Tri State
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Lessons learned; Hampshire holds lead on flats, downhills
By Kevin Spradlin
Tristaterunnur.com
KINGWOOD, W.Va. – Before the start of the boys varsity race of the Mountaintop Combo at Preston High School on Saturday, Jefferson senior Cory Hampshire was told – time and again – that North Marion standout Zach Tennant was the one to beat.
Turns out, perception isn’t everything. Hampshire, the red-haired Cougar, hung tough with Tennant through a fast first mile and took his second – and final – lead with about 900 meters remaining. Hampshire stopped the clock on the challenging, hilly course in 16 minutes, 17.44 seconds, only 4.44 seconds off the course record set in 2005 by Eleanor Roosevelt’s Mikias Gelagle. Tennant was second in 16:32.75. The two came in as the top-ranked Class AAA runners in the state, only in reverse order.
By Kevin Spradlin
Tristaterunnur.com
KINGWOOD, W.Va. – Before the start of the boys varsity race of the Mountaintop Combo at Preston High School on Saturday, Jefferson senior Cory Hampshire was told – time and again – that North Marion standout Zach Tennant was the one to beat.
Turns out, perception isn’t everything. Hampshire, the red-haired Cougar, hung tough with Tennant through a fast first mile and took his second – and final – lead with about 900 meters remaining. Hampshire stopped the clock on the challenging, hilly course in 16 minutes, 17.44 seconds, only 4.44 seconds off the course record set in 2005 by Eleanor Roosevelt’s Mikias Gelagle. Tennant was second in 16:32.75. The two came in as the top-ranked Class AAA runners in the state, only in reverse order.
David Ciarolla of Fairmont Senior was third in 16:44.31 while Preston senior Craig Pritt was fourth in 16:50.12 on his home course. Morgantown sophomore Cody Pelliccioni rounded out the top five in 17:03.88.
Jefferson won the boys title with 104 points. Wheeling Park tied with Fauquier with 133 points but Wheeling Park earned second place among the 20 complete teams by virtue of its sixth-place runner, junior Jason Bennett (19:55.8). Preston (149) was fourth and St. Albans (170) was fifth.
Hampshire also is often told he’s a pretty good uphill runner. Lucky for him, that observation held true.
“The first mile was way too fast,” said Hampshire, who crossed the first 5,280 feet in about 4:40 – two seconds behind Tennant. “Well, I’m the type of person that goes out fast … but the second mile was rough.”
For Hampshire, it was a homecoming of sorts that almost went awry. The second mile features the wooded Hillacious hill and, upon exiting that not-so-memorable venture, get to traverse Slaughterhouse Hill near the start of the final mile.
Other than Tennant’s early lead, the race was anything but predictable. Hampshire took a lead shortly thereafter and held on for a few minutes. Coming off Hillacious, it was, surprisingly, Tennant in the lead.
“I tried to get away from him on the hills,” Hampshire said. “He actually passed me (on Hillacious). He put a 4-5 second gap on me. He had me worried there for a little bit.”
While Hampshire was having his doubts, Tennant was battling his own set of problems. Fatigue had started to set in. Tennant admitted after the race he hadn’t been sleeping well this week due to senior-related responsibilities, including an all-important college visit this weekend.
Going in, “I felt pretty confident,” Tennant said. “I felt fine. Other people were telling me I looked bad to begin with. After the mile, it hit me. It was not good.”
That’s about the time Hampshire made his move. And Tennant, normally one who powers down hills with a long stride, was unable to keep with Hampshire’s pace.
“It was hard to get my breath(ing) consistent,” Tennant said. “A couple of runs this week, I felt really crappy. I also wasn’t getting enough sleep. I usually pass so many people going down hill. It kind of hit me: ‘I don’t feel right.’”
Tennant, who has run to victory in every other race in this fall campaign, was able to put the race in perspective afterward.
“I almost think it’s a good thing that this happened,” said the aspiring coach. “I needed a reality check.”
His goals remain “huge” – he plans to earn only the third-ever spot by a West Virginia prep harrier to the Footlocker Cross Country Nationals in San Diego this fall. Before Saturday, he talked with West Virginia University Coach Sean Cleary.
“He told me to stay as stress-free as possible,” Tennant said. “I’m far from stress-free.”
Jefferson won the boys title with 104 points. Wheeling Park tied with Fauquier with 133 points but Wheeling Park earned second place among the 20 complete teams by virtue of its sixth-place runner, junior Jason Bennett (19:55.8). Preston (149) was fourth and St. Albans (170) was fifth.
Hampshire also is often told he’s a pretty good uphill runner. Lucky for him, that observation held true.
“The first mile was way too fast,” said Hampshire, who crossed the first 5,280 feet in about 4:40 – two seconds behind Tennant. “Well, I’m the type of person that goes out fast … but the second mile was rough.”
For Hampshire, it was a homecoming of sorts that almost went awry. The second mile features the wooded Hillacious hill and, upon exiting that not-so-memorable venture, get to traverse Slaughterhouse Hill near the start of the final mile.
Other than Tennant’s early lead, the race was anything but predictable. Hampshire took a lead shortly thereafter and held on for a few minutes. Coming off Hillacious, it was, surprisingly, Tennant in the lead.
“I tried to get away from him on the hills,” Hampshire said. “He actually passed me (on Hillacious). He put a 4-5 second gap on me. He had me worried there for a little bit.”
While Hampshire was having his doubts, Tennant was battling his own set of problems. Fatigue had started to set in. Tennant admitted after the race he hadn’t been sleeping well this week due to senior-related responsibilities, including an all-important college visit this weekend.
Going in, “I felt pretty confident,” Tennant said. “I felt fine. Other people were telling me I looked bad to begin with. After the mile, it hit me. It was not good.”
That’s about the time Hampshire made his move. And Tennant, normally one who powers down hills with a long stride, was unable to keep with Hampshire’s pace.
“It was hard to get my breath(ing) consistent,” Tennant said. “A couple of runs this week, I felt really crappy. I also wasn’t getting enough sleep. I usually pass so many people going down hill. It kind of hit me: ‘I don’t feel right.’”
Tennant, who has run to victory in every other race in this fall campaign, was able to put the race in perspective afterward.
“I almost think it’s a good thing that this happened,” said the aspiring coach. “I needed a reality check.”
His goals remain “huge” – he plans to earn only the third-ever spot by a West Virginia prep harrier to the Footlocker Cross Country Nationals in San Diego this fall. Before Saturday, he talked with West Virginia University Coach Sean Cleary.
“He told me to stay as stress-free as possible,” Tennant said. “I’m far from stress-free.”
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