Cross Country Qualifies Full Slate for State

Posted November 5, 2017 / Last updated November 8, 2017

Jesuit’s cross country team qualified a full seven-man roster for the state meet with its performance in the regional meet on Nov. 3.

Jesuit cross country coach Rudy Horvath ’86 trusts his bench. He really, really trusts his bench.

Imagine it’s the final game of the regular season, with a post season playoff berth on the line. Would Jesuit basketball coach Chris Jennings ’78 rest his starters so they’d be in peak form for a playoff game that wasn’t guaranteed to happen? Would football coach Mark Songy start his back-up linemen?

But that’s exactly what Horvath did in the Region 3-5A cross country championships at City Park on Friday, Nov. 3. In a win or go home situation, Horvath sent out the equivalent of his second string into the 16-team field knowing full well the stakes–only the top eight teams would earn the right to send full seven-man squads to the state meet at Northwestern State University in Natchitoches on Nov. 14.

“Look, I don’t think of these guys as second string,” said Horvath. “They’re all battle-tested and tough as nails. The only difference between them and the top-tier guys is a few seconds here and there.”

Horvath’s confidence in his troops was rewarded with a solid 4th-place finish.

Brenner Rauch was first across the line with a time of 17:05 on the three-mile course, followed closely by fellow senior Chris Ross at 17:08. They were followed by senior Ryan Guillot (17:21) senior Peter Carr (17:26), sophomore Luke LaCour (17:30), and sophomore Cameron Cancienne (17:57).

Rauch and Ross both turned heads with their performances. Rauch shaved a full 35 seconds from his time at the 9-5A District championship on Oct. 25. Ross, meanwhile, bested the time he posted in his 7th-place overall finish at the Jack Schommer Invitational back on Oct. 21 by 27 seconds.

Horvath will announce his seven-man line-up for state soon. It’s a pretty safe bet that the five runners who posted sub 17-minute times at district are in. They are senior Jordan Tufts, freshman Jack Wallace, sophomore Brandon Hall, junior Harrison LeBlanc, and senior Michael Williams.

The two remaining spots will likely come down to a trio of seniors–Jonathan Arnold, Rauch and Ross.

Galleries

Cross Country Regionals Nov 3 2017

Luke LaCour holds off challengers.
Ryan Guillot poses for a family pic.
Chris Ross poses for a family pic.
Ryan Guillot, Chris Ross, and Peter Carr await the final results.
...as does former cross country coach Peter Kernion.
Haed coach Rudy Horvath and assistant Peter Flores like the results...
English teacher Mike Prados gathers runners for some post-race literary analysis.
Chris Ross gets a hand from his dad.
Brenner Rauch is congratulated by supporters after the race.
Cameron Cancienne finishes strong.
...and passes them in the final stretch.
Luke LaCour sets his sights on a Hahnville Tiger and a John Ehret Patriot...
Ryan Guillot heads for the finish line.
Chris Ross still has some gas left in the tank for the home stretch.
Cheered on by his dog and his sister, Chris Ross heads for the finish.
Brenner Rauch heads for the finish.
And they're off!
Assistant coach Peter Flores flashes his old running skills to meet runners on another section of the course.
Luke LaCour rounds a corner.
Peter Carr and Ryan Guillot are right behind them.
Chris Ross and Brenner Rauch take on the first of the vaunted tee box hills.
Peter Carr, Luke LaCour, and Cameron Cancienne keep pace.
Ryan Guillot leads a pack of runners.
Chris Ross and Brenner Rauch look strong early.
Peter Carr takes a warm-up sprint.
Harrison LeBlanc, facing camera, and his fellow fans do an inadvertent Abbey Road cover impersonation on their way to the starting line.
Henry McAloon rushes to get a good view of the start.
Fans, including Clay Valentine and Logan Raymond, were out in abundance.
The team takes a warm-up jog at the start.
The team heads to the starting line.
Harrison LeBlanc provides the pre-race entertainment by wowing the crowd with his soccer skills.