Southridge's Gonzales in it to win it

KENNEWICK -- On this day two years ago, Andrew Gonzales was feeling the butterflies.

A promising runner but still young, the Southridge sophomore was coming off a seventh-place showing at regionals and was a day away from his first state meet ... his first big meet.

"I didn't want to choke," Gonzales recalled. "My family was there, my friends were watching me.

"I was one of the new guys coming to a new school. I thought maybe I'd be top 12, get a medal."

Instead, the nerves, the intimidation of competing against established runners kept Gonzales from getting off to a good start, left him scrambling to emerge from a mass of knees and elbows and gave him a 30th-place showing for his effort.

Two years later, Gonzales has gone from unknown to favorite, a decent bet to become just the third runner from the Tri-Cities to win a state cross country title. And just days away from his final run at state, he doesn't sound anything like the kid he was then.

"I know I can ... take the title," he said. "There are five guys I'm going to be competing with, and I've beaten four of those five guys. And I'm looking forward to a good race with him."

Him, the fifth guy, is Shane Moskowitz of Central Kitsap, the one major contender in Saturday's 4A boys race whom Gonzales has never seen, never run against and never beaten.

The others -- Julian-Blake Cowan of Auburn Riverside, Conner Peloquin of Gig Harbor, Kevin Rosaaen of Wilson and a few more who could play the darkhorse at Sun Willows Golf Course -- Gonzales has taken down. Cowan and Peloquin he beat by nearly 9 seconds at Sunfair; Rosaaen by 18 seconds when Gonzales set the 2-mile Bellarmine Prep meet record.

Gonzales' strategy for his final state race won't change from how he's run in the two years since his first: "I don't like to sit back. I'm going to go out in front, be confident, and I know I can win it.

"I know for sure I will not be nervous. The one thing I learned this year is to control my nerves."

He learned that at the Stanford Invite matched against some of the top runners on the West Coast. Gonzales finished sixth, a strong showing by any standard ... except his.

He finished seven seconds behind Peloquin, who was fourth, and eight seconds ahead of Mead's Jordan Baker, who was eighth.

Gonzales talked about again being a little intimidated at the line, wondering if he should take the lead against a field far tougher than a state meet. Too late he figured out he wasn't in over his head.

A week later at Sunfair, Gonzales cruised to the win over Peloquin. Last weekend at regionals, he won by 14 seconds and finished 24 seconds ahead of Baker.

All a matter of confidence, said his coach, Jamie Monroe.

"Sometimes if you expect someone to win a race, they just do it," Monroe said. "He has the added pressure that a lot of people expect him to do it."

With good reason. Gonzales finished fourth in the 3A state race last year. The only returner from last year he's run against and not beaten is North Central's Andrew Kimpel, a good friend and -- more important -- a competitor in another race. NC, the top-ranked team in the nation, is vying for its third straight 3A state title, while Gonzales will be running in the 4A race.

"Come Saturday, his goal is to have the fastest time of the day," Monroe said. "As fresh as he's been, I can't see him not competing all the way to the finish line."

So what would a state title mean to the oldest son of Vicky and Angel Gonzales (his brother Adrian is 16, and Angel III is 8)?

"It's just something if -- I'm not going to say if -- winning is going to mean so much to me and everyone," Andrew said.

To hear him tell it, second might as well be 30th again.

"It's true," he said. "You win it or you don't. I'm not trying to sound cocky, but I'm confident.

"Moskowitz is saying the same thing. He's my competition, and I'm his competition. We both have a shot at the title. Who has the most guts to go out there and win that title? You don't do all that training for second."