By Richard Smith

West Valley Preps

The stark differences Centennial cross country runners noticed all year were on display early this month to their competitors at the state championships.

Senior Daniel Avila finished fourth in the Division II boys race, not a huge surprise since he entered the race with the sixth best time.

But the girls team also placed fourth, a shocking result considering that squad was third in the Peoria Unified School District meet and third at the sectional meet. The Coyotes placed fourth with 232 points.

“It was kind of all up in the air before that because we were in such a bad position last year. We got last place at sectionals, Our coach kept pounding the idea into us that we were working harder than any of the other teams in this division. This is an entirely new philosophy,” senior Brandy Moreno said.

Many seniors graduated last year, and the addition of coach Nick Oberdin and a largely new crew of runners gave the team a clean slate.

Even with that extra belief, though, it is hard to envision the girls believing it could beat Sunrise Mountain — the top local girls cross country team — at state. Although the Mustangs won the district meet — Ironwood finished second — and placed second behind Flagstaff at sectionals, some Centennial runners thought the Coyotes had a chance to surpass them at the hilly state course at Cave Creek Golf Course in Phoenix.

“I knew we were going to beat them at state. I had seen them before on this one mountain run we do. When I saw those girls’ faces I thought, okay, the course plays out better for us,” Moreno said.

Still, for longtime Mustangs coach Torin Lattie, whose wife, Terry, coaches the Mustangs girls, the fifth place finish was a major improvement.

He said the team was not sure what to expect, with three or four young returnees and heavy graduation losses. So improving their state placing with a roster featuring three juniors, three freshmen and a sophomore was an eye opener.

“We wanted to beat our disappointing sixth place finish last year. Well, they did. The girls finished fifth, so I was happy with them as well,” Lattie stated in an email. “We are not losing any top runners on either the boys or girls, so we will have big expectations going into next year for both.”

Avila also fared a little better on the up and down state course, and was in a pack with Yuma Gila Ridge senior Christian Deboard, who placed second, and Vail Cienega freshman Ayden Schilb, who came in third, till the final meters. Whatever initial frustration he may have had about not grabbing second, washed away in realizing he jumped from 40th place in 2016 to fourth.

“With one season’s worth of training, it definitely caused that jump. It’s given me some perspective on the fact that (running in college) is a possibility. It has broadened my horizons,” Avila said.

Avila also won the district and sectional individual titles. Under the direction of their own first year coach, Chris Webb, the Coyotes won the district meet and placed eighth at state.

“As far as the team goes, we probably ended as the best cross country team Centennial has aver seen, so what more could we ask,” he said.

Two spots behind him was another emerging Sunrise Mountain runner, sophomore Braedon Palmer. His sixth-place result — improving all the way from 47th in 2016 — and the young tandem of sophomore Miles Thomas (57th) and Justin Pace (58th) propelled the Mustangs to 10th in Division II.

Lattie stated that the boys finished 13th last year and were looking to improve. Based on times, Sunrise Mountain was ranked around 15th entering state, but a team driven by underclassmen outperformed expectations.

“Braedon is just phenomenal, and I truly mean that! He’s got such a baby face — you’d never guess the kind of fight he has in him.  He didn’t run so well at the state meet last year as a freshman after a good regular season, because he was suffering from a bit of burn out, playing year-round baseball as well,” Lattie stated. “He decided to commit to running only during the cross country season this year, and his result at state reflected that commitment. So, I think he will be a contender for a state title for the next 2 years.”

The Centennial girls made more of a leap in 2017, after placing last in their section in 2016.

Runners like Moreno, junior Gabrielle Acosta and sophomore Jaycee Burgess made huge cuts to their time.

And the Coyotes’ top runner was a complete newcomer to competitive distance running who largely joined the team on a whim. Junior Elli Lucas placed 26th at state, three months after her first long distance race of any kind.

“Joining cross country was the best decision I ever made,” Lucas said. “I was laying in bed the night before fall tryouts, thinking ‘What am I going to do tomorrow.’ I had no idea. I showed up and these girls welcomed me in with open arms.”

Acosta, who finished 35th at state, credited Lucas’ attitude and work ethic, as well as Oberdin’s approach for the newcomer’s growth. The same was true, she said, for the entire Centennial program.

“Ellie was new this year and she’s our top runner. The runners that were new this year are such phenomenal runners and it’s all because of our coach and philosophy,” Acosta said.

Next year, Acosta and Lucas will be the only seniors, or at least the only returning seniors. They can motivate the younger teammates with the transformation they witnessed in the program this fall.

“Brandy is a super positive person, and she and others had such high expectations to get from the bottom to the top. It seemed unrealistic but it turns out we got fourth. That was phenomenal.”