Johnson cruises to SPSL cross country championship; Simon finishes second

By Casey Olson • October 25, 2010 6:33 pm
Federal Way's Jasmine Johnson cruises to the victory at the SPSL Sub-district Cross Country Meet Saturday at Fort Steilacoom Park in Spanaway. Johnson won the race by nearly 40 seconds.
Federal Way's Jasmine Johnson cruises to the victory at the SPSL Sub-district Cross Country Meet Saturday at Fort Steilacoom Park in Spanaway. Johnson won the race by nearly 40 seconds.

One race down and two more to go for Federal Way High School’s Jasmine Johnson.

The Federal Way senior started her postseason run Saturday by winning the South Puget Sound League 4A Sub-distict cross country title at Fort Steilacoom Park in Spanaway. Johnson will try to keep things rolling next weekend at the huge West Central District Meet at the American Lake Golf Course. The Class 4A State Cross Country Meet is slated for Nov. 6 at the Sun Willows Golf Course in Pasco.

Johnson obliterated the field over the 5-kilometer course on Saturday. Johnson finished in 18:34, which was eight seconds in front of second-place Rachel Atwood from Auburn Riverside.

Tahoma won the team competition at Steilacoom Park with 69 points, followed by Thomas Jefferson (116 points). The Raiders were led by the running of Leah Kiyohara and Brianna Calveri. Kiyohara finished 13th and Calveri followed in 14th.

Johnson’s win helped the Eagles take 13th place and Beamer finished in 12th, led by the seventh-place performance by Sara Mussa.

But the best race of the day came on the boys’ side between Auburn Riverside’s Korey Krotzer and Federal Way’s Meron Simon. The twosome dueled down the final stretch before Krotzer outleaned Simon at the finish line. Krotzer won the boys’ race in a time of 15:20.8 and Simon followed right behind just .4 seconds back in a time of 15:21.2.

Krotzer and Simon were clearly the class of the boys’ field. Auburn Riverside’s Keefe Hanson finished in third place during the race nearly 40 seconds behind the two leaders. Thomas Jefferson senior Chase Braxmeyer finished up in fourth in a time of 16:01.8.

Auburn Riverside dominated the team standings on Saturday. The Ravens won with just 33 total points. Puyallup ended up second with 102, Kentwood third (106) and Kentridge fourth with 110 points. Simon’s second-place finish helped the Eagles place fifth (111 points), Beamer was seventh (212) and Jefferson ended up ninth (237).

SPSL 3A Sub-District Meet

The Decatur boys were led by the 20th place finish by Paul Pinkstaff Saturday at Fort Steilacoom Park. The Gators ended up in eighth place with 220 points. Peninsula won the team title.