Montoya Hoping for First State Title in Cross Country

Erick Montoya was closing in at the finals of the 3200 meter Class 3A state final. Step by step, the gap between him and the leader, Eric Larson, of Pensacola Washington, was getting smaller.

Larson is known for his closing kick. Did Montoya have a bigger kick?

Montoya was running with his meter below empty, but there were still a few drops of gas. Meanwhile, Larson was running low. Montoya decided to run until he was out of gas. He kicked, went for it, and still it wasn’t quite enough.

His 9:23.42 came up just short of Larson, who finished with a 9:22.81, little more than step ahead of Montoya. His second place time was faster than the champions in any of the state’s other classes. For Montoya, it topped his personal best by more than 17 seconds.

The loss was tough on Montoya, but he said he is comfortable knowing he is already the favorite to win state next year.

“I was waiting to go for it,’’ Montoya said. “He outkicked me at the end but I am proud of what I did...