OTTAWA — A dreaded “side stitch” did in Iola High’s Kohl Endicott Saturday. ON THE GIRLS’ side, a knee injury prevented sophomore Abigail Taylor from entering Saturday’s race.
Endicott, Iola High’s top cross country runner, was situated perfectly near the front of the Class 4A Regional Meet, even after a near disastrous start. He narrowly avoided being knocked to the ground as the stampede of 94 runners barrelled down the opening hill.
Still, Endicott recovered quickly enough to take the lead about a mile into the course.
But by the next mile, “it was obvious Kohl was in trouble,” IHS head coach Marv Smith said.
Endicott still was in qualifying position, but holding his side.
The side stitch — a mysterious, sharp pain in a runner’s side — feels much like being stabbed with a big, dull knife, Smith noted.
“It’s intense pain, and it does not go away until the body has completely cooled down and recovered,” Smith said. “It could not have happened to Kohl at a worse time. It pretty much shuts you down.”
Endicott, who easily would have otherwise placed in the top 12 and advanced to this weekend’s 4A state race in Wamego, instead labored through the end of Ottawa’s brutal Eisenhower Road Course.
He wound up in 25th, finishing in 19 minutes, 11 seconds. He was passed at the line by teammate and freshman, Braden Plumlee.
The duo finished about 40 seconds out of a state qualifying spot.
“Kohl and Braden weren’t far from making it to the state meet individually,” Smith said.
Amid the disappointment of not making it to state is an optimism that the IHS squad still has a bright future.
Endicott and Plumlee both will return for Iola next season, as well as a number of strong underclassmen, Smith noted.
“Braden had his best race of the season,” Smith said, even though his time was about a minute slower than his mark one week earlier at the Pioneer League meet at Central Heights.
The slower times can be attributed to Ottawa’s course, which features the infamous “Big Buddha,” the steep incline that marks both the start and finish. Runners must make their way back up the hill to reach the finish line.
Smith said the IHS runners trained by practicing feverishly along the hill at Elk’s Lake south of Iola, “but we do not have any terrain that gives us hill workouts.”
The Ottawa course also is considerably more rugged than the state meet course in Wamego, he noted.
Plumlee finished the 5k run in 19:10.
Senior Jeremy Spears finished his high school career with a time of 19:34, good for 32nd. Travis Hermstein was next in 37th at 19:49. Blaine Klubek, Colby Works and Michael Wilson rounded out the top seven for Iola.
“Travis also had his best race of the year and was our number four scorer,” Smith said.
The Mustangs finished sixth as a team with 157 points.
Baldwin finished in first with 36 points, Ottawa in second at 61 and Girard in third at 68. Paola was fourth with 104 and Spring Hill fifth in 143.
As an aside, Anderson County, which edged Iola by a single point to win the Pioneer League team championship, finished in seventh at 180 points at the regional meet.
Smith noted Iola returns much of its nucleus in 2014, leaving him optimistic for the team’s future.
“Having Endicott, Plumlee, Hermstein and Klubek will give the boys a good nucelus,” he said. “We also have a couple of other freshmen on our top 10 roster, Isaiah Fawson and Kendall Jay.
“Overall, this has been a really good season for the boys,” Smith said.
“Abigail would have had a good chance, but only if she had no leg problems,” Smith said.
In her stead, Iola’s Megan Klubek was the only IHS runner in the girls race.
She ended the year on a high note, finishing in 31st in the 4k course at 18:35.
“Megan had her best race of the season,” Smith said. “She was about 15 seconds slower than her usual time. Considering the terrain of the Ottawa course, that time was very good. It was a very good race for Megan to finish up her freshman year.”
Taylor is a sophomore, Klubek a freshman. Both are certain to make their mark again in 2014.
Class 4A Regionals
Boys (5k)
1. Dakota Helm, Baldwin, 17:16
24. Braden Plumlee, 19:10
25. Kohl Endicott, 19:11
32. Jeremy Spears, 19:34
37. Travis Hermstein, 19:49
48. Blaine Klubek, 20:11
57. Colby Works, 20:37
61. Michael Wilson, 20:48
Team scores
1. Baldwin, 35; 2. Ottawa, 61; 3. Girard, 68; 4. Paola, 104; 5. Spring Hill, 143; 6. Iola, 157; 7. Anderson County, 180
Girls (4k)
1. Cailie Logue, Girard, 15:30.65
31. Megan Klubek, 18:35
Iola runners compete at regional CC meet
