The Harlan County Black Bears continued to display their regional dominance Saturday, with six runners in the top 10 en route to the team’s third consecutive Class 2A Region 7 championship. This also marks the boys’ fifth regional championship since the program started.
“I am so proud of both of these teams. This was a dominant performance, and by far the best race of the season for both groups. We’ve run consistent times all season long, and I knew this performance was coming,” Harlan County cross country coach Ryan Vitatoe said. “When I broke it down, every single kid ran a PR today, and that speaks for itself. These teams came to compete today, and I couldn’t be any prouder of them. It was a fantastic day. We spent so much time these last ten days focusing on our work and getting the miles off their legs as we tapered, and it really paid off today. Winning a regional championship is a significant accomplishment, but taking three in a row is truly exceptional. I’m just so proud of them. It’s important to note that this accomplishment belongs to every single kid on this team. We don’t get here without the work of everyone, and whether they competed or not today, this belongs to them, too.
“The boys were great today and I’m so proud of them. Every single one of these guys ran a PR, and that shows how dialed in and focused they were on competing. They ran their best races on the biggest stage, which is what you expect from a senior-laden team. They were fantastic today.”
Elijah Moore placed second with a time of 17:17.16. He was immediately followed by Jacob Schwenke (17:49.52). DaShaun Smith finished fifth with a time of 18:22.01. He was immediately followed by Braxton Duncan (18:45.56) and Ethan Lewis (18:52.87). Christopher Johnson (10th) finished with a time of 19:01.33. Braxton Hubbard was 15th with a time of 19:43.26.
“Elijah had a great race today and set a new PR. By my count there’s only been three times faster in our program’s history than his,” Vitatoe said. “He’s been so steady this year, and his leadership has been invaluable to our team. He ran a great race today.
“Today was Jacob’s best race of his career. I felt like he’s been pressing a bit and put a lot of pressure on himself about running his goal time and he did a good job of letting that go today and just focused on racing. He’s battle tested and focused on doing his job for his team today. I’m really proud of him.”
“DaShaun has improved so much this season, and this was the best race of his career. It’s been gratifying to watch him grow and to become so competitive,” Vitatoe said. “He did a great job of closing out the second half of the race, which is something we’ve really focused on this season. I think he has a great chance to run sub-18:00 at state if he wants it. “Braxton Duncan had a heck of a race today. I’ve known since he came out last year that he’d be a good one for us, and he’s not even remotely close to what he’ll end up being. He lined up with a group of seniors and raced his heart out. I’m proud of him.”
“Ethan was great today. I know I’ve said this multiple times, but I’m so glad he came back to the program. He ran a great race today, and he really did a great job of putting a complete race together,” Vitatoe said. “He really ran hard, and I’m really proud of his effort.
“Chris had an excellent race today. He had a great start and closed the second half out strong and put together his best race of the season. He’s improved so much throughout this season, and has worked as hard as any kid I’ve had over the years. He deserved this opportunity and made the most of it.”
“I thought Braxton Hubbard had a big race today. For a first-year guy to come out and PR in the regional meet says a lot about the type of competitor he is. He ran a complete race.
“These guys have battled hard all season long and have improved a great deal. They deserve this, and they earned this. I can’t say enough about the seniors in this group and how much their leadership will impact the future. We have another six or seven guys who didn’t run today who have run under 21 minutes, and these guys will enter next season knowing how it should be done to be successful. Winning three straight regional championships is an amazing feat.
“Both of these performances prove that these teams are among the best in the state. I told them after the meet to enjoy the next 24 hours, but then it’s time to get focused on next week’s state meet. We know that we can be competitive, but we’ll have to be locked in this week and focused on the task at hand,” Vitatoe said. “As great as this accomplishment is, we can still do more. We just have to want it.”