 Eric Foss 09 Mead XC 5:24.9 16:49.3 50
71 #51 Adam Eckmann 09 Blue Train 5:25.0 16:49.7 51
72 #414 Blake Nelson 12 Mill Creek XC Club 5:25.2 16:50.3 52
73 #276 Spencer Payne 10 Gig XC Club 5:25.4 16:50.9 53
74 #384 Cory Foss 10 Mead XC 5:25.8 16:52.0 54
75 #237 Winston Neville 09 Crusader Harriers 5:25.9 16:52.3 55
76 #157 Alex Emberlin 09 Club 185 Striders 5:26.1 16:53.0
77 #251 Ander Jayo 09 Donnelley Sports RC 5:26.2 16:53.2
78 #718 Kasey Meyers 10 Una-Id-Soda_ 5:26.3 16:53.8
79 #311 Tommy Bollinger 09 Highland XC Club 5:26.6 16:54.7 56
80 #603 Colby Cravens 10 Southridge RC 5:26.9 16:55.4 57
81 #238 Dalton Petursson 09 Crusader Harriers 5:27.0 16:56.0 58
82 #200 Jon Bryant 09 Crater Comet 5:27.5 16:57.5 59
83 #206 Kade Jensen 10 Crater Comet 5:27.6 16:57.7 60
84 #645 Phil Lussier 09 Tahoma XC RC 5:28.1 16:59.2 61
85 #642 Jimmy Creek 09 Tahoma XC RC 5:28.2 16:59.6 62
86 #605 Quinton Olivas 10 Southridge RC 5:29.5 17:03.5 63
87 #572 Garret Dorough 09 Sehome XC RC 5:30.1 17:05.4 64
88 #575 Tyler VanDooren 09 Sehome XC RC 5:30.2 17:05.7 65
89 #745 Matthew Porter 09 Una-Wa-Brush 5:30.3 17:06.1
90 #313 Jacob Hall 10 Highland XC Club 5:30.4 17:06.5 66
91 #571 Calvin Collander 11 Sehome XC RC 5:30.5 17:06.8 67
92 #53 Sean McDonald 11 Blue Train 5:30.6 17:07.2 68
93 #597 Jeremy Gavelin 10 South Side Harriers 5:30.8 17:07.7 69
94 #731 Gavin Owens 10 Una-Mt-Towns 5:31.3 17:09.2
95 #613 Travis Lund 09 Spartans 5:31.5 17:09.9 70
96 #388 DJ Smith 09 Mead XC 5:31.6 17:10.3 71
97 #596 Perry Domini 10 South Side Harriers 5:31.7 17:10.6 72
98 #455 Kevin Miller 09 Mountain Vie 5:31.9 17:11.0 73
99 #626 Conor Roland-Chicva 09 Stark Street AC 5:32.0 17:11.4 74
100 #82 Taylor Molenaar 10 Boise Striders 5:32.2 17:11.9 75
101 #386 Steven Kutsch 09 Mead XC 5:32.2 17:12.1 76
102 #387 Jason Sams 09 Mead XC 5:32.4 17:12.6 77
103 #452 Jason Hunt 09 Mountain Vie 5:32.5 17:12.8 78
104 #210 Max Runia 11 Crater Comet 5:32.6 17:13.1 79
105 #699 Nick Pierson 09 Una-Id-Hayde 5:32.6 17:13.4
106 #21 Ryland Karlovich 09 Ashland XC Club 5:32.7 17:13.6
107 #317 Braden Tanner 11 Highland XC Club 5:32.8 17:13.8 80
108 #646 Chris Marx 10 Tahoma XC RC 5:32.9 17:14.3 81
109 #612 Mark Frerker 10 Spartans 5:33.0 17:14.6 82
110 #734 Erik Myers 09 Una-Or-Beave 5:33.1 17:14.9
111 #11 Jason Waldram 09 Aloha XC 5:33.2 17:15.1
112 #55 Brendan Ralph 09 Blue Train 5:33.3 17:15.4 83
113 #487 Dan Scott 11 North Idaho LC 5:33.4 17:15.7
114 #77 Kenton Freemuth 11 Boise Striders 5:33.5 17:16.0 84
115 #615 Ben Ressler 10 Spartans 5:33.5 17:16.1 85
116 #687 Austin Richards 12 Tri-Cities L 5:33.6 17:16.5 86
