Staff Writer
The Apex Cross Country team had a
bittersweet NCHSAA Regional Meet this past Saturday. The men’s team finished as
the Mideast Regional runner-up for the
second straight year while the women’s team finished 5th in the region
for the second year in a row.
The runners could not have asked for
more perfect weather on a cool Saturday morning at WakeMed Soccer Park. With
the temperature in the low 60s, not a cloud in the sky and the course in
flawless condition, it was a great race day. In the 4A boys’ 5000 meter race it
was Apex junior Derek Duin who jumped out to an early lead. “I felt like I was
where I wanted to be. I just wanted to see how long I could hold out with those
guys,” said Duin. He maintained the lead until roughly the 1 mile mark then
started to fall back. At that point junior Jeremy Brown (Broughton) and seniors
Dean Abushouk (Cary) and Kyle Christ (West Johnston) took control of the race.
The three of them broke off from the lead pack and were stride for stride for
the next mile and a half. With about
1000 meters left in the race Brown put the hammer down, passing Abushouk and
Christ, and never looked back. Brown led the Broughton boys to a Mideast
Regional victory running a time of 15:28. The Capitals dominated, putting all
seven of their runners in the top 12. Broughton won with 27 points while Apex
finished 2nd with 99 points, 40 points clear of Millbrook who
finished 3rd.
The bitter part of the morning for Apex
came in the girls’ 4A race. This was the most exciting race of the day both
team wise and individually. Similar to the guys’ race, there were three runners
who broke away from the pack: junior Elly Hennes (Green Hope), junior Kayla
Holder (Wake Forest), and sophomore Nevada Moreno (Leesville Road). Entering the final 1000 meters Holder made a
move and took a step on Hennes but Hennes responded. Going up the hill, Holder
tried with all her strength to shake off Hennes but could not. With about 200 meters
left in the race Hennes turned on the after-burners and raced by Holder to win
the individual title by four seconds. Green Hope ran away with the team title
while Leesville easily secured 2nd place. The drama came with 3rd
and 4th place, as the top four teams advance to the state meet.
There were four teams fighting for two spots in a close race. At the awards
ceremony the meet official, Apex Coach Paul Lockwood, read the results with
Panther Creek 3rd, Apex 4th. In the midst of celebration,
however, it was realized that there was a mistake in the results. In cross
country the top five runners on a team score but the computer calculated the
top seven scoring. This mistake led to a change in the results. Millbrook finished
3rd with 143 points, Panther Creek finished 4th with 144
points, and Apex finished 5th with 145 points. It was a
heartbreaking turn of events for Apex, not only because they missed the State
Meet by a single point but also because it was the second straight season where
the Apex girls finished 5th at the regional meet.
The Apex Men’s Cross Country team will be in action
for a final time this Saturday in the State Championship at Ivey Redmon Sports
Complex in Kernersville, NC. Only two runners on this team have run in a State
Championship meet before, seniors Jordan Kokoska and Wyatt Miller, so there is
plenty of excitement around the team. “I’m very excited,” said Duin, “This week
is going to be a very long week.”
