12A • November 13, 2015 • Seaside Signal • seasidesignal.com
SignalSports
Seagulls
FLY
to a state
championship
Seaside’s Bradley Rzewnicki crosses the fi nish line to win the 4A boys OSAA
Cross Country State Championship.
Seaside’s
Bradley
Rzewnicki,
center, won
the 4A boys
OSAA Cross
Country
State Cham-
pionship.
PHOTOS BY JOSHUA BESSEX/EO MEDIA GROUP
Seaside’s Colton Carter competes in
the 4A boys OSAA Cross Country State
Championship.
First Clatsop County cross country team to win since 1992
By Gary Henley
EO Media Group
EUGENE — “Perfect and get-
tin’ better.”
That’s the greeting you get any
time you meet Seaside cross coun-
try coach Neil Branson.
Now, however, Branson can
shorten that to just “perfect,” be-
cause his Gulls can’t get any bet-
ter. They are No. 1.
“Branson’s Boys” won their
¿ rst-ever state championship Sat-
urday, Oct. 31, in Eugene, as the
Gulls — with no seniors among
their top ¿ ve runners — ¿ nished
with points to top the ¿ eld of
Class 4A teams. Phoenix was sec-
ond with 65, with Tillamook (78)
third.
And while he’s heard his last
name pronounced more than a few
different ways when he’s on the
awards stand, there’s no denying
the fact that Seaside junior Brad-
ley Rzewnicki is a winner.
Rzewnicki led the charge for
the Gulls, crossing the ¿ nish line
as the individual state champion,
¿ nishing the 5,-meter course
in 16 minutes, 13 seconds, well
ahead of Sisters senior Tony
Hooks (16:18).
Seaside’s next ¿ nisher was
junior Hunter Thompson (¿ fth,
16:34), followed by junior Jack-
son Januik (ninth, 16:4) and
sophomore Ra¿ Sibony (1th,
16:59).
“We had the same plan we did
at districts, with Bradley going
out and setting the pace,” Branson
said. “We knew he could contend
at districts, and at state there was no
reason for him not to be up there.
He has run better races each week.
Each week he’s learned more and
more about the art of racing.”
Rzewnicki went out strong, and
was either leading or running with
the lead pack right from the start.
“At 1, meters, we were
in superb position, with Bradley
right there with the leaders,” Bran-
son said. “And he never fell back.
He was always within a meter or
two.
“Just after the two-mile mark,
he was still right there, running
smooth and looking good. And
when he got on the track, he was
not to be denied. He took off
with about 4 meters left. He
just pressed it when he got on the
track, and worked that sucker. A
heck of a kick.”
Rounding out the points for
Seaside was sophomore Colton
Carter (31st, 17:39). Junior Ju-
neau Meyer was 33rd (17:46),
and senior Jack Whittle was 89th
(19:6).
“The other boys were all in
position at the 1,-meter mark,
and they held it,” Branson said.
“Hunter has some wheels, and
he got within snif¿ ng distance of
the leaders; Jackson is just plain
tough; and Ra¿ was spent after the
race, but he recovered quickly.
“We told Colton and Juneau,
µ<ou’re not a ¿ fth and sixth run-
ner,’” Branson said. “They had to
push each other and help each oth-
er out. And they did.”
Watching Rzewnicki, he said,
“was amazing. He takes his talents
and maximizes it. That’s what it’s
all about.”
Seaside’s Katie Zagata competes
during the OSAA 4A girls Cross
Country State Championship at
Lane Community College in Eugene.
North Coast champs
The Seaside boys are the ¿ rst
from Clatsop County to win a
cross country state championship
since Carl Dominey’s Astoria
boys won a state title in 199.
“A long time coming,” Bran-
son said. “This state championship
is really a reÀ ection of the district
meet, and everybody showing
courage. From the kids who had
never competed in a 5K, to bat-
tling injuries, they all stepped up.”
In the Class 4A girls’ race, Sea-
side junior Josie Smith ¿ nished
16th out of 18 runners, in :4.
Freshman teammate Katie Zagata
was 3th in 1:1.
“Josie was 17th her freshman
and sophomore year, so she moved
up a spot,” Branson said. “This is
her third year of being all-state,
and that doesn’t happen a lot.”
Soccer elimination
Battling in the chilly night air
under the bright lights of Broad-
way Field, the Junction City and
Seaside boys soccer teams had to
put in a little overtime to come up
with a winner Tuesday, Nov. 3,
in a ¿ rst round game of the Class
4A state playoffs. Eighty minutes
just wasn’t enough, as a goal with
a little under eight minutes left in
Seaside’s Hunter Thompson races
Tillamook’s Ayrton Ledesma to
the fi nish.
a second overtime period — the
9nd minute — gave the Tigers a
dramatic -1 victory. Junction City
senior Davide Zeminian scored
the goal with 7:15 remaining. The
No. 9 seed Tigers were the only
road team to win in the eight ¿ rst -
round state playoff games. While
the Junction City players enjoyed
the win and a long bus ride home,
the Gulls also left the ¿ eld feeling
pretty good about their 15 sea-
son. A Cowapa League champi-
onship, with 11 overall wins and
13 players returning next year?
The Gulls will take their lumps
now to build an even better team
next year. The semi¿ nal game was
well-played on both sides. Chap-
man called it “the best game of the
season for Coughlin. Perfect way
for a senior goalkeeper to ¿ nish.
That was by far his best game in
goal all year.”