The course at Anlcote starts down a wide, grass straightaway then makes a 180 degree turn coming back and circling a small pond and athletic fields. Then it runs paralell to the parking lot before turning left and into a wooded area. Runners emerge from the wooded area and bank hard to their left, some runners missing the hard turn, and then it comes back down the field for a second loop around the ponds and ball fields. One last trip through the wooded area empties runners out into the final straightaway where a gentle, downhill slope made for a great way to finish the 5k.
It came to fruition in the boys race.
East Lake's James Hasell set the pace early but was hounded by runners from Saint Petersburg, Matthew Wohlwend, Bryce Burt and Dieumerci Ufitimana. Gulf's John Jessup trailed the lead pack by a few seconds. The battle continued through the first half mile as Hasell's teammate Michael Welborn got into the mix. Coming out of the first trip through the woods, it was Hasell, Ufitimana and Wohlwend with Jesuit's John Robbins pulling into fourth.
By the second trip by the parking lot it was a battle between Hasell and Ufitimana. Coming out of the woods for the last time, Robbins made a move and pushed Hasell out in front of the rest of the group.
The last 100 meters were an all out sprint between Hasell and Robbins. It would be Robbins that took it 16:58.90 to 17:00.90.
Next was a trio of Green Devil runners in Wohlwend (3rd at 17:18.60), Burt (4th in 17:25.00) and Ufitimana (5th in 17:26.20). Jessup would take sixth in 17:39.70. Diego Price and Charles Sabodski would round out the scoring for Saint Pete, taking 17th and 18th, respectively. The Green Devils out-paced runner up Jesuit 45-95 for the team title.
"Our top three guys are between 20 and 25 seconds apart, their two-mile splits were all within three seconds," Green Devil head coach Brian Cuff said.
Cuff is in a great situation at Saint Pete where his top three varsity runners are all hyper competitive. Beyond them, his fourth and fifth runners are under constant pressure from other teammates to make the lineup.
"We have 11 runners that run at a pretty high level," Cuff said. "Even the four, five, six and seven guys are worried about the eight, nine and 10 guys. The competition is fierce."
Ufitimana is an interesting wild card. Just a sophomore, he moved to the United States from the Congo as a high school freshman and didn't run cross country last year, although he did run during the 2017 track season. Ufitimana, Burt and Wolhwend are a trio to keep an eye on as the season progresses.
The girls race did not have the finish line battles, at least not for the top spots. In fact, the girls race settled out in the first half mile. East Lake sophomore Parker Valby started out with the early lead with host Mitchell's Isabel Oliveto in tow. Behind Oliveto, Tampa Prep's Josie Garba worked into third by the first mile or so. The gaps between the three stretched as the race went on.
"I tried to look at her (Valby) as much as I could but when we went into the woods, with all the tight turns, I lost her," Oliveto said.
Meanwhile, unbeknownst to Oliveto, Garba was playing the same game.
"I don't ever look behind me," Oliveto said. "I could hear people cheering as she (Garba) went by but I didn't have a good sense of where she was."
There were roughly 20 second gaps between the first and second and second and third runners and that changed only slightly as they came down the home stretch. Valby won it in 20:23.60, Oliveto took second in 20:44.10 and Garba took third in 21:23.40. The slow course with sand and tight turns really put the brakes on the times but the course was relatively dry and free of debris.
Then came the Saint Pete onslaught. Olivia Bouffard took fourth in 22:01.90 with Alonso's Tabitha Suggs in fifth at 22:23.50. Emma Haraminac was the next Green Devil runner to cross the finish in ninth, Grace Ferwerda took 12th, Abigail Scribano took 14th and Shannon Strobhar rounded out the scoring in 16th. That put the Green Devils way out in front of runner up Sickles 50 to 118.
Bouffard had a strong finish after having to sit out the Jim Ryun. Saturday was just her third race of the season.
"Her second race, she let a lead slip, this time she was able to stay consistent," Cuff said. "She ran really good splits."
The Green Devils cobbled together a formidable team from other sports. Junior Scribano is a swimmer who Cuff said ran a "phenominal" race. Sophomore Haraminac was part of the Green Devil soccer team that made the Final 4 last year.
"This summer, she (Haraminac) came out for cross country and she's really helped our cause," Cuff said.
The number two runner from 2016, Kara Robinson wound up being the fifth scoring runner but she is coming back into shape from an injury that sidelined her. Cuff said she was just coming back to full speed.
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