117 #618 Wasil Ahmed 11 Stark Street AC 5:33.7 17:16.7 87
118 #208 Jonathon Obeso 12 Crater Comet 5:33.9 17:17.5 88
119 #355 James Cornell 10 Lindbergh RC 5:34.1 17:17.8 89
120 #602 Justin Zimmerman 10 South Side Harriers 5:34.3 17:18.4 90
121 #479 Adam Reid 09 North Centra 5:34.7 17:19.8 91
122 #724 Shawn Whitman 10 Una-Mt-Colum 5:35.0 17:20.7
123 #418 Derek Woolsey 09 Mill Creek XC Club 5:35.1 17:21.0 92
124 #123 Alan DenAdel 10 Burlington RC 5:35.4 17:21.8 93
125 #124 Nathan Power 10 Burlington RC 5:35.6 17:22.7 94
126 #459 Cody Pugil 09 Mountain Vie 5:35.7 17:23.0 95
127 #310 Hyrum Balzer 09 Highland XC Club 5:35.9 17:23.6 96
128 #625 Scott Lee 10 Stark Street AC 5:36.0 17:24.0 97
129 #359 Nate Reitz 10 Lindbergh RC 5:36.2 17:24.4 98
130 #705 Cody Fivecoat 11 Una-Id-Middl 5:36.3 17:24.9
131 #253 Spencer Lundgren 09 Donnelley Sports RC 5:36.5 17:25.4
132 #274 Jeff Osborn 09 Gig XC Club 5:37.1 17:27.1 99
133 #360 Nate Tankecki 11 Lindbergh RC 5:37.3 17:27.7 100
134 #619 Andy Bennison 11 Stark Street AC 5:37.6 17:28.8 101
135 #735 Cole Watson 10 Una-Or-Canby-Watson 5:38.0 17:30.0
136 #410 Nathan Calacat 10 Mill Creek XC Club 5:38.1 17:30.4 102
137 #256 Dylan Day 10 Flathead Int 5:38.3 17:31.1
138 #277 Casey Peloquin 12 Gig XC Club 5:38.5 17:31.5 103
139 #688 Justin Yoke 10 Tri-Cities L 5:38.7 17:32.3 104
140 #458 Andrew Nuttall 11 Mountain Vie 5:39.1 17:33.5 105
141 #614 Mitch O'Connell 11 Spartans 5:39.4 17:34.5 106
142 #449 Joe Hartman 09 Mountain Vie 5:39.6 17:35.0 107
143 #457 Levi Nelson 11 Mountain Vie 5:40.1 17:36.6 108
144 #272 Nate Funkhouser 09 Gig XC Club 5:40.9 17:39.1 109
145 #315 Jason Lyons 09 Highland XC Club 5:41.0 17:39.4 110
146 #608 Casey Singleton 09 Southridge RC 5:41.1 17:39.7 111
147 #610 Evan Botsch 12 Spartans 5:41.7 17:41.6 112
148 #86 Joe Sandoval 09 Boise Striders 5:41.9 17:42.0 113
149 #643 Wiley Duerson 10 Tahoma XC RC 5:42.5 17:43.9 114
150 #609 Kyle Sturdefant 10 Southridge RC 5:42.6 17:44.2 115
151 #685 Charles Lisle 10 Tri-Cities L 5:42.9 17:45.2 116
152 #314 Chris Lyons 11 Highland XC Club 5:44.2 17:49.4 117
153 #56 JT Troup 09 Blue Train 5:44.5 17:50.1 118
154 #606 Addison Quam 11 Southridge RC 5:44.5 17:50.4 119
155 #357 Thanh Nguyen 10 Lindbergh RC 5:44.7 17:50.7 120
156 #607 Nathan Sieler 10 Southridge RC 5:44.7 17:51.0 121
157 #275 Nathan Page 09 Gig XC Club 5:45.1 17:52.2 122
158 #684 Sean Knopp 10 Tri-Cities L 5:45.4 17:52.9 123
159 #569 Stephen Bader 09 Sehome XC RC 5:46.1 17:55.1 124
160 #640 Zach Brown 09 Tahoma XC RC 5:46.9 17:57.7 125
161 #81 Christian Kincaid 09 Boise Striders 5:48.4 18:02.4 126
