High School Sports
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Eagles' Crawford races to 4-A crown
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Published: November 8, 2009
CLEMMONS
Patrick Crawford of East Forsyth took one last glance over his left shoulder and saw that the coast was clear. He raised his right arm over his head and pumped his fist in victory as he crossed the finish line, winning the NCHSAA 4-A boys cross-country championship yesterday at Tanglewood Park.
Crawford finished third in the race as a sophomore in 2007, but stumbled to a disappointing 74th-place finish last year because he had trouble with his breathing despite running in the lead pack for much of the race.
He said that the memory of last year didn't add extra motivation.
"I had pretty much forgotten about it," Crawford said. "Right after it happened, I thought about it off and on. I woke up this morning and thought about it a tiny bit, but then I told myself that it was time to go and win one. I can't even explain this. This is the best. Just the best."
Crawford was on the heels of Blake Williams of Northern Durham until about the halfway point, but made his move going up the hill that leads into the woods on the second loop.
"I set up two moves near this dirt patch right before the hill, and they both worked great," Crawford said. "I got in front and just took off from there."
Crawford finished in 15:47.11, the best time in any of the four classifications.
Bryan Spreitzer of Green Hope came in second in 15:52.14, and Jack Anderson of Reagan finished third in 15:57.
"I can't complain about third place," Anderson said. "The guys who beat me are great competitors. I thought with about 1,000 meters to go, I might have a shot at catching them (Crawford and Spreitzer), so I burned the hill as hard as I could because I thought that might be my last chance to get them. At the top of the hill, my legs started to feel a little rubbery."
Jared Neely of Mount Tabor also had a good showing, finishing in sixth place in 16:01.07.
Raleigh Sanderson won the boys team title, ending the three-year reign of Raleigh Broughton, which finished second.
In the girl's race, Laura Hoer of Asheville Roberson passed Carolyn Baskir of East Chapel Hill late in the race and held on to win in 18:13.01.
Baskir led for most of the race, but Hoer picked her spot going down a hill near the end of the 3.1-mile course to get aggressive and make a final push for the win.
"I wanted to go out with Carolyn and stay with her because she is an amazing runner who has posted some amazing times," Hoer said.
"I just wanted to stay with her as long as I could and put everything out there. I felt like I had enough left to go by her in the end. I wasn't expecting this at all. This means the world to me."
Green Hope won the girls team championship with 47 points, while Roberson, which had won the past five 3A championships before moving up to 4A, finished second with 60.
Chelsea Hollingsworth of Northwest Guilford was the top area girls performer, finishing in 16th place.
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