PASCO — Port Townsend’s Bereket Piatt is entering uncharted territory as the state cross country meet at Sun Willows Golf Course approaches this Saturday.
He is one of 17 North Olympic Peninsula runners competing in the state races, and unquestionably the area’s best chance at a fourth individual state title in the past four years.
Piatt is aiming to become the first runner to post back-to-back top two finishes in Port Townsend history.
If everything else falls into place, he and teammate Habtamu Rubio may just lead the Redskins — last week’s Class 1A Tri-District champions — to their first team crown since 1981 as well.
That’s a whole lot of history right there. And Piatt appears to feel pretty good about his chances.
After a small setback at the Olympic League meet in Sequim — if one calls a second-place finish to 3A North Kitsap’s Tabor Reedy a “setback” — Piatt came back with a flourish at the West Side Classic last weekend, winning the Tri-District race by nearly seven seconds.
He was far enough ahead that he even managed to hold up his index finger in a “No. 1” sign as he crossed the finish line in 15 minutes, 55.8 seconds.
Showing confidence
For a normally-reserved runner like Piatt — originally from Ethiopia — it was quite the show of confidence.
“For him to do that is way out of his character,” said Kevin Sanford, who still advises Piatt on race strategy despite no longer being the Redskins cross country coach.
“He’s running with some good confidence right now. The win at districts really helped him. He was a little discouraged after the Olympic League meet, but I said, ‘Brush that off. Now you’ve got to compete with 1A kids.”
Among those runners, he’s second to none.
The only runner to beat him in last year’s race was teammate Quinton Decker. The duo were the first 1-2 placers in school history and 12th overall in the state.
Now that Decker is running for the University of Montana, it seems the 1A race is Piatt’s to lose.
His district time went unchallenged among all 1A runners last weekend, with each of the top 12 times coming from his Tri-District.
“We talked about a strategy,” Sanford said. “It’s a little different over there [in Pasco] because that course really takes a lot of energy. You have to be real careful not to overextend yourself in the first half of the race.
“He’s just going to run in the pack and make his move near the end. That’s kind of his style, though.”
Cutting defending champ
That worked for Sequim’s Allison Cutting last year.
The Wolves senior won the girls 2A race in a dramatic finish, catching up to 2007 champ Ruby Roberts of Kingston on the closing stretch of rolling hills at Sun Willows.
She has yet to top Roberts, also a senior, this season in three races. Yet that was also the case last fall.
“With some people that might be an issue,” Sequim coach Harold Huff said after Cutting finishing fourth at the Olympic League meet. “With Aly it’s not. She proved that last year.
“She’ll just figure it out. That’s what I love about Aly.”
Cutting is one of three Peninsula runners to win a state title since 2006.
Former teammate Stephanie Marcy won the 2A race that year, and after a one-year drought, Decker and Cutting won their respective races in 2008.
Prior to Marcy there hadn’t been a single area runner to take home a title.
