Braves break through: Kamiakin dethrones 11-time champ for state title

At one point, Matt Rexus admitted he almost blew a gasket.

But he kept his cool, watched his Kamiakin boys do their thing, and finally realized the Braves had snared the Class 3A team title Saturday at the WIAA state cross country championships at Sun Willows Golf Course.

It snapped an 11-year state championship streak of North Central’s.

“This year, we didn’t really care (about it),” said Rexus.

Why not?

The other way wasn’t working.

But then the Braves beat North Central last week at regionals. Instead of setting themselves up for another potential disappointment, Rexus wanted his kids to relax.

“I told them today to run free,” he said. “You don’t need to do more than you already have.”

That, of course, didn’t apply to Rexus.

“I was stressed today,” he admitted. “Truly, in my mind, I thought we would win. But I really wanted this for the boys.”

So when he noticed his team’s top runner, senior Jonah Franco, struggling, Rexus had a cow.

“I saw Jonah fading back into the pack about midway through the race, and I started to panic,” Rexus said. “Someone told me he rolled an ankle.”

But Franco wasn’t going to let a bad ankle spoil things.

He powered back through the field and finished fourth.

“Every year we felt we had a shot, but we fell short,” said Franco, as he leaned on the reporter during the interview, favoring the rolled ankle. “We knew this was our year. And when we beat North Central at regionals last week, we felt we had a chance.”

Franco said each team member was responsible for passing two North Central runners and two Interlake runners.

“I know the North Central guys,” said Franco. “But all I knew about Interlake was that they had light blue jerseys. I remember passing a couple Interlake guys at the end.”

Right behind Franco in fifth was teammate Ryan Child. Porter Grigg crossed at 12, and Stanford Smith finished 19th. Sophomore Andrew Holladay’s 31st-place finish clinched the team title for the Braves.

It’s been a long journey for Rexus and the Braves against North Central.

In 2009, the team placed eighth after it came down with the swine flu at district; a run of second-place finishes from 2012 to 2015 – including a 14-point difference in 2014 – had them fall just short.

“Last year we were third at state,” he said. “We had to limp to the finish at state with half of the team sick or injured.”

So Saturday’s win was sweet.

“This whole program has been built on the kids who were here before,” Rexus said. “But our kids wanted to do this for all of the boys before them that got so close. I thought that was special, because they were not doing it for themselves.”

North Central coach Jon Knight was humble in the loss.

“As our friend Cicero pointed out a thousand years or so back then, ‘When you aim for the top, there is no shame in finishing second or third,’ ” said Knight. “Matt Rexus is a darn good friend. And if I had to hand the trophy off to someone, I’m glad it was him.”

Knight was also proud of his kids.

“It had to happen sometime,” he said. “The guys handled themselves really well.”

Kennewick’s Johan Correa placed eighth.

On the girls’ side, North Central sophomore Erinn Hill won the individual title with a time of 17:55.3, and she helped lead the Indians to the team title with 42 points.

Kennewick’s Geraldine Correa was 12th, while Kamiakin’s McKinzie Teeples, running with a broken foot, was 17th.

As a team, Kamiakin finished fifth.

“We ran really, really well,” said Braves coach Shawn Suss. “We have a super young team with three freshmen.”

Class 1A

Kenneth Rooks wasn’t going to lose again.

The College Place senior led from start to finish, holding off some standout runners, to take his second state title in the last three years.

Afterwards, he stood at the finish line and congratulated everyone who finished behind him.

“I tried to get to as many runners as I could,” said Rooks, who finished in 15:18.8. “I do it because it helps lift other runners up after a race.”

Rooks said his game plan was to go out for the first mile in 4:50.

“I did that,” he said.

Connell’s Nolan Chase finished 15th. Medical Lake took the team title 78 points.

In the girls race, Nooksack Valley’s Alyce Harlan outkicked Macenna Hansen of The Northwest School over the final mile to win in 18:06.9.

Colville won the team title, edging LaCenter 114-117.

Class 4A

Ryan Kline of Central Valley of Spokane made a furious rally to win the 4A boys title in 15:1.3.

Richland junior Riley Moore placed eighth, while Hanford’s Caleb Olson was 11th.

Lewis & Clark edged Central Valley 86-87 for the team title.

LC also won the girls team title, and Tigers senior Katie Thronson pulled off the upset by beating two-time champion Taylor Roe of Lake Stevens.

Richland’s Katie Andrus placed 15th.

Class 2A

Bellingham’s Cade Brown passed Cedarcrest’s Grant Van Valkenburg right at the finish line to win the 2A title in 15:26.

Sehome took home the team title with 94 points – 13 ahead of second-place Pullman.

Sehome also won the girls team title with 101 points.

Kristen Garcia of Sedro-Woolley led from the start to take the individual title with a time of 17:52.9.

Class 1B/2B

Adna’s Austen Apperson blew away the field for the title, winning in 15:59.

Tri-Cities Prep sophomore Jacoby Wieber placed fifth with a time of 16:34.

Northwest Christian of Lacey repeated as boys state champ – its third consecutive title – with 84 points.

In the girls race, Liberty Bell’s Novie McCabe repeated as state champ. This time, the sophomore finished in 18:30.2. Liberty Bell also won the team title with 23 points.

This story was originally published November 4, 2017 at 7:22 PM with the headline "Braves break through: Kamiakin dethrones 11-time champ for state title."