SUNSET REGION: Healthy Bulldog team dominates to claim boys crown

The only question Centennial boys cross country coach Mike McGuire had was his team’s health.

The Bulldogs looked pretty healthy on Friday.

Centennial dominated the competition, placing four runners in the top 10 and six in the top 13 to win the Sunset Region championship at Veterans’ Memorial Park in Boulder City.

Centennial beat runner-up Arbor View 36-79, the largest margin of victory in any of the day’s four races. Both Centennial and Arbor View qualified for next week’s state meet in Reno.

“It was a matter of getting healthy again,” Mcguire said.

Centennial’s Nick Hartle led from the start and never let up, increasing his lead over runner-up Jake Naylor of Clark from 15 seconds after the first mile to 24 seconds when he crossed the finish line, winning the 3.1-mile race in 16 minutes, 31 seconds.

It was the fastest time of the day, ahead of Green Valley’s Julius Kim, who won the Sunrise race in 16:46.

For Centennial and McGuire, it was also the matter of playing with a full deck.

Centennial, the defending Class 4A state champs, was beat by Green Valley at the Las Vegas Invitational. At the Northwest League meet, they finished fourth, behind Arbor View, Shadow Ridge and Palo Verde.

But at each of those meets, the Bulldogs were missing key runners. Like many Southern Nevada teams, the Bulldogs had been plagued all season by the swine flu.

Friday the Bulldogs were present and accounted for, healthy and focused.

Hartle, Devon Dane, Billy Gravley and Scott Albright all returned for the Bulldogs, but Kyle Merritt and Bryce Fessler 10th- and 12th-placed finishes, respectively, also helped lead the Bulldogs to victory.

Dane was fourth, Gravley came in ninth and Albright finished in 13th.

Joining Naylor in qualifying for state as individuals, were Sebastian Karbowniczek of Palo Verde, who was fifth; Jon Clark of Shadow Ridge (sixth); Anthony Ponticello of Faith Lutheran (seventh); and Matt Shelton of Durango (eighth).

The battle in the Sunset girls race came down to Shadow Ridge and Arbor View, as was expected.

Thanks to a one-two finish by Elaina Vlassopoulos and Michelle Schenck, Shadow Ridge outscored the Aggies, 37-44.

The teams combined for seven of the top 10 spots as Palo Verde finished a distant third with 83 points.

Vlassopoulos’s win over Schenck was a bit of an upset, but Shadow Ridge coach Patrick Fitzgerald predicted it before the race.

“It was a good day. I felt good and I was ready to race,” said Vlassopoulos, who won the race in 20:04, six seconds ahead of Schenck.

“I really like hills. (Fitzgerald’s) been talking to me about it, about how he thought I could do well here today. I just kept it positive in my mind. I was ready for it.”

Vlassopoulos, Shadow Ridge’s Schenck, and Palo Verde’s Kelsi Koch broke away from the field after the second mile.

Schenck edged Koch by one second for second place.

All three times were faster than the best time in the Sunrise race. Arbor View’s Kourtney Willey (20:29) and Amberly Halstead (20:51) rounded out the top five.

For Fitzgerald, it was especially satisfying.

“Winning the regional was what it was all about,” Fitzgerald said. “These girls really believe in themselves. This is our season. We’re going up to Reno to win.”

Koch led the individual state qualifiers, and will be joined by Elisa Vazquez of Clark (seventh); Stacie Mitchell of Durango (eighth); and Savannah Anas of Centennial (11th).