Four seconds separated Haines High School senior Casey Bradford from a berth at the state cross-country meet in Anchorage.
The Glacier Bears ended up with no state qualifiers. Bradford finished 16th in the region for Class 1A, 2A and 3A last weekend in Juneau, with a time of 19:16. The top 15 runners advanced to state. The last spot went to a Craig runner who posted a time of 19:12.
“Casey ran an amazing race and really led the team this year,” said coach Tara Bicknell.
Bicknell said she had been hopeful a place at state would open up for Bradford as an alternate, but as of Wednesday all the spots still were claimed by top-15 runners.
Senior Trevor Cox also was a near-miss for Haines on a soaked course at Sandy Beach in Juneau. Cox placed 18th in 19:24.
“I’m sure there were some shoes lost on the trail,” Bicknell said. “It was so muddy and cold.”
The Glacier Bears were sixth in the region as a team, trailing Sitka, Craig, Mount Edgecumbe, Petersburg and Wrangell, and topping Kake and Skagway.
Junior Mori Hays was 34th in 20:45; junior Jacob Stigen, 39th in 21:10; senior Kai Hays, 42nd in 21:32; senior Zane Durr, 45th in 21:43; and senior Matthew Green, 46th in 21:44.
Junior Shaye Otton, 16, was the fastest Glacier Bear girls’ finisher, placing 19th in 23:55, about 22 seconds from qualifying for state. Otton sprinted out with four girls leading the race, but said crowding on the three-lap course near Sandy Beach took a toll. “The first two laps were pretty tough.”
At the finish, she was in view of runners who qualified for state. Otton said she’s on the team because she enjoys running, but acknowledges competitive running makes her faster.
Otton said she wants to qualify for state next year, but said she would have to boost her workouts to get there.
Bicknell noted the race was Otton’s first official competition of the season. “It was really her first and last chance to show everybody what she had.”
The Haines girls ranked six of seven teams, with Petersburg, Mount Edgecumbe and Wrangell at the head of the pack.
Senior Jenae Larson was 26th in 25:22; sophomore Brittney Bradford, 27th in 25:27; sophomore Makayla Crager, 42nd in 28:06; senior Destinee Cowart, 47th in 29:23; and junior Madeline Andriesen, 54th in 36:28. Sophomore Tulsi Zahnow, the team’s pace setter this season, did not finish the race, due to a hip injury she suffered about a week ago.
For senior Cowart, 17, her last career run was “kind of sad.”
Classmates pressured Cowart to go out for the sport last year. “I did it to get in shape for basketball and I ended up really liking it. I like the post-run feeling of accomplishment.”
She measured her progress by improving her time week to week and needing shorter recovery times. Cowart said she expects she’ll continue running after high school.