Northwest Christian Navigators repeat as 1B/2B cross country champions

After winning the state 1B/2B cross country title by the slimmest of margins a year ago, the Northwest Christian (Lacey) boys team eliminated the suspense early at Saturday’s state cross country meet at Sun Willows Golf Course.

The Navigators put three runners in the top nine to post a low score of 47 points to easily outdistance the other Northwest Christian (from Colbert, near Spokane), the opponent that it took a sixth-man tiebreaker for the Lacey school to defeat a year ago.

The Northwest Christian from Eastern Washington was second with 106 points Saturday.

“We really stress the sixth man,” Northwest Christian (Lacey) coach Larry Webber said. “After what happened last year, the kids have started to believe that every single runner matters.”

Junior Luke Schilter overcame an illness to place second for the third year in a row, to lead the Navigators. Senior Luke Bredeson was sixth and junior Corban Phillips ninth for the Navigators.

Colton Buster, in 24th place, and Steven Epp, in 35th, were Northwest Christian’s other scoring runners.

This latest championship was the fourth title and the 10th top-four finish for the Navigators since the “B” classification was re-established for cross country in 2003. That’s a lot of tradition to live up to.

“First, I’m happy for these boys,” Webber said. “But there’s a lot of history. The next generation wants to uphold that tradition.”

Schilter appeared to be well on his way to his first individual championship. He led the field through the mile in 4:57, and had a 30- or 40-meter lead as the runners approached two miles. He held the lead until Kenneth Rooks, a sophomore from College Place High, a new school near Walla Walla, passed him near the top of the final hill with about 200 meters to go.

“I’m really proud of him,” Webber said of Schilter. “He’s been sick for two days, but he showed amazing courage and fortitude.”

Schilter collapsed as he exited the finish chute and remained prone on the damp grass for several minutes.

Bredeson was pleased with his sixth-place finish, but was more concerned with the well-being of Schilter and his team’s score.

“I could see that Luke (Schilter) was in a battle,” Bredeson said, standing watch over his teammate. “But I was pretty confident. We have a strong team mentality. We start training in June to get that good base in so we can do the harder work when the season starts. Our team pushes each other pretty hard.”

Ellie Summers placed third to lead the Northwest Christian girls to a third-place finish, the best showings by a South Sound girls team or individual. The Navigators had won nine consecutive state titles, but with a young squad was not favored to grab a 10th.

“I’m really happy with how our team did,” Summers said. “We race with all our heart.”

Tumwater junior Evan Groat earned a spot on the podium with his 15th-place finish in the 2A boys race. Peter Alegre placed 18th for North Thurston among the 3A boys.

The Olympia girls were the next best South Sound team, finishing eighth in 4A with 189 points. Brenna Carlson and Stella Grimsted finished 25th and 26th for Olympia.

Black Hills freshman Ava Shackell finished 13th in the 2A girls race, while Tumwater’s Lauren Ericks placed 18th.

This story was originally published November 7, 2015 at 8:43 PM with the headline "Northwest Christian Navigators repeat as 1B/2B cross country champions."