WOLFPACK BAGS WINS ON HILLY HOME COURSE

Sequim runners (from left) Drake Apablasa, Tyler Wilson-Walters and Colby Robb race up the meadows hill at Robin Hill Park last week. Sequim’s boys beat Olympic and Port Townsend handily in an Olympic League challenge; Robb, Apablasa and Wilson-Walters finished 4-5-6. Sequim Gazette photo by Michael Dashiell


By MICHAEL DASHIELL
Gazette sports editor


On paper, the meet looked like a sure-fire battle between some of the top runners on the peninsula.

But thanks to various illnesses and class requirements, the lineup card last Wednesday looked a little light.

Sequim’s boys swept Olympic and Port Townsend despite not having Adrian Clifford, one of their top runners racing for the varsity team.

The Wolves didn’t have much of a challenge anyway, with Port Townsend top runners Bereket Piatt (sick) and Habtamu Rubio (taking a driver’s education class) not racing.

Alex Jenkins was second (17:11) while teammates Colby Robb, Drake Apablasa and Tyler Wilson-Walters finished 4-5-6. Olympic’s Seth Bailey won the event in 16:57.

On the girls’ side, Sequim picked up their first win of the season by earning a split, beating Port Townsend and falling to the visiting Olympic Trojans.

The Wolves’ girls did so without top runner Allison Cutting, who was sick at the beginning of the week and was held out by Sequim coach Harold Huff.

Teammate Taylor Roads won the event in 20:59 while Heather Murray was fifth (23:40).

Afterward, Huff simply shrugged, and shrugged off the meet.

“This was just a practice,” Huff said. “That’s the way I look at it (and) that’s the way the other coaches look at it. But it’s a solid effort.”

Clifford, a freshman who has consistently finished first or second for the Wolves this season, was battling a sickness all week. Huff raced the rookie in the junior varsity race, asking him to take it easy. Clifford won by nearly two minutes and would have placed him in a tie for eighth in the varsity competition.

“We’ll get him up to speed later in the week,” Huff said.

The Wolves have one more regular league meet, set for Oct. 14 at North Mason against the Port Angeles Roughriders and host Bulldogs.

Sequim hosts the Olympic League meet, set for Oct. 22 at The Cedars at Dungeness Golf Course.

The Wolves then prepare for the West Central District meet in Tacoma on Halloween (Oct. 31). Only the top two teams and 10 individuals from districts advance to the state meet, held Nov. 7 in Pasco.


Reach Michael Dashiell at miked@sequimgazette.com.