Kamiakin’s nationally-ranked runners capture state cross country title — again

Stanford Smith saw the potential in Isaac Teeples last summer.

The Kamiakin senior said Teeples became a fiend with his summer workouts.

“They were amazing,” said Smith.

And they paid off on Saturday at the WIAA state high school cross country championships at Sun Willows Golf Course, as Teeples overcame a group of upperclassmen to win the Class 3A title with a time of 15 minutes, 18.10 seconds.

Just as importantly, Teeples led a contingent of teammates across the finish line quickly enough to score 34 points and win the team title for the third consecutive year.

The spread from Teeples to the fifth runner was just 36 seconds.

Besides Teeples and Smith, the Braves’ next three scoring runners — Andrew Holladay (13th), Andrew Larson (16th) and Jax Weide (18th) — finished among the top 18 out of 159 runners.

“Three-pleating is just a good feeling,” said Teeples.

Kamiakin coach Matt Rexus has watched Teeples grow in the past year.

“He has been running like a mad man,” said Rexus. “He was running 4:39 miles as an eighth grader.”

Teeples said Smith and Rexus have helped him so much.

“Stanford is my biggest role model on the team,” said Teeples. “I would watch him to see what he did, and I’d do it. And my coach is 100 percent the reason that I’m here today.”

Rexus calls Teeples one of the best hill runners he’s ever had.

And that was the key Saturday, as the youngster kicked it in with 400 meters to go to win.

Smith would finish third at 15:27.70.

Rexus called this Braves team the best state performing team he’s had.

“But we’ll have to prove it again next week at regionals,” added Rexus. “However, the consistency of the boys all season long, and the way they have brought it to every meet, has been amazing.”

It capped another outstanding day for the Kamiakin boys, ranked 8th in the nation in the latest high school boys poll by Dyestat.com.

4A girls

Issaquah’s Julia David Smith easily won the state title with a time of 17:26.20.

But Richland sophomore Natalie Ruzauskas was second at 18:22.10, just outleaning Emerald Ridge’s Roz Slichko at the finish line.

“I wanted a top three spot,” said Ruzauskas, who spent her freshman year playing girls soccer. “I did some soccer last year. But I tried track in the spring, and I had some success. I went to state in the 800 meters.”

So she moved to cross country this fall.

“I was nervous today,” Ruzauskas said. “I just wanted to do well.”

Redmond won the team title with 86 points, while Camas was second at 107 points.

3A girls

North Central earned its third consecutive team title with a 3A record of 20 points.

The Indians had the top three placers in Allie Janke, Erinn Hill and Amelu Ruff.

It was Janke’s second straight state title. She finished in 17:26.80.Kennewick senior Geraldin Correa tried to stay with Janke and Hill for the first two miles of the race. But it was tough.

“My legs are freezing and so are my arms,” said Correa, who finished fifth overall with a time of 18:09.30. “I’m not a cold weather runner.”

Correa gets one more shot at prep cross country next week with Nike regionals.

1A boys

Adam Briejer of Charles Wright Academy repeated as state champion, finishing at 15:50.60.

Dallin Price of Connell stayed with the leaders for most of the race, sitting in fifth after one mile, dropping to eighth after two, and finally finishing in sixth with a time of 16:19.50.

“I’m tired as heck,” said Price, a junior. “The first mile felt a little slow. The second mile I picked it up a bit.”

Price said he tried a different strategy this year.

“Last year I got out to a lead and pushed it,” said Price. “That didn’t work so well. This year, I stayed with the pack, then see if I could out-kick them to the finish.”

Lakeside of Nine Mile Falls won the team title with 92 points.

4A boys

Spokane runners placed first, second and third to dominate the 4A boys race.

Wil Smith of Lewis & Clark took over the lead at the 2-mile mark and ran away from the field with a time of 15:03.30.

Camas won the team title with 53 points, while Tahoma was second with 97.

2A boys

Pullman’s Eliason Kabasenche outleaned Selah’s Shea Mattson at the wire for his second consecutive state championship.

Kabasenche finished in 15:23.60, while Mattson was done in 15:24.20.

Sehome finished first as a team for the eighth consecutive season. This year, it won with 89 points.

2A girls

Leah Holmgren won the individual title in 18:61.40, and she and her Ellensburg teammates were team champions with 83 points.

1A girls

Colville’s Alaina Stone stayed on the hip of King’s Naomi Smith for the first two miles, before pulling away for a state title.

Stone finished in 17:39.60, while Smith — the defending state champion — was second at 18:24.0.

Deer Park won the team title with 98 points.

1B/2B boys

Daniel Quintana of Ilwaco sprinted away from Trout Lake’s Justin Peck at the end to take the state title. Quintana finished in 15:55.80, while Peck clocked in at 15:59.80.

Northwest Christian of Lacey won its sixth consecutive team title, scoring 70 points.

1B/2B girls

Sophomore Gabby Martin of Life Christian Academy easily won the individual title, with a time of 17:57.50.

Pope John Paul II of Lacey won the team title with 96 points.

NOTES: Top boys wheelchair placer was Central Valley’s Jackson Atwood with a time of 6:51.65. … Top girls wheelchair finisher was Sophie Munter of Ferris at 8:03.61. … Sehome’s Kai Ocheltree won the ambulatory race with a time of 21:04.40. … Top three boys times on the day: 1. Wil Smith, Lewis & Clark, 15:03.3; 2. Jacob Easton, University, 15:09.9; 3. Tyler Hunter, Central Valley, 15:11.7. … Top three girls times on the day: 1. Julia David Smith, Issaquah, 17:26.2; 2. Allie Janke, North Central, 17:26.8; 3. Alaina Stone, Colville, 17:39.6. … Altogether, there were 1,546 competitors involved in 12 total races.