LHS soph discovers his stride

Had he been a better soccer player, Lawrence High might not have ever tapped into the ability of its top boys cross country runner, sophomore Roy Wedge.

“Originally, I was not going to do cross country. I was going to do soccer, and I didn’t make the C-team (as a freshman) so I ran cross country instead,” Wedge said.

After watching Wedge steadily improve during his freshman year, coach Brian Anderson saw him make an even bigger jump this season as the steadfast runner bested his freshman times at every event in 2007. What’s more, Wedge saved his best for last by posting a personal-record time of 16:38.4 at the 6A state championship to finish seventh.

Wedge said there were a lot of runners who were faster than he, but longevity was the secret to his success.

“Some people that race in the 5K can beat me in the mile or two miles, but I just keep going,” he said.

Anderson agreed and said he enjoyed watching his top runner compete.

“He gets out there and he starts running, and it’s really fun to watch him run – the look on his face as he just plows right on through,” Anderson said. “When Roy’s out there, he might not always be the best at the very beginning, but he has good pace and he takes it up as he runs through the course of the race.

“It’s kind of neat to watch him sometimes. He doesn’t have to say anything. He leads by his actions.”

A naturally reserved athlete and an underclassman, Wedge wasn’t asked to lead the Lions this season, but he did so quietly by competing and learning from the team’s other lead runner, senior Dylan Hedges.

“Dylan had the leadership to take Roy under his wing and help him out that way, but Roy also has the determination,” Anderson said.

The two live near each other and trained together in the offseason, which Wedge said made him a much better runner. Not that he expected to compete with Hedges for his team’s top spot.

“I don’t think, starting off, that I expected to be that close to Dylan,” Wedge said. By the end of the season, Wedge was edging out his training partner at regional and state meets.

The soft-spoken sophomore said he gets through the grind of each cross country race by freeing his mind.

“You have to be mentally tough,” Wedge said. “If you start thinking too much you can psyche yourself out so you have to keep yourself mentally strong.”

Luckily for LHS, Wedge was strong enough to remain confident after being cut from the soccer team.

All-Area first team

Girls

Calleigh Durr – Baldwin

A junior runner for the talented Bulldogs, Durr placed third at regionals and followed that with an 11th-place outing at the Class 4A state championship to help Baldwin capture the state title.

Lacey Erickson – De Soto

Finishing just ahead of Durr at the 4A state championship, Erickson took 10th to become the sixth girl in De Soto’s history to finish in the top 10 at state. As a freshman, she medaled in eight of nine races.

Hayley Francis – Free State

Just a freshman, Francis medaled at all nine meets for the Firebirds this year. Saving her best time – 15:34 – for last, she finished 11th at the 6A state meet at Rim Rock Farm.

Heather Garcia – Baldwin

The leader of the 4A champs, Garcia, a senior, won eight meets including her second straight individual state title.

Kyra Kilwein – Free State

A junior who led the Firebirds throughout the season, Kilwein won the Haskell Invitational, had a season-best time of 15:07 at the Baldwin Invite and placed eighth at state.

Corinna Papps – Baldwin

One of three All-Area runners for the 4A champs, Papps finished eighth at state, fifth at regionals and fifth at league.

Kelly Renfro – Lawrence

A senior for the Lions, Renfro routinely led her team. The four-year LHS runner finished 14th at the 6A state meet, eighth at regionals and took second at two races this year.

Honorable Mention:

Emily Ballock and Liz Hoese, Eudora; Haley Harrington, Free State; Alex Hauk and Andie Jeannin, Tonganoxie; Katie Hirsch and Maggie Kuhlman, Perry-Lecompton; Hannah Jokisch and Carly Stanley, De Soto; Erica Layton, Wellsville; Jennifer Taylor and Kristina Taylor, Lawrence.

Boys

Cristian Dozier – De Soto

In his first year with the Wildcats, Dozier continually improved during his sophomore campaign and capped it off with a ninth-place finish at the 4A state championships.

Dylan Hedges – Lawrence

As a senior leader, Hedges won the Manhattan Invitational and the Shawnee Heights Invitational. He finished eighth at the 6A state championships and ninth at the regional meet.

Aaron Karlin – Baldwin

As a senior, Karlin won the Sabetha Invite. He finished sixth at the 4A state race to help the Bulldogs take second place. Karlin took third at regionals and fifth at league.

Lucas Slater – De Soto

A senior, Slater finished his De Soto career by medaling at the 4A state championships with a 12th-place finish. He and Dozier helped propel the team to a third-place finish at state.

Logan Sloan – Free State

The Firebirds’ top boys runner medaled in eight of nine meets as a freshman. He was the second freshman to cross the finish line at state and 13th overall at the 6A finals.

Roy Wedge – Lawrence

As an up-and-coming sophomore, Wedge set a personal-best time of 16:38.4 and took seventh place at the 6A state meet. He bettered his times from 2006 at every race in ’07.

Tony Weiss – Baldwin

Though he was only a freshman, Weiss won two meets and paced the Bulldogs with a fourth-place finish at state and took first place at regionals.

Honorable Mention:

Matt Brock, Tonganoxie; Ivan Espinosa and Juan Ramirez, Eudora; Colin Jokisch, De Soto; Garrett Jones and Josh Payne, Perry-Lecompton; Gabe Moss, Free State; Derek Poor, Wellsville; Ben Wilson, Lawrence; Connor Wright, Baldwin.