sports CORRESPONDENT

Mount Rainier Rams sophomore Ryan Prentice ran a good race, beating out junior teammate Aaron Smith, for first place on the boys side of things, while Rams freshman Alison Vrbanac took the girls race closely over Highline's Julia Miller.

The Rams teams won both cross country meets at Evergreen High School Thursday.

"Finally got him," said Prentice, who has been eating the dust of teammate Aaron Smith all season in the first four Seamount League meets.

"He and I have been duking it out in workouts, in practice, all season," said Prentice of he and Smith.

For Prentice, he usually was grabbing the "4" or "5" permanent black ink card from an offical after a race. But the one he wanted to get this year was No. 1. To no one's surprise, he finally he got it.

"No. 1," he said. "They took a chance giving me the card, they just kind of threw it in my hand. I was so tired."

But it feels so good to finally get the big prize.

"Yeah," he said, grinning.

Prentice is no stranger to doing well even if he hadn't notched a win yet this season in a cross country Seamount League meet. After all, he did something as a freshman that is worthy of smiling over.

"I went to state last year. It wasn't my best," he said. "I hope to go back to state and my goal is to beat my best time to date by 30 seconds there."

The Rams' other runners came in after Prentice and Smith and four straight Highline runners which was why Highline Pirates coach Jerry Bamburg was smiling.

"We were spoiled last year with our good team, and I didn't expect this team to do anything today," said Bamburg. "But I looked up during the race and wow, we were in it. I am extremely pleased with the team's progress from the beginning of the season until now."

The Pirates have a 1-5 record but this was a sign that they are better than that record.

It would be nice to have had the Rams coach Brian Jacobson be so happy, but he had good reason to be a little disgruntled after the boys race.

"We had a good first and second in Ryan and Aaron, but our next runner came in a minute later," said Jacobson. "That is too big of a gap. It was a 40 second gap before today from second place to third. We need to narrow that distance."

Prentice was 17:00 and Smith was 17:15. After those two came Highline's runners who were Josh Simons in 17:43, Erik De Silva in 17:50, Mark Rosser in 17:57, Don Stallman in 18:03 and Mustaf Bulale in 18:41. Those five coming in like they did were five reasons why it was a two-point difference between the Rams and the Pirates.

"Highline had a pack of four that was very strong," said Jacobson. "Our pack of four was never with their pack of four. They needed to be up there with them. That has got to change."

Vrbanac just held off Miller by a lone second, 20:56 to 20:57, as Miller charged back to almost win with a 75-yard sprint that ended so close yet so far.

"I know she was close," said Vrbanac. "Coach underestimated her. It was like, gosh, she's right there."

Miller was right there and a few hours earlier she was right there in her books, at late hours.

"I asked her this morning in second period how she was feeling and she said she fell asleep on her keyboard at midnight," said Bamburg. "She is taking a lot of tough classes. She's been improving running, doing better than last year at this time."

Miller was quick to say she was wanting first despite maybe being a little sleepy.

"I tried to catch her, but I couldn't," said Miller.

"Alison did really great, and just barely held her (Julia) off at the end," said Jacobson.

After those two was a consortium of Rams runners that proved the domination of that team on the girls side. Second (third overall) coming in for the Rams was Britney Due in 22:02 and third was Chasa Carlson in 22:55 and fourth was Katie Dolan in 23:19 and fifth was Tasia Slish in 24:02 to comprise the five that scored the Rams' points in this meet.

Jacobson expressed similar concern for his girls team as his boys.

"There is too big a gap between our No. 1 and No. 2 runners, that needs to be narrowed down. It is just over a one minute gap."

The Tyee boys team was good out there as a unit even though they placed down a ways thanks to the Rams and the Pirates taking the top places.

Nevertheless, they came in together.

"Michael Sereke was 11th overall and brother Behran 12th, and then Bret Ladenburg was 17th and Lafe Altien, 18th, and Jacob Lee, 20th.

That was impressive and a job well done in their coach, Bob Gunther's, eyes.

"Those five did a good job staying close together," said Gunther. "I'm really happy with the boys efforts, expecially the two brothers. That is the best they have run this season."

Bamburg noted that his five or six boys runners that score the points are all newbies, having been second fiddle last year as that team was doing well at districts and state.

"These two worked all summer," said Bamburg of Simons and DeSilva. "This one (Rosser) finally cracked varsity, and not just cracked it, they have run the best of their life. And this runner (Stallman) is a first year runner."

"The improvements are nice this year and bode well for us next year," said Bamburg, who only has Stallman and Rosser as seniors.

The district meet will be this Saturday at Evergreen High School. The girls race starts at 11:30 and the boys race is at noon and the jv race is at 12:30. The awards will be given out at 1:15. All of the Seamount League teams will be in attendance. Districts will be the following weekend.