Spruce Creek is a full-service school. For the two buck entry, you not only get to watch the meet dujour, but also audit both football and baseball practice, listen to the marching band, and observe The Gator 4X2 dirt track races. It was all so entertaining--and distracting--that if you didn't pay attention to where you were standing (and what you were watching), it could easily become an interactive experience: "Ralph, move! You're standing in the middle of the finish line!" GIRLS RACE Zoe Volenec, unlike Ralphwriter, knew exactly where she was. "I let Brooke (Landry) and Julie (Schorner) set the first mile pace," she explained. "I took the lead in the woods. Being it's a home course, I knew about the sand. That's where my opportunity came." The sand she was referring to is Spruce Creek's "secret weapon." Continually training on it not only has made their team's depth the envy of two counties, but also quite familiar with its nuances. Most of the squad knows where to step, and where not to. And since the 600 or so meters of beach-like terrain on the two-loop course is strategically located just before the finish, it has been known to demoralize visiting teams. "There's certain spots where it's hard. Julie didn't know where they were. I was going back and forth (on the hard spots), and that's where I took the lead." Like most beaches, this one also had a "sea"; one of orange and black (Spruce Creek colors) worn by--literally--hundreds of athletes and spectators. "As I was running by, people were saying "You've got a huge lead!" Despite being the defending champion (Volenec ran 22:16 to win in 2008), she entered the race with a healthy respect for her competition, especially Flagler-Palm Coast's two top runners. "I was nervous all day. Mentally, I've put a lot of pressure on myself to live up to Mandy's (Perkins, who graduated last May) legacy. Julia (FPC freshman)…she's a really good runner. She ran 20:07 this week (Bale 'n' Trail). And Brooke Landry is also a really good runner." (Landry ran 20:16, finishing 25th--a place behind Schorner--at the same meet.) Zoe won the 2009 5 Star Freshman-Sophomore Girls Championship race in 21:05. Along with Landry (second in 21:41) and Schorner (third in 21:55), these three were the only girls to sidestep a 22-minute finish. GIRLS TEAM RACE Spruce Creek's 23 points (1-4-5-6-7-8-10) was a third of both Flagler-Palm Coast's 71 (2-3-11-23-32-34), and Sea breeze's 79 (9-15-16-18-21-27-29). 67 girls competed for five full teams. BOYS RACE Freshman Zach Rooney (15), has been running JV up to now, but all that may change as a result of a stellar win in a meet rarely won by freshmen. "I wanted to do good, come in first place," he said later. "At least be one of the first runners. I wanted to beat the time (19:08) of the sophomore (Brian LaStarza) who won it last year. I think I ran 18:50." His strategy was simple. "I wanted to stay in first for most of the race, keep everyone behind me, and surge (on the) hills." Zach's personal best, 18:14.81, was run at FLX two weeks earlier. That time placed him 21st of 515 runners in the JV White race, one of the top seven freshman. The difference in time will attest to the difficulty of the Spruce Creek course, despite its being familiar to the 2009 Champion. BOYS TEAM RACE As in the Girls race, it was Spruce Creek . Their 19 (1-3-4-5-6-8-9) beat Seabreeze's 62 (2-13-14-16-17-18-19) by a bunch. SC's bunch was all in the top 10. "The Breeze's" bunch was in the teens. 80 boys ran for five full teams. Girls Top 10 School Time Boys Top 10 School Time 1) Zoe Volenec SC 21:05 1) Zach Volenec SC 18:50 2) Brooke Landy FPC 21:41 2) James Blasco SB 19:01 3) Julia Schorner FPC 21:55 3) Mike Fabian SC 19:20 4) Tori Earhart SC 22:21 4) Brad Walbert FPC 19:28 5) Kathryn LaStarza SC 22:22 5) Mike Turturro SC 19:38 6) Rainy Tyner SC 22:24 6) Brian Bartleson SC 19:50 7) Jocelyn Adona SC 22:26 7) Kevin Duffy FPC 19:50 8) Savannah Weaver SC 22:30 8) JamesArmor SC 20:18 9) Kelly Brownrigg SB 22:49 9) CJ Westfall Deland 20:24