Corinth Holders girls, Cleveland Rams boys win Two Rivers 3A cross country titles

Jacob Gonzalez couldn’t have asked for a better start to his much-anticipated postseason – and not just because he crossed the finish line first in the boys’ race at Wednesday’s Two Rivers 3A Conference cross country championships at Smithfield-Selma High.

Gonzalez, a decorated junior from South Johnston, was fiercely challenged by Cleveland’s Gable Dershem, who spent the majority of the trek positioned directly behind his chief rival’s left shoulder.

Finally, Gonzalez broke free with 800 yards remaining to outdistance Dershem by eight seconds.

It was just the test Gonzalez was looking for as he prepared for the 3A East regionals, which will be Oct. 31 in Red Oak.

“I got scared a bit,” Gonzalez said of Dershem’s constant presence. “You just have to think about keeping your pace. The only thing that matters is how the race ends. You just hope all of the intervals and hills you have done will pay off and help with your foot speed at the end.”

Gonzalez closed at 15 minutes, 51 seconds to repeat as the Two Rivers 3A individual champion. Dershem was solid in the second spot, and his twin brother, Wyatt, claimed third at 16:36.

Back in August, Gonzalez became only the second runner in course history to break the 16-minute barrier at Red Oak, which will serve as the home layout for Northern Nash. Gonzalez won that race easily, but he fell at Red Oak in last year’s regionals to Northern Nash’s Stephen Whitehead. He would love nothing more than to avenge that loss while earning his second regional title in three seasons.

“I’m looking at this as a second chance,” Gonzalez said. “I was sick last year, and that slowed me down a bit. I gave it all I had, but (Whitehead) ate his vitamins that day.”

Gonzalez was healthy and determined Wednesday, and even celebrated his heroics with a victory leap at the finish line – rising high to touch a plastic banner that was stretched across the closing on-track portion of the course at Charles T. Tucker Stadium.

Two Rivers 3A powers Cleveland and Corinth Holders both expect to be factors in the boys’ standings at the regionals.

But when it mattered the most, Cleveland ended the Pirates’ recent team reign of Two Rivers 3A titles by two points Wednesday.

The Rams, fueled by the finishes of the Dershem twins, accumulated 39 points, compared to 41 for Corinth Holders.

“We knew it was going to be close,” Cleveland coach Marissa Wingate said. “Most of our kids cut 30-40 seconds off their best times this year. It just came down to heart. Corinth Holders beat us with their sixth scorer to win the conference last season –we weren’t going to leave it to chance this time.”

But Cleveland’s crown wasn’t finalized until the closing turn. That’s when Rams runners Nick Loscalzo and Michael Franklin used huge kicks to overtake opponents – and shave needed points off Cleveland’s cumulative total. Cleveland also received a better-than-expected ninth-place performance from Thomas Tew at 17:49.

Although Corinth Holders was foiled in the boys’ race, the Pirates had no problem running away with the girls’ team championship.

With six runners finishing among the top nine, Corinth Holders won its third consecutive league title for coach Joe Johnston. The Pirates picked up a scant 19 points, compared to 45 for runner-up Cleveland.

Corinth Holders’ Kayla Ste. Marie, a senior, was the girls’ individual champion after taking second place in 2014. But Ste. Marie needed to hold off teammate Rachel Strickland, who ran hip-to-hip with Ste. Marie until the closing 200 yards.

Ste. Marie (20:21) gained some distance down the stretch to outlast Strickland by two seconds. Fellow Pirates runner Cameron Rutherford was right behind in the third position at 20:24.

“Rachel had me worried a bit,’’ Ste. Marie said. “She had an amazing race – one minute better than her personal best. It really helped to have someone right there pushing me the whole time. I think it helped both of us get faster times.”

Johnston hopes his club’s depth will pay off with a top-four finish at the regionals, which would qualify the Pirates for the team portion of the state meet.

“I think we are projected first right now (in the region), but West Carteret and Jacksonville will be strong, among others,” Johnston said. “If we go out and do what we are capable of, we should be in good shape.”

This story was originally published October 21, 2015 at 9:26 PM with the headline "Corinth Holders girls, Cleveland Rams boys win Two Rivers 3A cross country titles."