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Jesuit Fifth In Pre-State Meet Elite Class

By BILL WARD

wward@tampatrib.com

Published: October 19, 2008

DADE CITY - Jesuit cross country coach Greg Maurin says he doesn't pay much attention to the polls that rank the state's top teams throughout the season. Sure, he knows his Tigers are No. 3 in Class 2A. He chooses not to put much emphasis on such things.
Maurin is more concerned with results. And after Saturday's Pre-State Invitational at Little Everglades Ranch, he seemed pleased with his team's development. Jesuit was fifth in the Elite division - tops among Hillsborough County squads - and had three runners in the top 35.

Two teams ranked ahead of the Tigers in the 2A poll finished first and third - Miami Belen (118 points) and Jacksonville Bishop Kenny (150), respectively - but that doesn't mean how things will turn out at next month's state meet on this same course. Jesuit, scoring 174, is clearly within striking distance of both teams.

"They Belen are not unbeatable and I like not being the favorite. It's hard being the favorite," said Maurin, whose 2007 squad was ranked No. 1 much of the season and, after several of his runners came down with the flu, wound up third at the state final. "Our main focus right now is just to stay healthy, train hard and look forward to coming back here for state."
Leading the way for Jesuit were a trio of seniors, Connor Revord (12th, 15:52), Jordan Schilit (16th) and Logan Trimble (33rd). Connor Rivard (55th) was the Tigers' No. 4 man and they were boosted by the return from injury by Ben Martin (63rd), who was their fifth and final scorer.

The county also got a strong performance from Chamberlain (267), which got personal bests from the majority of its squad to finish seventh in the Elite race. The Chiefs were paced by junior Mark Parrish (23rd) and senior Chase Nelson (24th). Plant, paced by star junior Trenor Wilkins (14th, 16:05), was ninth, and Sickles, led by senior Derek Wehunt (13th), was 16th. Wehunt pushed the pace early to lead the pack but the effects of a recent cold saw him fall back after the first mile.

In the girls Elite division, Community School of Naples was untouchable. The Seahawks' top three cracked 19 minutes (including overall winner Kathryn Fluehr at 18:01) and had all five scorers in the top 35. They totaled 65 points to beat runner-up Tallahassee Chiles by 35.

The top area girls teams were 10th-place Wharton (289) and 11th-place Newsome (327) and 12th-place Plant (345). The Wildcats got a personal-best performance by senior Alyssa Franks (19:09, 20th place). Newsome was led by 40th-place Rebecca Webster in 19:47, also a personal best. Plant's top runner was Kayla Kennedy who was 23rd in a personal-best time of 19:18. The only other area individual in the top 30 was Land O' Lakes' Alyssa Brandt (26th, 19:20).

Other area boys in the top 30 were Wharton's John Grellner (18th), Felix Soto (19th) of Land O' Lakes, Durant's John Mitchell (20th), Berkeley Prep's Tyler Greathouse (22nd), Newsome's Keegan Bixler (25th) and Robert Campbell (29th) of Plant. In the Large School boys and girls divisions, Armwood's Gilbert Vasquez was third in 16:41 and King's Hilary White seventh in 20:11.

Reporter Bill Ward can be reached at (813) 259-7456.

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