SEQUIM — Wendall Lorenzen and Ash Francis have helped the Sequim Wolves stay near the front of the boys cross country pack this season.
Following last season’s second-place Class 2A state finish, Sequim lost two runners, Mikey Cobb and Peter Ohnstad, to graduation.
For a team that has become a state contender in recent seasons because of the sum of its parts rather than one or two individuals, losing two runners seemed like a big hit to its chances to remain at the top of 2A.
But Lorenzen has worked his way to better times and finishes and Francis has put in a phenomenal freshman season.
Now Sequim again enters Saturday’s state meet at Sun Willows Golf Course in Pasco as one of the favorites to win a state championship.
“With the jump Wendall has made, which I saw coming, I think we might be better than last year. No kidding,” Sequim coach Harold Huff said.
“We’re potentially as good or better.”
Lorenzen, a senior, went to state in 2014 as the Wolves’ seventh runner.
He enters this year’s state meet as the team’s No. 6 runner, but his stature within the team has become flexible. For instance, at last Saturday’s Westside Classic, Lorenzen ran Sequim’s fourth-best time (17 minutes, 43.60 seconds) and finished 14th overall.
Having seen Lorenzen’s training habits and his running stamina, and that his speed was starting to come along, Huff foresaw a breakout.
“I really challenged him on Saturday. I said, ‘Wendall, you can run with these guys, I’ve seen it.’” Huff said.
“And he did. He kicked some tail. That in itself brought our team up.
“He turned into our fourth guy in the next-to-biggest race of the season.
“And I don’t think it was a fluke at all. He’s got another great race in him.”
Huff, however, didn’t foresee Francis’s contributions, at least not this early in his career.
Francis came from out of nowhere — well, from out of middle school — to become one of Sequim’s top runners.
Officially, he ranks third on the team behind Brendon Despain and Jackson Oliver going into state, but he often ranks higher than that on race days and has three second-place meet finishes this season.
“Honestly, I was expecting Ash to make the varsity,” Huff said.
“I had no idea Ash would be up there with the top two guys on the team.
“So that was an incredible gift. A surprise is one thing, but this guys is for real.
“If Ash gets some mileage under him in next year or two, he’ll be a state champion.”
Sequim edged Liberty of Issaquah at last week’s district meet 54-55.
The Wolves probably could have won by more if Despain, their top runner, hadn’t taken a fall during the mudfest at American Lake Veterans Golf Course in Tacoma.
“He was showing off his road rash today,” Huff said, laughing.
“He was running with the top three of four guys in the pack [when he fell].”
The Wolves also would have done better if they weremnt so busy training for the state meet.
The past two years, they have trained hard through the district meet in order to be in peak condition this week.
“Right now, they’re in a total taper mode,” Huff said.
“Going into districts, we figured we had a reasonable chance to win districts by training through it.
“In my opinion, a 5K race, you don’t kneed more than a week of taper. So don’t waste of week of training for a race you think you can win for the race you want to win.
“Even though they ran well at districts, they’re going to run better at state.”
As long as they stay healthy, of course. Last year, a few of the Sequim runners got sick during the postseason.
Also running for the Wolves are Chris Jeffko, their highest finisher at state last year; C.J. Daniels and Christian Ash. Bryce Dryke and Majel Busby are the team’s alternates.
If everything comes together, Huff said, then Sequim is one of four teams with a reasonable shot to win state.
“Sehome’s the favorite, and Liberty and us are right on their tail,” he said.
“Selah can beat everyone if everything goes right. I’ve had them on the radar all year, and I don’t think many people have.
“They’re running their best of the year. They’ve got a good team. I think you have to rate them a dark horse.”
Sehome has won the last three 2A state championships, including last year when Sequim was second and Liberty was third.
The high-caliber return of those three teams to state should make their race one of Saturday’s best.
“I think the 2A boys race will be one of the most competitive at state, in all classifications,” Huff said.
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Sports Editor Lee Horton can be reached at 360-417-3525 or at lhorton@peninsuladailynews.com.
