ARLINGTON — As Carter Corrigan entered the track for the final 250 meters of the District 1/2 4A Boys Cross Country Championships at Lakewood High School on Saturday, he experienced a bit of Déjà vu.
Exactly one week prior at the Wesco Championships, the Jackson sophomore entered the final stretch neck-and-neck with one other runner fighting for first place. He had managed to outkick his opponent to claim the Wesco title, and that gave him confidence to do the same against Skyline senior Yashveer Brar on Saturday.
The two remained level entering the far stretch of the track, but by the time Corrigan rounded the final curve, he created plenty of distance. Coming in at 15:27.3, Corrigan claimed the district title.
“Exact same position (last week),” Corrigan said. “I was able to outkick him, so I thought, ‘I know I can do this again.’ And if this kid took it out early, I know he’s not relying on his kick, and I was relying on mine. So I figured that was the right spot to go get it.”
Corrigan wanted to do what he executed at the Wesco Championships, when he sat in second the whole race before pulling ahead late. However, this time the front pack went out faster than expected, and while he still hung around toward the front, he had more ground to make up than expected. Once he reached the two-mile mark, both he and Brar started to pull away.
Jackson assistant coach Marc Dugenet believes Corrigan sticking with the front pack on the first mile was pivotal. The coaching staff was confident in his ability to finish strong, so sticking in a position to strike later was crucial for the win.
“I mean, Carter, he’s a gamer,” Dugenet said. “He always works hard, and does what he needs to do to prepare himself for these types of big meets. (He) puts himself in position where he can succeed. He had a good plan during Wesco, and he stuck with that pack and put himself in a spot where he could get the win, and this week, he said ‘I’m going to do the same thing. It worked for me.’ It was a great race, and he executed it.”
Corrigan shaved nearly two minutes off his time from districts last year, when he finished in 17:17.7 to place 53rd. However, this came at the end of an illness- and injury-riddled freshman campaign where he ran 15:48.3 just over a month prior. With strict focus on training in the year since, Corrigan maintained his health and developed into a bi-district champion.
“I think it’s just consistency, running every day,” Corrigan said. “Built back up my fitness, a lot of recovery, doing the right stuff, not being lazy and just making sure I can get the right recovery, and just train the right way.”
Next week will mark his first time at the 4A State Championships, and he won’t be alone. Jackson placed fourth as a team, earning one of the five spots out of Districts 1 and 2. Junior Logan Rusher (16:01.5) placed 16th, and junior Asher Yochum (16:09.6) placed 23rd, which would have qualified each of them individually if the Timberwolves did not. Senior Jordan Schatz (16:46.0) and freshman Maximiliano Rosas (16:48.7) placed 54th and 58th, respectively, to round out the top five.
Entering a loaded field at the state meet in Pasco next week, Corrigan does not expect to win. However, given how last season ended for him, he’s happy for the opportunity to place as high as he can.
“Much better this year, terrible last year,” Corrigan said. “But I’m kind of just going into state with an open mind. I want to podium. I think I’m in a good spot for that, but I’m going to go in (with the) same mentality. Maybe stick with (Brar) again at state, and I’m not first in the state unfortunately, but I think if I can find a good group to stick with like I have the past two races, same results.”
If it ain’t broke, don’t fix it.
