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County Cross Country Championships open to all

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By BILL WARD

wward@tampatrib.com

Published: October 27, 2009

In one of the area's few high school sporting events where both public and private schools compete against one another for the same title, the Hillsborough County Cross Country Championships will be staged today at Lake Park in North Tampa.

In just about every other sport, something seems to get in the way of this all-comers contest. Often, it's the simple fact that private schools usually have a smaller student population and therefore compete in smaller classifications. But in this rare setting, a true county championship takes place for the team and individual crowns.

"It's a great thing to have everyone there in one race because otherwise someone could say, 'Yea, but ...,'" Plant coach Mike Boza said. "I really don't know if another county has something like this, especially a county our size."

With 27 public and 11 private schools entered, the race for the team titles should be interesting. The public schools also will compete for Western Conference titles in the American, Federal and National divisions.

For the overall championship, Plant is the boys favorite but Chamberlain had a great performance at the recent Pre-State Invitational to beat the Panthers. Berkeley Prep, Newsome, Jesuit and Robinson also should figure into the mix. Plant's girls also are favored to win, but longtime rivals Wharton and Newsome are solid, as are the Academy of the Holy Names and King.

The defending team champions are Jesuit (boys) and Wharton (girls). Action begins today at 4:30 p.m. with junior varsity races, followed by varsity events at 5:30. Parking will be limited so fans and competitors are encouraged to arrive early.

WILKINS RACING: One of the more interesting story lines today should be the return of Plant standout Trenor Wilkins. An all-state performer last fall, Wilkins was sidelined early this season with stress fractures in both lower legs. He has worked hard to maintain fitness with swimming and "aqua jogging" and recently returned to running every other day.

Wilkins is now so fit that he is expected to not only run today's county championships, but also contend for one of the top spots on the Panthers' varsity roster.

Meanwhile, another Panthers star, defending county champion Kayla Kennedy, also is planning to run today. But she is coming off recent arthroscopic knee surgery and says she only plans to jog the race, and possibly pick up the pace near the end. But like Wilkins, she hopes to be a factor in the postseason.

DISTRICTS NEXT: After the county championships, teams will turn their attention to district competition. Those meets begin next week at various sites.

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