In an area saturated with premiere running talent, winning consecutive district titles can often times be difficult to come by for Bay Rivers teams.
Don’t tell that to Lafayette’s boys’ squad, which recently completed its third-straight regular season without losing a dual meet, and will go for a third Bay Rivers District title Thursday afternoon at Eastern State.
The one constant to the Rams’ success in recent years has been area standout Kurtis Steck, last year’s Region I champion who reaped all-state honors following a top 10 performance (16:02) at the state meet last season.
But a major reason Lafayette enters this year’s postseason with aspirations of a third consecutive district crown is rising star Jason Menzies, a junior who has burst onto the scene this season having made significant strides since last fall.
While Rams’ coach Craig Wortman will tell you that Steck, who traditionally saves his best times for the end of the season, is still Lafayette’s “top dog,” Menzies actually enters Thursday’s 5K race with the district’s top seed time of 15 minutes and 58 seconds. Steck’s seed time of 16:10 projects him second, which, given the Rams’ depth, makes Lafayette the clear favorites to repeat for the third year in a row.
“Having someone who can run with or near Kurtis is a huge asset to our team,” Wortman said of Menzies during practice this week. “Not too many people around here feel like they can beat a guy like Kurtis; Jason does.
“He’s probably the hardest worker on our team and has made a tremendous jump from last year. He put on a ton of mileage over the summer and it’s showing.”
A great example of the two showcasing their talents this season was at the end of August, when the duo teamed up to win CNU’s annual Chase and Race relay competing against well over 50 other pairs from schools around the state.
“Both of them are all-state caliber runners in my opinion,” Wortman added. “With our depth, if we have two guys that can place in the top five of either the district, region or state meets, we’ll be in excellent shape at any level of the postseason.”
Both Steck and Menzies are eager to win Thursday’s boys race, which is scheduled to begin at 2:15 following the girls’ 1:30 shotgun start, although both have clearly adapted a team-first mentality.
“We’re going to be competitive with each other because of course we want to win, but the higher each of us finish the better it will be for the whole team,” said Steck, who is determined to capture his first individual district crown his senior season after winning the region title last year.
Added Menzies, “We’ll both be trying to make sure each other finishes towards the top. We both definitely want the [individual] title, but at the same time it’s about the team.”
Steck’s name has been synonymous with distance running in the area for several years, but he says Menzies has played a major factor in his success, and will continue to do so as they move deeper into the postseason.
“It helps to have someone to train with and push me, especially on certain days when you don’t want to work out or aren’t feeling your best,” Steck said. “To know that [Menzies] is always going to be right there keeps me on my toes and helps me not let up, and that will be huge at regionals and hopefully states.”
Menzies echoes those same sentiments about Steck.
“I wouldn’t be here right now without Kurtis,” Menzies said. “I’ve gotten a lot faster this season and a lot of that is from watching and training alongside guys like Kurtis and Simon [Watrous].”
Watrous, a senior and the Rams’ vocal leader, is one of several who give Lafayette the type of depth few teams in the district possess, and that Wortman hopes can lead to more success beyond Thursday’s meet.
Watrous is seeded fifth (16:51) heading into Thursday’s meet while sophomores Andrew Roper, seeded 10th, and James Hart have also been steady contributors this season for the Rams, who placed third at states last season after a seventh-place finish in 2010.
Wortman says it could be his bottom three who determine just how far they’ll go this season.
“Having guys like Kurtis and Jason who can finish in the top five and get you those low points is key,” said Wortman. “But it’s the fourth and fifth guys who are going to win it for you because that spread is so important.”
Bay Rivers District Cross Country
What: Boys’ and Girls’ District Meet
When: Thursday, October 25 – Girls’ race 1:30 p.m.; Boys’ race 2:15 p.m.
Where: Eastern State Hospital course
