State cross country preview: Lakes’ Corvin, Trevino are returning top-10 finishers. Both run for a title Saturday
When a haze of smoke blanketed the South Sound in late October and forced most runners indoors, Cruize Corvin and Zander Trevino weren’t so willing.
High school practices were promptly canceled, turning the duo of Lakes High School cross country runners to their cell phones. They scoured weather maps for nearby areas with improved air quality, hoping for a workout. The smoke worsened — Seattle’s air quality ranked among the worst in the world on Oct. 21 — ultimately foiling their plan for outdoor running.
“We just ran on the treadmill,” Corvin said, nonchalantly, earning a chuckle from Trevino, standing side-by-side Wednesday at Lakes High School.
Still, it was a commendable effort for the Lancers’ top runners this season, fresh off top-three finishes in Class 3A at the Westside Classic district cross country championships last weekend.
“Most high schoolers are like, ‘Hey, day off! We don’t have to run,’ ” Lakes coach Joe Clark said. “And instead, they were doing that.”
Close friends, the pair run roughly 50 miles per week during the season as part of a rigorous training program.
“Not as much in the summer,” Trevino joked.
Corvin won last weekend’s district meet with a time of 15 minutes, 14.7 seconds, which would have won last year’s 3A state race by roughly two and a half seconds.
Trevino certainly isn’t far behind. His personal-best time of 15:33.9 came a week earlier at Fort Steilacoom at the 3A Pierce County League league meet.
Trevino’s third-place finish in 3A at the district meet helped propel Lakes to a team title — the program’s first since 2000.
Up next is Saturday’s state state meet at Sun Willows Golf Course in Pasco, and the Lancers enter as one of the South Sound’s deepest programs.
A dozen races make up Saturday’s festivities. Corvin and Trevino, back for a fourth and final year, are returning top-10 finishers in 3A.
“Both of them got a taste of what it was like,” Clark said, “but both of them weren’t satisfied.”
CORVIN THE FAVORITE IN 3A FIELD
Corvin is perhaps the individual favorite — his personal-best of 14:56.9 at the Nike Hole in the Wall Invitational on Oct. 8 is the top time in 3A this season by 22 seconds, and trails only Sehome (2A) senior Zack Munson’s time at the same meet by 1.3 seconds for the fastest in the state this fall.
Last year’s 3A state champion was 20 seconds slower than Corvin’s new best.
Expectations, simultaneously, have blossomed for the Lancers program.
“What used to make our varsity team doesn’t even make our top three junior varsity kids now,” said Clark, now in his 29th season coaching cross country at Lakes. “You used to be able to run (a 5K) in 18 minutes and maybe be an alternate to state. Now, if you run 18 minutes, you’re No. 3 or 4 on the junior varsity team.”
Corvin and Trevino are the undoubted leaders. They’re joined by Corvin’s younger brother, Jax, a sophomore and the team’s third varsity runner. Senior Evan Oroho is Lakes’ fourth runner with state experience, all familiar with the Sun Willows course they’ll tackle Saturday.
Curt Corvin, the father of Cruize and Jax, is Clark’s assistant. He was an All-American runner at Washington, holding the school’s 10,000-meter record from 1986 to 1999.
“It’s been fun having my brother on the team with me,” Cruize said, smiling. “And my Dad’s coaching, too. It’s been cool with the whole family there.”
Clark takes 11 Lancers to the state meet in total — nine boys and two girls. The latter pair, freshman Opal Johnson and junior Giovanna Robles, are first-time participants.
But this group, specifically, is more attentive to detail than in previous years, Clark says, leaving “no stone unturned.”
“(Cruize and Zander) are wearing masks to school this week because they don’t want to catch a cold,” Clark said. “When you get athletes like them, who go into a race confident and believing in themselves, that helps the other athletes to feel the same way.
“And they really spent a lot of time this year (making) it so that we’re a team. It’s not the two of (them) out there … it’s a team.”
Lakes’ win at last weekend’s district meet was all the more impressive considering the strength of the field. Both Gig Harbor and Central Kitsap ranked above the Lancers for the season’s opening six weeks.
“Which was fine with us,” Clark said. “We felt like we could beat them, but we have to beat them again next week. Our district is pretty darn strong.”
In the closing weeks of his high school cross country career, Trevino claims it’s the season his Lancers have “put it all together.” An 11th-place team finish at last year’s state meet left much to be desired.
“We’ve just got to go out in style,” he said, “and give it our best that we’ve had this whole year.”
Regardless of finish, their road won’t end Saturday. Both continue to explore college options with the desire to continue cross country.
“You have (some) that make it and go, ‘Oh my gosh, I made it to state! I am happy to be here,” Clark said. “And then you have some that go, ‘I made it to state. I think I can do OK.’
“And then you have the others that go, ‘I made it to state. It’s what I expected. I’m not done yet.’ And I think that’s where (Cruize and Zander) are.”
SEVERAL SOUTH SOUND ATHLETES, TEAMS IN TITLE CONTENTION
Several South Sound programs are ranked in the top 10 on this week’s coaches association poll heading into the state meet.
In 4A boys, Tahoma — which won last weekend’s Westside Classic meet — are the top-ranked local program at No. 3, followed by Olympia (No. 8) and Emerald Ridge (No. 10).
Tahoma also won the 4A girls race last weekend, and is the top-ranked program in the state. Olympia (No. 9) is also ranked in the 4A poll.
Lakes is the highest-ranked 3A boys program in the area at No. 4 in the latest poll, followed by Central Kitsap (No. 6) and Gig Harbor (No. 7).
Central Kitsap is the top-ranked program in the state in 3A, followed by Gig Harbor (No. 2) — last weekend’s district champion — and Stadium (No. 3).
Tumwater (No. 5) — which won a Southwest District championship last week — and Steilacoom (No. 9) are both top-10 teams in the 2A boys rankings, and district champion White River is No. 8 in the 2A girls rankings.
The Pope John Paul girls program — last season’s 2B/1B state champion — is No. 1 in the 2B/1B rankings, while the boys program is ranked No. 4. Both programs won Southwest District titles last week. The Rainier girls program is No. 5 in the 2B/1B rankings.
Eight South Sound competitors also won individual district titles last week, including Rogers senior Isaac Briggs (4A boys), Curtis junior Eliza White (4A girls), Corvin (3A boys), Stadium sophomore Katelyn Galloway (3A girls), Tumwater senior John Hoffer (2A boys), Foss sophomore Katie Mingus (2A girls), Northwest Christian senior Asher Ingram (2B/1B boys) and Pope John Paul II senior Catelin King (2B/1B girls).
