Cross country wraps up season

The Marlow boys came close to bringing home a trophy from the Class 3A state cross country championship, finishing fourth and just 17 points out of second place. The Lady Outlaws girls got a strong performance and finished seventh.

Marlow also had two runners – Noah Davis and Korie Kizarr – make the all-state team with Kizarr finishing eighth and Davis finishing 12th.

Boys

Assistant coach Matt Ivory said as expected the race for second place came to three teams. Cross country powerhouse Marietta easily won the title with a team score of 58. Kiefer finished second with 106 points, one point ahead of Sequoyah-Tahlequah with 107. Marlow had 123 points. Community Christian was a distant fifth with 147 points.

Marietta had four runners finish in the top 10, including individual winner Zane Nutter with a time of 17:05.3.

Davis finished with a time of 17:59.4.

“I know Noah Davis is disappointed with his race, but some days you just don’t have it,” Ivory said. “Despite not having a great day individually he still fought hard for the team score and that type of character is what will make him successful over the next couple of years and beyond.”

Gavin Banks finished in 21st with a time of 18:22.6 and was second on the team.

“Not surprisingly, Gavin did have his best race of the year,” Ivory said. “It seems when the pressure is the highest, he performs at his best. He has been a great leader for us these past four years and that leadership will be missed next year.”

Lucas Martinez was just 14 seconds behind Banks to finish 25th.

“Lucas also ran well for us today,” Ivory said. “He was aggressive the entire race and ended up running one of his best races of the year. He has learned to handle pressure well and will help us a lot in the spring.”

Andrew Brown came in 34th with a time of 18:55.6.

“Andrew overcame a lot of adversity this year to end up as our fourth man at this meet was actually quite amazing,” Ivory said. “With the little training we were able to do with him, he maximized his performance and only wish that he had been healthy all year.”

Case Rich finished 38th with a time of 19:04.9.

“Case finished an impressive freshman campaign well,” Ivory said. “There were some things that you can only learn from experience and state-level competition is one of those. His future is very bright and this experience will pay dividends in the near future.”

Jordon Taylor finished 43rd with a time of 19:16.2.

“Jordon surprised me with the level of commitment he ran with this fall,” Ivory said. “He is more of a middle-distance runner in track and doing this well in cross country has me excited for what he can do in the spring.”

Tyler Lawson finished 61st with a time of 19:43.9 to round out Marlow runners.

“Tyler had generally been our second or third running but had some bad luck with an injury during the race today,” Ivory said. “He still fought through and finished without dropping out. That speaks to his toughness. His leadership will be counted on next year in cross country and I look forward to seeing what he does in wrestling and track this year.”

Overall, Ivory was pleased with the effort and he and head coach Mikey Eaves are proud of the team and the way they represented Marlow.

“I am very confident that each of these guys gave all they had today and in my book, that makes them winners,” Ivory said. “I know a few of the guys did not have their best race and I take full responsibility for that. They can still hold their head high for a job well done.”

Girls

The Lady Outlaws improved six spots overall as a team from 2017, finishing seventh.

“Coach Ivory and I knew this year’s state meet could go any direction because there were around eight teams competing for the third through 10 spots that were all equal in abilities,” Eaves said. “This group was really fun to coach and they each set individual goals and most met those goals throughout the season.”

Eaves said it took mental toughness to continue to improve week to week over a long season.

“These girls really stayed the path and wanted to see what they could do as a team,” Eaves said. “I am very proud of each one of them and wouldn’t trade them for any others in the state.”

Kizarr, a freshman, finished with a time of 12:46.6. The winner was Jaylee Miller of Comanche.

“Korie was determined to be in the top 10 at state and that she did, becoming another All-State runner for Marlow,” Eaves said. “I couldn’t be more proud of a girl to go out as a freshman and run with some of the best in the state and make her name known. She knows what it takes to improve and she did from day one. I look forward to seeing what she can do the next three years.”

Grace Banks finished 29th with a time of 13:48.1.

“Grace ran one of thebest races of her career,” Eaves said. “She was determined to meet some individual goals she set for herself and she did just that. Grace is a very talented runner and I look forward to seeing her compete for the next two years.”

Senior Macey Bateman ran most of the race without shoes after losing hers in the early stages of the race. She still managed to finish 33rd out of more than 100 runners.

“Macey has the worst luck sometimes with this sport,” Eaves said.

Last year, Bateman did not compete due to a shoulder injury.

“If (losing a shoe) would have happened to anyone else, the natural thing to do would be to give up,” Eaves said. “Not with Macey, she ran the rest of the two-mile race with no shoes and competed at a high level, finishing really well.”

Eaves said it showed what type of person Bateman is.

“She will be very successful in life with that type of grit,” Eaves said.

Abby Kelly was 87th with a time of 14:41.4.

“Abby wasn’t sure if this was the right thing for her to do this year but stuck it out and really made a great hand for this year’s team,” Eaves said. “Sometimes, as athletes, we question what we are supposed to be doing and just need some help realizing what we are gifted with. She changed her mindset mid-season and really started to come back to Abby form of the previous years.”

Another senior, Cheyenne Davis, finished 102nd with a time of 14:52.8.

“Cheyenne is another senior that made a huge impact on this year’s team,” Eaves said. “Last year, being her first year in the program, she realized what kind of work we put into this sport and bought into it immediately.”

That work ethic followed her into this year and carried on through the season.

“She finished as one of main runners that I could always count on,” Eaves said. “(She) really helped us finish as one of the top teams in the state.”

Makenzie Terrell was 123rd and Alicia Moore was 125th, a second-and-a-half behind Terrell.

“Alicia and Makenzie both worked really hard this year to help the team,” Eaves said. “Both had good showings at the state meet and proved they belong in this sport and helped up finish well.”

Eaves said he looks forward to their senior leadership next year.

“Leadership does not come naturally to some, but both of these girls have that ability and next year will prove that.”