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SALT LAKE CITY — Nobody from Davis' boys cross country team crossed the finish line first at the Class 5A Boys State Cross Country Meet Wednesday.
Nor did they cross second. Or third. Or fourth.
But Davis coach Corbin Talley didn't panic. After all, as he's preached to his team all year, cross country is a team sport.
When the final team totals were tallied and the trophies handed out, the Darts stood with their championship trophy held over their heads, placing runners in spots 6-13 within 18.4 seconds of each other to snap an incredible run of six straight state championships by third-place American Fork.
"On this hard course, it's phenomenal. I'm so proud of the way we ran as a team," said Talley while fighting back his emotions. "Our top guy was in sixth place, but we still won by quite a shot against some great teams."
Getting a team of 16-, 17- and 18-year-old boys to buy into a team concept in cross country — a sport normally viewed as individual in nature — wasn't always easy. But the Davis coaching staff preached it every day, and the season-long process culminated Wednesday when Camren Todd finished sixth with a time of 15 minutes, 26.8 seconds and the rest of his team was less than 20 seconds behind him.
"It totally motivates us to have our team next to us, pushing us," said Todd, one of two juniors in the Dart harriers' top five. "It's the most motivating thing you can have in a race."
Logan MacKay, who finished eighth overall, admitted it's a bit of a strange concept for racers to focus on the team over an individual performance.
"Our coaches tell us over and over again, and it's Colorado State's cross country team's philosophy: cross country is only a team sport," said MacKay, who finished in 15:36.5. "We really believe that.
"When our teammates run by us and catch up to us, it is so motivating. That just means that they are in it, too, and we know how fast we are going. We train with each other, and we know where we are with them."
Colter Blanchard finished in 15:42.5 for Davis, followed by Colton Rimann in 15:44.8 and Matt Ward in 15:45.2. When Talley saw his third, fourth and fifth runners within the pack that also featured his top two finishing their final sprint, he knew the Darts had just knocked off an incredible run by the Cavemen.
Meanwhile, Lehi — which finished third in region — surged to a runner-up finish behind Connor Arnell's third-place finish in 15:20.1. Ryan Raff added a seventh-place finish in 15:32.0 for the Pioneers, whose fifth runner came in just 46 seconds later.
American Fork took home the individual champion in Casey Clinger, who surged late to finish eight seconds ahead of the crowd in 14:52.8.
The junior featured on the Cavemen squad a year ago that capped their sixth-straight, but earning his first individual title was also special.
"I got excited. I knew that I could be the state champ, and so I started to pick it up," Clinger said through tears of joy. "I got to 250, 200 and I just went for it. It was a lot different race than I was expecting."
CLASS 4A — Ogden's Alek Parsons' sprint to the finish paid off with an individual state title in 14:58.9, five seconds ahead of second-place William Handley of Timpanogos and third-place Garek Bielaczyc of East.
The Timberwolves won the team title, placing three runners in the top 10 to finish with a score of 42. Ogden was second at 65, followed by Olympus at 76.
CLASS 3A — Nick Hill topped the race in 15:43.5 to claim individual glory, and Canyon View's McKade Steffensen was nearly 10 seconds ahead of the first big pack in 15:50.6 for second place.
Third-place finisher Jaiden Melendrez led Desert Hills to the team title with a score of 32, followed by Pine View (59) and Stansbury (76).
CLASS 2A — North Summit's Jace Richins finished in 16:21.9 to win his first state title, and Wasatch Academy's Devin Mesquite was second in 16:35.5.
Millard took the team title with a score of 87, followed by Emery (105) and North Summit (107).
CLASS 1A — Monticello's Tyler Bird won the race in 16:32.2, more than 25 seconds ahead of runner-up Justin Levine of Telos Academy.
Third-place finisher Jonah Schoppe (17:05.7) and fourth-placer Trenton Stowe (17:26.8) led Panguitch to the team championship with a resounding score of 47, 23 more than second-place Parowan. Monticello was third at 90.
CLASS 5A Davis 50 Lei 73 American Fork 88 Lone Peak 96 Weber 162CLASS 4A Timpanogos 42 Ogden 65 Olympus 76 Orem 171 Woods Cross 196CLASS 3A Desert Hills 32 Pine View 59 Stansbury 76 Canyon View 93 Cedar 129CLASS 2A Millard 87 Emery 105 North Summit 107 Delta 110 Manti 110CLASS 1A Panguitch 47 Parowan 70 Monticello 90 Whitehorse 125 Saint Joseph 118
