Thomas Nobbs earned the highest individual finish for all 麻豆传媒映画school racers when the Point Grey runner won silver in the senior boys cross-country championship at Peachland Nov. 5.
The Grade 12 Grey Ghost and ran the muddy trails of the 6.7-km course in 24 minutes and 56 seconds, coming second by 33 seconds behind the winner from Oak Bay secondary, the team that also won both the overall junior and senior boys team titles.
Nobbs, who finished third in 2015, was in the lead until the undulating, sometimes steep terrain of the ski hill 鈥� and the eventual winner Tyler Dozzi 鈥� caught up with him.
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鈥淕oing into the race, I thought this is my race and I knew I could race against the top in B.C.,鈥� said Nobbs, saying he made a tactical error such as eating too little and adding hills are disadvantage . 鈥淚 was passed at three-quarters and I didn鈥檛 think going out too hard was a problem. I thought I鈥檇 done everything and it was tough to push it on those final hills.
Nobbs believed he kicked too early and burned out before the finish.
鈥淚 totally thought I鈥檇 judged it properly and caught him at a good moment, but I wasn鈥檛 looking around. My coach said to leave it to the final 900 [metres],鈥� he said. 鈥淢aybe I could have taken it on the kick just on the final downhill, but I just through I knew better and no matter how the race went, I thought I could take it. It really surprised me.鈥�
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The race unfolded along Squirrel Trail, in winter a nordic ski track at the Telemark cross-country ski club. It features some serious incline, which Nobbs said is not his favourite terrain to race.
鈥淎s a tall guy, technically I鈥檓 not really built for the hills. I thought hills [鈥 I could make my strength, but it鈥檚 just not what favours me. During the long stretches, I can just stretch out and clearly Tyler was able to take control on that and props to him because that was incredible.鈥�
St. George鈥檚 runner Roberto Playo-Mazzone won bronze.
Lord Byng best in BC
The Grey Ghosts won the team event in the junior girls race with four runners finishing in the top 20.
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Bridgett Baziw led the way with a bronze medal among all team races and came eighth overall, running the 5.4-km course in 19:57. Ella Symone was sixth, Skye Higgins finished 10th, and Taylor Williams was 18th for the best overall team results. (Their overall individual results were different.)
The West Point Grey Academy Wolves were 10th in the junior girls race. Emma Brooks finished 24th, Sophie Cameron was 45th, Jos Chambers was 56, and Maia Brittingham was 65th.
Baziw finished eighth overall among all junior girls.
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Lewis just off the podium
Grade 9 Van Tech runner Kendra Lewis finished fourth overall in the junior girls race, finishing in 19:37, just 33 seconds off the pace of the winner. She was , and as a Grade 8 racer last year, she came fifth in B.C.
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Vernon鈥檚 Grade 10 harrier Mia Bennison won the race, following in the footsteps of her older sister, Hannah Bennison, who also took gold in the senior girls championship.
Coming in at 11th place, WPGA Wolf Anna Masalechko had the highest finish in the senior girls race for a 麻豆传媒映画runner. Ceili McCabe was 15th for Little Flower Academy, while last year鈥檚 junior girls champion, Grade 11 Kitsilano Blue Demon Annika Austin finished 16th.
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