By Mike Maltais
On the strength of four personal-best performances of the season, the Liberty Bell High School varsity boys’ cross-country team took home the fourth-place trophy at the Washington Interscholastic Activities Association State Cross-Country Championships at Pasco last Saturday (Nov. 8).
Ben Klemmeck, Willy Duguay, Eli Neilsen and Josiah Klemmeck posted their best times of the year with respective state finishes of fourth, 25th, 28th and 32nd on the 5-kilometer course at the Sun Willows Golf Course.
“Collectively, I don’t think our runners could have run any better,” said coach Craig Herlihy. “We were a mere five points away from third place, which is just a few seconds and places difference between us and [third-place] Asotin.”
It was the Mountain Lions’ best state finish since 2001 when Liberty Bell placed second at state. That year, coach Casey Rudd led the 1A Mountain Lions to an 87-point finish behind King’s High School in Seattle.
Over the past four years Liberty Bell has placed 14th, ninth, seventh and, in 2013, fifth at state.
Herlihy was particularly pleased with the race tactics his runners brought to the Sun Willows course.
“As discussed in the pre-race strategy, Willy, Josiah, and Eli were to pace each other through the first mile and actually stayed together up until about 2.5 miles,” Herlihy said.
Commenting on Ben Klemmeck’s fourth-place individual finish, the coach observed that “Ben ran so smart, placing himself in 18th place at one mile, eighth at two miles and ultimately in fourth at the finish.”
Herlihy credited team captain Willy Duguay as being “the catalyst in pacing Josiah and Eli through the targeted opening mile pace of 5:35.”
Neilsen emerged from the XC season as the “fastest 1B/2B freshman at state this year,” Herlihy said. “His running future is so bright in the coming years.”
“Obviously, we are looking to continue the tradition of going to state again next year,” the coach concluded, with hopes “to improve on this year’s team podium finish.”
Individual results (scoring position/overall position)
4/4 Ben Klemmeck, 16:33.93
20/25 Willy Duguay, 17:25.31
22/28 Eli Neilsen, 17:27.33
24/32 Josiah Klemmeck, 17:33.20
65/91 Garett Palm, 19:23.85
Team results
1 Northwest Christian/Lacey, 52
1 Northwest Christian/Colbert, 52
3 Asotin, 131
4 Liberty Bell, 135
5 Republic, 195
6 St. George’s, 196
7 Toledo, 205
8 Tri-Cities Prep, 208
9 Crosspoint Academy, 229
10 Reardan, 238
11 Onalaska, 256
12 Tonasket, 296
13 Mossyrock, 298
14 Lake Roosevelt, 306
15 Rainier, 344
16 Seattle Waldorf, 413