162 #525 Mike Fiore 09 Round Up Cit 5:49.1 18:04.4 127
163 #252 Karl Lundgren 12 Donnelley Sports RC 5:50.9 18:10.0
164 #524 Joe Baum 09 Round Up Cit 5:51.4 18:11.5 128
165 #529 Tyler Zyph 11 Round Up Cit 5:51.9 18:13.2 129
166 #122 Darion Cherberg 11 Burlington RC 5:53.4 18:17.9 130
167 #125 Daniel Sosa 10 Burlington RC 5:53.9 18:19.3 131
168 #126 Ryan Spilsbury 10 Burlington RC 5:54.4 18:21.0 132
169 #595 Scott Davis 10 South Side Harriers 5:55.9 18:25.7 133
170 #201 James Croft 09 Crater Comet 5:58.1 18:32.6 134
171 #527 Jacob Peterson 11 Round Up Cit 5:58.9 18:35.1 135
172 #526 Ryan Montgomery 12 Round Up Cit 5:59.4 18:36.5 136
173 #528 Charles Rogers 10 Round Up Cit 6:05.7 18:56.2 137
Team Scores
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Rank Team Total 1 2 3 4 5 *6 *7 *8 *9
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1 North Central XC Club 42 1 2 5 8 26 39 91
Total Time: 1:19:01.80
Average: 15:48.36
2 Crusader Harriers 116 16 17 20 27 36 55 58
Total Time: 1:21:26.00
Average: 16:17.20
3 Blue Train 163 3 19 22 51 68 83 118
Total Time: 1:22:03.00
Average: 16:24.60
4 Mill Creek XC Club 180 23 24 37 44 52 92 102
Total Time: 1:22:36.80
Average: 16:31.36
5 Boise Striders 209 7 15 28 75 84 113 126
Total Time: 1:22:52.80
Average: 16:34.56
6 Mead XC 216 10 31 50 54 71 76 77
Total Time: 1:23:19.10
Average: 16:39.82
7 Crater Comet XC Club 218 9 11 59 60 79 88 134
Total Time: 1:23:08.60
Average: 16:37.72
8 South Side Harriers 240 13 41 45 69 72 90 133
Total Time: 1:23:50.00
Average: 16:46.00
9 Lindbergh RC 261 12 14 48 89 98 100 120
Total Time: 1:23:45.90
Average: 16:45.18
10 Stark Street AC 264 25 29 49 74 87 97 101
Total Time: 1:23:58.20
Average: 16:47.64
11 Tahoma XC RC 285 35 46 61 62 81 114 125
Total Time: 1:24:31.90
Average: 16:54.38
12 Sehome XC RC 286 43 47 64 65 67 124
Total Time: 1:24:44.40
Average: 16:56.88
13 Spartans 287 18 32 70 82 85 106 112
Total Time: 1:24:23.40
Average: 16:52.68
14 Gig XC Club 299 4 40 53 99 103 109 122
Total Time: 1:24:14.40
Average: 16:50.88
15 Highland XC Club 319 21 56 66 80 96 110 117
Total Time: 1:24:51.90
Average: 16:58.38
16 Southridge RC 352 6 57 63 111 115 119 121
Total Time: 1:25:14.80
Average: 17:02.96
17 Burlington RC 380 30 33 93 94 130 131 132
Total Time: 1:25:59.20
Average: 17:11.84
18 Tri-Cities Lightning 382 34 42 86 104 116 123
Total Time: 1:25:48.40
Average: 17:09.68
19 Mountain View Xc/ Idaho 389 38 73 78 95 105 107 108
Total Time: 1:25:55.60
Average: 17:11.12
20 Round Up City Racers 655 127 128 129 135 136 137
Total Time: 1:31:40.70
Average: 18:20.14
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