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Topsail boys capture 2A regional crown, Loewen leads girls to second place finish
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TOPSAIL VOICE
By Lee Wagner
JACKSONVILLE – While one thing that occurred at the NCHSAA 2A East Regional Cross Country Championships on Saturday was pretty much expected, something else was very unexpected, and both results benefitted the teams from Topsail High School.
Zatha Loewen captured the individual gold medal in the girls race, almost a given due to the outstanding results posted by the dynamic senior runner all year long, and paced the girls’ team to a second-place finish at the 2A championships at Jacksonville-Northside High School.
But the surprise came in the boys’ race where sophomore Hans Loewen – Zatha’s younger brother, finished fifth individually in 18:01 and led a contingent of five Pirate runners across the finish line among the top 26 finishers as Topsail won the team trophy with 83 points, two ahead of First Flight, which had 85 points.
“Happy is not the word,” said Topsail Coach Roy Brandenburg when quizzed on how he felt about the boys’ finish. “I thought it would come down to Richlands and First Flight but the guys went out there with a purpose and we came in first, by two points.”
While Hans Loewen’s fifth-place finish was important, as were the finishes of senior Kevin Higdon (9th in 18:20) and Tyler Zinser (18th in 19:05), the deciding factor was the finishes of Jon Wright and Philip Davis.
After the first three runners on both Topsail and First Flight crossed the finish line, First Flight held a 28-32 advantage, as their top three runners were third, sixth, and 19th. Topsail’s first three were fifth, ninth, and 18th, thus the four point difference.
But Wright crossed the line in 25th place with a time of 19:27, and Davis was right behind him in 26th place in 19:33. First Flight’s fourth and fifth runners were Charles Brady (28th in 19:38) and Barry Lawler (29th in 19:41). That created a six-point turnaround in the team scoring, and gave the Pirates the victory.
“That was huge,” said Brandenburg, who is in his first year as head cross country coach. “That was definitely the turning point, and it was what we had to do. Jon and Philip really came through for the team, as did all the runners. It is a great win for this program.”
Zatha Loewen was, well, Zatha Loewen! Undefeated to this point in every race in which she participated in 2009, the talented senior crossed the finish line in 20:01, outdistancing her teammate Kelsey Davis, who was second in 20:44. That helped the Lady Pirates attain 61 points and second place.
Talented Croatan won the girls’ team trophy by placing five girls among the top 10 finishers en route to 32 points.
Brandenburg said Zatha’s win was not unexpected, nor was the second-place finish by Davis.
“If she (Davis) had not come in second at (East Central 2A) conference I really would have been surprised,” Bradenburg said. “She has really come around this year, and she wants to be as close to the top as she can.”
The state championship races are set for this Saturday at Tanglewood Park in Clemmons. The boys’ 2A race will begin at 10:30 a.m., and the girls’ 2A race will kick off at 11:30 a.m.
Boys’ Team Scoring: 1. Topsail 83; 2. First Flight 85; 3. Beddingfield 112; 4. Swansboro 119; 5. Richlands 125; 6. South Lenoir 126; 7. Croatan 169; 8. Tarboro 207; 9. North Pitt 210; 10. Farmville 267; 11. East Duplin 276; 12. Jacksonville-Northside 320; 13. Edenton Holmes 343.
Individual Results: 1. Ben Sterett (Swansboro) 16:29; 2. Jamar Davis (Richlands) 17:15; 3. Ryan Wallace (First Flight) 17:28; 4. Jacob Oehl (Croatan) 17:53; 5. Hans Loewen (Topsail) 18:01; 6. James Seal (First Flight) 18:06; 7. John Rabon (Richlands) 18:13; 8. Chase Johnson (Tarboro) 18:16; 9. Kevin Higdon (Topsail) 18:20; 10. Paul Tyndall (South Lenoir) 18:21.
Other Topsail Finishers: 18. Tyler Zinser 19:05; 25. Jon Wright 19:27; 26. Philip Davis 19:33; 31. Even Baker 19:43; 38. David Talbert 20:00.
Girls’ Team Scoring: 1. Croatan 32; 2. Topsail 61; 3. Swansboro 113; 4. First Flight 121; 5. Northeastern 131; 6. EdentonHolmes 143; 7. Richlands 178; 8. South Lenoir 187; 9. North Pitt 226; 10. Farmville 284.
Individual results: 1. Zatha Loewen (Topsail) 20:01; 2. Kelsey Davis (Topsail) 20:44; 3. Kendra Dorn (Croatan) 21:01; 4. Kayla Baker (Croatan) 21:04; 5. Alex Tavenier (Northeastern) 21:14; 6. Isabelle Boehling (Edenton Holmes) 21:28; 7. Dana Guthrie (Croatan) 21:37; 8. Abbey Fuqua (Croatan) 21:52; 9. Brenna Grass (Swansboro) 22:00; 10. Mary Stegall (Croatan) 22:04.
