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On the nicest day of the cross country season and the fastest course in Hillsborough County, the county cross country championships at Al Lopez Park in Tampa, made for some eye-popping times and the Tampa powerhouse Steinbrenner swept both varsity races and both JV races.
The course at Al Lopez Park, in the shadow of Raymond James Stadium, is a fast one. Flat, grassy, tight-packed ground with a dose of pavement. Runners basically make two oval loops around the park, peeking into the spectator area coming and going on both laps.
The girls race went off first.
"Somebody was going to go out with Bailey (Hertenstein) but it wasn't going to be us," Steinbrenner girls coach Ladd Baldwin said. "Whoever it was, was going to be tired by the end."
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Baldwin's prophecy rang true as Hertenstein got out in front of the pack just as clouds moved in and made an already mild day, almost cool. Giving chase was King's Micalea Torres. Through the first mile, Hertenstein was right at 5:30. By then Torres was just four seconds back. Wharton's Rania Samhouri trailed by Riverview freshman Alyssa Hendrix. A group of Steinbrenner girls with Brooke Santiesteban, Alexandra Perri and Alexandra Strauman paced the rest of the field. Coming around for the second lap, just past two miles, Hurricane Hertenstein struck, leaving the field in her aftermath. When Hertenstein emerged from the trails the second time, no other runner was in sight. Finally, Torres brought up second with Perri moving into third and Samhouri fourth. Coming in for the final stretch, Hertenstein seemed to breeze past the line in 17:30, more than a minute in front of the next runner.
"I felt really comfortable, I was surprised by the time," Hertenstein said. "I'm really proud of (Hendrix) though, she's going to take over when I'm gone."
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Behind Hertenstein's 17:30 which tops even her state-leading 17:32.14 from the Flrunners Invite, also set down meet and course records dating back to 2004. Torres starting to run out of gas, straining to keep Hertenstein in sight.
"I didn't even know what was going on that last 800 meters," Torres said. "My legs were tingling, I was losing my coordination."
Seizing on Torres' late struggle, Perri kicked it into gear and passed Torres with less than 20 meters to go.
"I heard coach Baldwin and coach Ray (Friedman) yelling and once I saw an opening I just went for it," Perri said.
Torres still ran an 18:36, just six seconds off her season-best of 18:30 from last Saturday at Don Bishop. Perri set a new personal record of 18:32 and added to the Warriors' fantastic season becoming the fourth different runner to lead the Warriors over the six meets they've competed in, five wins and one runner-up performance (Pre State).
"She (Perri) is a true example of if you want something bad enough and you stay committed it, amazing things will happen," Baldwin said. "I remember she started out as a 31-minute freshman and now as a junior, she's the runner up at the county championship and an 18:32."
Samhouri held on for a fourth-place finish in 18:48 and Hendrix took fifth in 18:50. Brooke Santiesteban, Lydia Friedman and Alexandra Strauman came in sixth, seventh and eighth and Brieanna Rekow took took 10th to put all five Steinbrenner scorers in the top 10.
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There was no contest for the county title as the Warriors climbed from fourth last year to easily out-pacing runner up Newsome 33-73. Defending champs Wharton took third with 104.
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On the boys side, Durant's Haltom Fliegelman took advantage of a flat course and cool weather to set down a win and a scorching 15:55.1. Coming in for the first mile, Fliegelman put just a few strides on the trailing pack led by Plant's Walker Thomas.
A loop around the playground, near the 1.5-mile mark saw Fliegelman take control of the race, hanging a 12-second lead on the field. A pack of Bloomingdale runners led by Colin Boutin with Newsome's Triston Vaira in the mix, enveloped Thomas and made for a second-place mash up heading back into the woods. Coming back out, after the two-mile mark, Robinson's Ethan Geiger moved into a battle with Thomas for second with the Bloomingdale runners in close range. Fleigelman took first under 16 minutes as Walker moved into second, clocking a 16:13.9, a season best and personal record.
Boutin took third in what had to be his PR as it broke the Bloomingdale's school record. Nehemiah Rivers of Wharton grabbed fourth in 16:22.5 and the freshman Geiger got fifth in 16:23.6.
"My goal was to go sub-16 and I was able to do that, even though I missed the school record by five seconds," Fliegelman said.
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Fliegelman also chopped 18 seconds off his fourth-place finish at last year's county meet.
The boys team race was a tight one but the phalanx of Steinbrenner runners on Thursday, carried it. The Warrior boys led by Davis Bly, just nipped Newsome 80-82 for the title. Wharton took third as a team behind Rivers' 16:22.5 that got him fourth place individually.
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"It was really our five and six runners, Zach Whitmer and Jackson Miller, they both ran big PRs and stepped up for a teammate that didn't have a great day," Steinbrenner boys coach Branden Lingerfelt said. "Both of them got in front of Newsome's fifth runner and that was the difference maker."
The Warrior boys missed out on last year's county title by a point to Plant.