Keeley takes advantage in a rush

 

AURORA – No doubt this has been a strange beginning to the 2020-21 sports year.

Indeed, Season A, in the new layout in the time of the coronavirus (COVID-19), has had a high number of changes, restrictions and adjustments. (See: The current, week-long exchanges between the state organization and Governor concerning football and other traditional fall sports.)

However, cross country has had more than its share, especially when considering runners wear their mask up to the starting line and directions for removing masks is in the starters’ cadence. There also are fewer runners and fewer larger meets. And a postseason that will be about as thin as a high-end competitor’s upper body awaits, including for qualifying.

Just don’t blame the prep runners, who are attempting to employ strategy as well as training during arguably the most-trying season in Colorado annals.

Example: On Friday, when the latest Centennial League meet, hosted by Grandview, was contested at a refreshingly brisk and breezy Arapahoe County Fairgrounds, a couple of Mullen’s top performers were held out in favor of training for races down the road and others used the race to gain improvement.

So Mustangs senior Patrick Keeley took the opportunity to finish sixth and lower his time. He had been hoping to crack 17 minutes, 50 seconds, and turned in 17:40.80. Keeley had had concussion problems in soccer.

“It’s pretty nice,” he said of his finish. “It felt good.”

Regardless of who was there or wasn’t there, Keeley said “I just like running.”

And with only six runners permitted per race, Keeley said he’d like to be one of the Mustangs’ half-dozen regulars.

In addition, senior Aidan Schwarz also cracked the top 10, taking eighth in 17:47.60.

Freshman Jacob Sushinsky was 12^th (17:58.00), junior Travis Hockin 26^th (18:34.60) and junior Diego Taboada 34^th (18:59.10).

Mullen’s top two runners, Michael Dudzic and Patrick Tolbert, were held out as they are training for later meets, coach Joe Welling said. And he said Owen McCarter, coming off a knee injury, will run in Saturday’s junior-varsity race.

Overall, Mullen totaled 86 to take third place. First was Cherry Creek (36). The individual winner was Grandview’s Peter Fox (16:34).

For girls, Mullen was intact and it showed -- sophomore Amy O’Connell was sixth in 20:13.60, just more than 19 seconds off the pace.

Freshman Julia Brown was ninth (20:57.40), sophomore Kira Van der Steen 19^th  (22:20.50), sophomore Kennedy McCamley 22^nd (22:42.30) and sophomore Octavia Gomez 27^th (23:37.60).

As a team, the Mustangs scored 81 for fourth. First was Cherry Creek (36). And the individual winner was Anna Bridges of Arapahoe (19:54.30).

Here’s a link to results:

https://co.milesplit.com/meets/394023-centennial-league-fairgrounds-5k/results#.X1xTBBBKipp