Running With The Mustangs: Tiger Run Edition
By David St. Louis / September 9, 2009 10:16 PM
The Tiger Run proved to be a challenging run for North Oldham in their first meet. Several of their front runners were disappointed in their races, as they searched for answers. Going into the race, the Mustangs were very confident. With their confidence still brimming off of last year’s State Championship last, the 19 returning runners from that team brought high expectations along with them. The guys were hoping to show that the AAA powers of Kentucky that they were a team to be reckoned with and are on the verge of becoming a perennial powerhouse.
As the gun went off, the guys got a good start from a far post position, but as they got into the race and around the mile, though, something just didn’t seem right. In what will go down as probably one of the fastest, if not the fastest Tiger Run thus far in history, the Mustangs were not in the mix of things up front. The front runners remarked that it was tough getting back into racing again, as the likes of Sanders, Roenigk, and Grandon struggled mentally with the fact they weren’t up front, despite them begging their legs to carry on harder and faster. Yates and Kalmey were struggling in back to get the second platoon of Mustangs going. Seth Fowler, Andrew Beno, and Eric Taglieri took charge of the second group and shored up the depth that the Mustangs lacked last year, but it was not enough on this day.
The group finished, frustrated, but hopeful that the team results would show their strength. Overall, they finished 7th, and 5th among the schools participating from Kentucky, but they had wanted more. Beyond that, they were stunned to see the name of the team that had placed 6th, just in front of them: Covington Catholic. It had been a full calendar year since any Class 2A team had finished in front of the Mustangs, but the squad from Covington Catholic really took it to the Mustangs as they sported a veteran, senior-laden team and placed their front two guys in 13th and 24th sealing their victory in a stirring upset to start the season. They will be a very tough team all season long, as their experience and confidence continue to grow.
Taylor Sanders said after the race, “We were very disappointed with how we ran. We have to use this as a stepping stone for future meets and remember how disappointed we felt in running this way.” The young Mustangs were disappointed that they did not start the season off on the right foot, but are optimistic in the regards of having so much room to improve and time to fix their weaknesses. Their overall consensus is that they need to work harder in practice, and need to see marked improvement over the next several weeks in order to right the ship. Coach LaMaster still seemed irked as he remarked that, “It is going to be a tough couple weeks at practice. We really need to get our guys to understand pace more, and how to race again after a long summer of base mileage. At the same time, I understand this is the first race of the season, and that the guys will need to get their legs adjusted to racing again.”
Taylor Sanders, Justin Roenigk, Colin Grandon, Ryan Kalmey, and Nathan Yates return as the top 5 runners from the 2008 State Championship team, and all were extremely frustrated by their performances. As the leaders of this team, they expect more of themselves and vowed to set an example, the rest of the season, on how a race should be run. Coach LaMaster said,” I really expect more of those five guys and they know that. They are willing to step up to the challenges ahead though, and I know they will bounce back in impressive form in our next couple of meets. There have been too many miles and too much hard work for those guys to not run up to their expectations.” Junior Captain Jeremy Rice also remarked that, “We have to run better than that. Our team has never been that bad overall.”
Looking at the positives from the meet, Coach LaMaster and Coach Weingardt were particularly impressed with the performances of Seth Fowler (17:55/47 second PR), Andrew Beno (18:01/27 second PR), Eric Taglieri (18:11/45 second PR), Troas McWilliams (18:24/29 second PR), Alec Horn (18:26/40 second PR), and Steve Terkula (19:57/1:09 PR). Part of the teams’ success has been their consistent production of new young talent and this is another step in that direction. LaMaster remarked that, “These six guys worked their tails off all summer, and it really showed. They really set the bar on what a strong summer of training can do, and most importantly, improved the overall depth of our team. It will be interesting to see if they can continue to shake up the ranks within the team each week.”
For the freshmen race, all four freshmen raced exceptionally well. Matt Dombrosky placed fifth with a time of 13:51, and Erik Krohn was ninth in 14:14. Both times rank in the top five overall in Mustang history for a 4k. Also placing well was first year runner, Jack Murphy in 15:04 with a 23rd place finish, and the much improved Jordan Yates in 15:36, good for 30th. The freshmen remarked how the level of competition is much tougher in high school, and that as the distance lengthens to a 5k, they expect to face some challenges with their endurance. Jack Murphy said, “I plan on consistent improvement all season long by working hard everyday and helping the team out however I can.”
Looking forward, Sean O’Nan and Andy Powers are expected to make their season debuts within the next few weeks, and LaMaster is excited to have their leadership back. “It will be nice to have two of our stronger runners returning to the line-up from various injuries. They are two of the hardest working young men we have on the team, and I am excited to have them back and contributing to the team again.” Sean and Andy will also give the team some much needed flexibility at the Varsity level and allow them to mentor the freshmen as they begin the longer 5k distance. Nathan Yates said a couple days after the meet that, “It is on our upperclassmen to lead our team. We really need to focus here the rest of the season and show our firepower the next couple of weeks. We are willing to do whatever we can to improve.” Assistant Coach Matt Weingardt added, “We remain optimistic and feel that the boys will bounce back from the first race week of training. We hadn’t really settled into our normal workout schedule in late August, but their legs should catch on at the right time as they did last year.”
The guys know the next couple of weeks they must improve in order to put themselves in position to achieve their lofty goals, and are prepared for a tough two weeks of practice as they prepare for their home meet known as “The Rumble Through the Jungle”. Junior Colin Grandon closed up the remarks from the team for the week by saying, “We won’t have another race like that as a team. We are going to do everything we can to push each other each week and learn from our mistakes.”
Stay tuned for next week…..
