Learning on the fly
MANASSAS Forest Park sophomore Bryce Iverson is getting to know Prince William County in a hurry.
The transfer from Juneau, Alaska ran behind Osbourn’s Charlie Swartz before outkicking him in the final 50 meters to win the opening Cedar Run-Cardinal meet on Tuesday at Signal Hill Park. The Bruins coasted to an easy victory over Osbourn, 20-60, while Stonewall Jackson (62) and Hylton (122) rounded out the field.
“I let the Osbourn guy lead because I didn’t know where the hell I was going,” said Iverson, who ran a personal-best 16:26 albeit on a 2.95 mile course.
Iverson has been a boon to the Bruins, says Forest Park coach Dave Davis. He is more than likely going to run at the No. 1 spot, pushing returners Eric Friedlein and Brandon Andrews who finished third and fourth, respectively as well as Richard Bates, who didn’t run Tuesday.
“Bryce coming in has benefited Richard and Brandon and Eric and all of them because now there’s somebody out there pushing them a little bit instead of them being able to be restful,” Davis said. “So it’s made a huge difference to us from a team standpoint.”
“I’m getting along pretty well, leading workouts sometimes, just helping out the other guys,” Iverson said.
For Iverson, the move from Alaska to Virginia has meant a change in almost everything climate, friends and training. While he has butted heads with Davis occasionally, he knows the veteran coach has his best interests in mind.
“He knows a lot and he knows what I’m doing,” Iverson said. “Sometimes I disagree with him but I know he has a good reason for it. He’s been coaching in college and all that other stuff, so I always listen to him.”
“He had a lot of questions because he’s never done a lot of this before,” Davis said. “He’s never put this much mileage in and he hasn’t done this many types of workouts.”
In the girls race, the Bruins put five runners in the top eight for an easy victory. Osbourn finished second with 66 points while Stonewall and Hylton rounded out the field.
Hylton’s Jemissa Hess won the race in 18:33 while Stonewall Jackson’s Kristin Milot and the Bruins’ Beth Fahey were second and third, respectively. Stefani Brown of Hylton was fourth while Forest Park’s Ecaterina Burton, Stefanie Slekis, Rebecca Gray and Jessica Koch were fifth through eighth.
In the first boys’ race of the day, Woodbridge edged Gar-Field with Osbourn Park and Potomac finishing third and fourth, respectively. Both the Indians and Vikings scored 43 points but Woodbridge had a higher finish from its sixth-place runner.
OP senior Anthony Arena ran a 16:38 to coast to a 28-second win over Woodbridge’s Travis Carlton. The Vikings’ Galen Huling was third while Sirak Ogbagibar of Gar-Field and Ryan Steele of Potomac were fourth and fifth, respectively.
In the girls race, Potomac’s Jill Porto ran a 20:01 to beat Anthony Arena’s younger sister, Emily, by 24 seconds. Woodbridge’s Beth Fowler ran third, Gar-Field’s Maria Puglisi was fourth and OP’s Lindsay Simon was fifth. The Yellow Jackets had three runners in the top 10 to beat second-place Gar-Field 40-61. Woodbridge tallied 63 points while Potomac finished with 74.