Cross country runners will trek 4 miles, deliver ball to stadium for annual rivalry game

Before the oldest high school football rivalry in Thurston County kicks off for the 53rd time Friday night in Lacey, the game ball will make a long journey across the county.

About 20 cross country runners from North Thurston and Timberline, with the game ball in tow and brandishing their respective school flags, will set out from Timberline just before 6 p.m.

Together, they’ll run more than four miles, down Mullen Road Southeast and College Street Southeast, and arrive at South Sound Stadium just before game time, which is scheduled for 7 p.m. The runners are expected to arrive at the stadium following the National Anthem, will make a lap around the track, and the the game will begin.

“Hopefully it’s the start of a tradition that will continue,” North Thurston coach Steve Coker said.

Coker came up with the idea after seeing a post online about a school in Texas that organized a similar event before its homecoming game.

“I thought about the Timberline game,” Coker said. “I thought, ‘Oh, it will be cool to do a rivalry-unity sort of thing.’ It would be something fun, and the cross country kids would get to take part in the event.”

Coker and Timberline coach Kevin Gary are both excited for cross country to get some exposure on a bigger platform. Cross country meets generate decent audiences during the season, Coker said, but having the students run in front of a stadium full of people will be a fun activity for the captains and seniors.

“It’s a sport most people don’t watch on a regular basis,” Gary said. “So, the fact that people can see our programs running together and doing something fun, hopefully down the road, will convince other students that cross country is an opportunity for them next season.”

Though it’s rivalry week, neither coach expects to much verbal jabbing about the football game along the way, and both anticipate the runners will enjoy making the trip together.

“That’s one of the cool things about cross country, is how supportive athletes are of each other at different schools,” Coker said. “There’s a lot of mutual respect.”

Still, both coaches have their own ideas which football team will come away with a win Friday night.

“Well, North Thurston of course,” Coker said. “Absolutely.”

Gary isn’t so sure of that.

“I’m pretty confident the Blazers are going to win,” he said.

This story was originally published October 20, 2017 at 9:00 AM with the headline "Cross country runners will trek 4 miles, deliver ball to stadium for annual rivalry game."