A lot of runners from Federal Way, Decatur and Todd Beamer, competed for the annual all-city cross country meet championship and Thomas Jefferson's boys and girls won both competitions on their home 3.1 mile course Wednesday.

TJ's girls, led by senior Kenna Patrick, easily won the girls side of things, 16 for their team, 51 for the next closest, Todd Beamer, and, the Eagles were 67. For the boys, it was TJ with 38, Todd Beamer with 47, Decatur, 50, and Federal Way 103.

"It's the fifth year in a row for the boys and the sixth year in a row for the girls," said Paul Ruston, head cross country coach at TJ who is now in his seventh year.

It was a fun atmosphere with great broadcasting from high up on the hill by Ruston with a megaphone and music blaring as the runners went two loops around the TJ track before heading into the trees for the majority of the course before coming out for one final loop around the track.

Victory was Patrick's again for the girls. No suspense there, she won in 18:52.50, well ahead of the second place runner, also of TJ, sophomore teammate Vanessa Bennum finished in 19:35.94. Then came her same-class runner friend, Camryn Patrick, Kenna's little sister. Both are not too far behind Kenna and were asked if they would be challenging for leader of the pack anytime soon.

"That is my goal, try to stay up with her," said Bennum.

Camryn was looking on, questioningly. "Good, good," she said, kind of sarcastically, laughing a little.

"Well, what would you say," said Bennum, looking at her, raising her voice to a little bit of soprano.

"How about, you want to catch her (Kenna) by the time you are a senior," said Camryn, matter-of-factly, quickly back at her running teammate and, don't get this wrong, these two are like Forest Gump and Jennie, peas and carrots, on the course and off.

In fact, this whole team is very close, not only running as the No. 1 to No. 5 runners were all in the top 10, the fourth in was Jody Baughman, 20:59, and the fifth through the finish was Monika Janieke, 21:47.

Here's more good news if you are a Raiders fan and bad news for foes.

"And not all of us ran today," said Patrick.

The top five are Kenna Patrick, Vanessa Bennum, Camryn Patrick, Cassidy Roby and Alecia Clark.

"We are all really close," said Bennum. "We all cheer each other on."

Not only do Bennum, the younger Patrick, and Kenna and the rest of the Lady Raiders cheer on the rest of their slower teammates in races, they cheer on others too, like, the boys.

"Yep, we've already been up the hill, down the hill, all over," said Camryn, with Bennum nodding.

The boys team is young.

"They are young and learning," said Kenna.

The top boy is Jeff Baklund, a freshman, who at least finished first on this day for the Raiders, fourth overall in 17:24.33. The boys side is nowhere near where the girls side is progress-wise but they are moving ahead for sure toward that kind of goal.

"That's the goal," said Baklund of reaching the girls high quality caliber. "We need to train hard in the off season and work hard all summer, all pull together."

Behind Baklund are seniors Justin Stipe, Adam Kollguard, Michael Potter and a freshman Erik Lindenauer is the fifth varsity member that finished for the Raiders fast enough to nearly beat the Gators, losing 29-30. The five were in places, fourth, as said of Baklund as well as seventh for Stipe, ninth for Potter, 10th for Kollguard, and 13th for Lindenauer. So the five race close together now and nearly beat the Gators, who had the first three places and then their next runners were way back in 27th and 31st.

Their coach has taken the girls to a high level and Baklund is hoping that his side can do the same, although let's not take away what Paul Ruston has already done, having them win the majority of all-city meets and the boys have made it to districts the last four years.

"He (Ruston ) is doing everything he can to get us to grow," said Baklund.

The girls behind the top three, Kenna Patrick, Bennum, and Camryn Patrick were Jody Baughman, sixth, in 20:59, and Whitney Nelson, ninth, in 21.28.90.

Top Federal Way runner was senior Carmen Acuna, eighth, in 21:23.53, with her teammates out of the top 10. Todd Beamer's best was freshman Grace Mussa, 10th in 21:30.44. Following right behind Mussa were teammates freshmen Taylor Kartes and Elizabeth Jones. In 13th was TJ's sixth runner across, freshman, Monica Janieke, and then senior Rose Habitamu of Federal Way was 14th.

Then came the boys.

It wasn't supposed to be this way, just one story saying how great the Thomas Jefferson Raiders girls team is going to be both individually with runners and as a team, but then along came a Decatur runner who deserved his own story, actually Gator runners.

Let's call them the three J's. They are Josh Smith, Justin Englund and Justin Helm.

If they can only find a Forest Gump type long distance runner out there in a nook or cranny of their hallways like those three. My, could they ever be good next year.

Well, that all said, there were two good runners as sophomores last year, Englund and Helm, that both finished high in district competition as well as were good enough for state caliber times. So those two were expected to come back and be real threats for success this season individually. But then now along comes a young man that soaks up success like a sponge does water.

He's only a freshman but he's no wallflower like most at that age taking on varsity sports. He's No. 1 on his team in cross country already, which is amazing in itself, but to pass both Helm and Englund so quickly may just be something other than just amazing.

Grace.

"He's got a gift," said Teri Galloway, Smith's coach, of her runner that took first in 16:17.33 to not only win but win going away. Englund's time behind him was 16:43.86 and Helm's was 16:44.68.

Darryl Genest, who coaches the Federal Way cross country team with Jean Licare, explained how good Smith was when he started.

"He just started running for the Federal Way Track Club two years ago. He was a very good soccer player playing on a club team and we convinced him to try running. He had the fastest mile time in the state last year as an eighth grader, 4:43, and that was the fourth fastest time in the nation."

"Hopefully once we start to taper we can get closer," said Englund.

Smith is really happy that Englund and Helm are there for him.