Centennial rich in talent

The only question Centennial boys cross country coach Mike McGuire had going into the Sunset Region championship was concern about his team's health.

The Bulldogs looked pretty healthy Friday.

Centennial dominated the competition, placing four runners in the top 10 and six in the top 13 to win the team title at Veterans Memorial Park in Boulder City.

Centennial beat runner-up Arbor View 36-79, the largest margin of victory in any of the day's four races. Centennial and Arbor View qualified for next week's state meet in Reno.

"It was a matter of getting healthy again," McGuire said.

Centennial's Nick Hartle led from the start and never let up, increasing his lead over runner-up Jake Naylor of Clark from 15 seconds after the first mile to 24 seconds when he crossed the finish line, winning the 3.1-mile race in 16 minutes, 31 seconds.

It was the fastest time of the day, ahead of Green Valley's Julius Kim, who won the Sunrise race in 16:46.

For Centennial and McGuire, it was also a matter of playing with a full deck.

Centennial, the defending Class 4A state champs, was beaten by Green Valley at the Las Vegas Invitational. At the Northwest League meet, they finished fourth, behind Arbor View, Shadow Ridge and Palo Verde.

But at each of those meets, the Bulldogs were missing key runners. Like many Southern Nevada teams, the Bulldogs had been plagued all season by the swine flu.

On Friday, the Bulldogs were all present and accounted for, healthy and focused.

Hartle, Devon Dane, Billy Gravley and Scott Albright returned for the Bulldogs, but Kyle Merritt and Bryce Fessler's 10th- and 12th-place finishes also helped the Bulldogs to victory.

Dane was fourth, Gravley came in ninth and Albright finished 13th.

Joining Naylor in qualifying for state as individuals were Sebastian Karbowniczek of Palo Verde, who was fifth; Jon Clark of Shadow Ridge (sixth); Anthony Ponticello of Faith Lutheran (seventh); and Matt Shelton of Durango (eighth).

The battle in the Sunset girls race came down to Shadow Ridge and Arbor View, as was expected.

Thanks to a 1-2 finish by Elaina Vlassopoulos and Michelle Schenck, Shadow Ridge beat the Aggies, 37-44.

The teams combined for seven of the top 10 spots as Palo Verde finished a distant third with 83 points.

Vlassopoulos's win over Schenck was a bit of an upset, but Shadow Ridge coach Patrick Fitzgerald predicted it before the race.

"It was a good day. I felt good and I was ready to race," said Vlassopoulos, who won in 20:04, six seconds ahead of Schenck. "I really like hills. (Fitzgerald's) been talking to me about it, about how he thought I could do well here today. I just kept it positive in my mind. I was ready for it."

Vlassopoulos, Shadow Ridge's Schenck and Palo Verde's Kelsi Koch broke away from the field after the second mile.

Schenck edged Koch by one second for second place.

All three times were faster than the best time in the Sunrise race. Arbor View's Kourtney Willey (20:29) and Amberly Halstead (20:51) rounded out the top five.

For Fitzgerald, it was especially satisfying.

"Winning the regional was what it was all about," Fitzgerald said. "These girls really believe in themselves. This is our season. We're going up to Reno to win."

Koch led the individual state qualifiers and will be joined by Elisa Vazquez of Clark (seventh); Stacie Mitchell of Durango (eighth); and Savannah Anas of Centennial (11th).