Other Topsail Finishers: 17. Kerry Walsh 22:53; 19: Dayna Rogers 23:19; 22. Sofie Rodo 23:46; 24. Christina Neitzey 23:54; 25. Sarah Medlin 24:02.
Zatha Loewen captured the individual gold medal in the girls race, almost a given due to the outstanding results posted by the dynamic senior runner all year long, and paced the girls’ team to a second-place finish at the 2A championships at Jacksonville-Northside High School.
But the surprise came in the boys’ race where sophomore Hans Loewen – Zatha’s younger brother, finished fifth individually in 18:01 and led a contingent of five Pirate runners across the finish line among the top 26 finishers as Topsail won the team trophy with 83 points, two ahead of First Flight, which had 85 points.
“Happy is not the word,” said Topsail Coach Roy Brandenburg when quizzed on how he felt about the boys’ finish. “I thought it would come down to Richlands and First Flight but the guys went out there with a purpose and we came in first, by two points.”
While Hans Loewen’s fifth-place finish was important, as were the finishes of senior Kevin Higdon (9th in 18:20) and Tyler Zinser (18th in 19:05), the deciding factor was the finishes of Jon Wright and Philip Davis.
After the first three runners on both Topsail and First Flight crossed the finish line, First Flight held a 28-32 advantage, as their top three runners were third, sixth, and 19th. Topsail’s first three were fifth, ninth, and 18th, thus the four point difference.
But Wright crossed the line in 25th place with a time of 19:27, and Davis was right behind him in 26th place in 19:33. First Flight’s fourth and fifth runners were Charles Brady (28th in 19:38) and Barry Lawler (29th in 19:41). That created a six-point turnaround in the team scoring, and gave the Pirates the victory.
“That was huge,” said Brandenburg, who is in his first year as head cross country coach. “That was definitely the turning point, and it was what we had to do. Jon and Philip really came through for the team, as did all the runners. It is a great win for this program.”
Zatha Loewen was, well, Zatha Loewen! Undefeated to this point in every race in which she participated in 2009, the talented senior crossed the finish line in 20:01, outdistancing her teammate Kelsey Davis, who was second in 20:44. That helped the Lady Pirates attain 61 points and second place.
Talented Croatan won the girls’ team trophy by placing five girls among the top 10 finishers en route to 32 points.
Brandenburg said Zatha’s win was not unexpected, nor was the second-place finish by Davis.
“If she (Davis) had not come in second at (East Central 2A) conference I really would have been surprised,” Bradenburg said. “She has really come around this year, and she wants to be as close to the top as she can.”
The state championship races are set for this Saturday at Tanglewood Park in Clemmons. The boys’ 2A race will begin at 10:30 a.m., and the girls’ 2A race will kick off at 11:30 a.m.
Boys’ Team Scoring: 1. Topsail 83; 2. First Flight 85; 3. Beddingfield 112; 4. Swansboro 119; 5. Richlands 125; 6. South Lenoir 126; 7. Croatan 169; 8. Tarboro 207; 9. North Pitt 210; 10. Farmville 267; 11. East Duplin 276; 12. Jacksonville-Northside 320; 13. Edenton Holmes 343.
Individual Results: 1. Ben Sterett (Swansboro) 16:29; 2. Jamar Davis (Richlands) 17:15; 3. Ryan Wallace (First Flight) 17:28; 4. Jacob Oehl (Croatan) 17:53; 5. Hans Loewen (Topsail) 18:01; 6. James Seal (First Flight) 18:06; 7. John Rabon (Richlands) 18:13; 8. Chase Johnson (Tarboro) 18:16; 9. Kevin Higdon (Topsail) 18:20; 10. Paul Tyndall (South Lenoir) 18:21.
Other Topsail Finishers: 18. Tyler Zinser 19:05; 25. Jon Wright 19:27; 26. Philip Davis 19:33; 31. Even Baker 19:43; 38. David Talbert 20:00.
Girls’ Team Scoring: 1. Croatan 32; 2. Topsail 61; 3. Swansboro 113; 4. First Flight 121; 5. Northeastern 131; 6. EdentonHolmes 143; 7. Richlands 178; 8. South Lenoir 187; 9. North Pitt 226; 10. Farmville 284.
Individual results: 1. Zatha Loewen (Topsail) 20:01; 2. Kelsey Davis (Topsail) 20:44; 3. Kendra Dorn (Croatan) 21:01; 4. Kayla Baker (Croatan) 21:04; 5. Alex Tavenier (Northeastern) 21:14; 6. Isabelle Boehling (Edenton Holmes) 21:28; 7. Dana Guthrie (Croatan) 21:37; 8. Abbey Fuqua (Croatan) 21:52; 9. Brenna Grass (Swansboro) 22:00; 10. Mary Stegall (Croatan) 22:04.
Other Topsail Finishers: 17. Kerry Walsh 22:53; 19: Dayna Rogers 23:19; 22. Sofie Rodo 23:46; 24. Christina Neitzey 23:54; 25. Sarah Medlin 24:02.
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