The boys ran well but fell short of our goal,” shared Pace Varsity Boy’s Cross Country Coach Scott Denny. “ I was still so proud of them.”
Pace High Boy’s Cross Country team may only compete in their high school cross-country competitions three months of a year but they keep a goal established all 12 months of a year. “Our goal next season is to make it to the State Championship especially with five of the top runners returning,” continued Denny.
The Patriots who had not qualified a boy’s team for the State level of competition since 1988 wanted this to be their year to make Patriot history, and it was. They won the ESCAROSA Championship and were the repeat 3A District 1 Champions.
They finished sixth at the Region 3A Region 1 competition which qualified their team, not just solo competitors, but their top seven athletes to run at the State level. It had been 25 years since a boy’s team coached by Frank Lay achieved as much as the 2014 team did.
Out of 24 teams the Patriots finished as the 21st place team. “Our goal was to be at least in 15th place,” Denny continued. “The boys were dedicated and determined to make some new history this season.”
Senior Andrew Parrish led the Patriots with a 17:25 finish time.
Individual State finishes:
Andrew Parrish 17:25, Nathan Andero 17:33, Andrew Hand 17:48, Logan Brabham 17:54, Andrew Payne 17:58, Jacob Hartley 17:59 and Logan Franklin 18:57.
This article originally appeared on Santa Rosa Press Gazette: Pace pursues State dream