Despite a disappointing finish at state finals, Sobrato senior
Lance Wolfsmith would not change much about final prep season
CLOVIS — Sobrato two-mile star Lance Wolfsmith ended his prep racing career on the biggest stage, but with a rough final act.
Wolfsmith, who was hoping to place in the top five Saturday at the CIF State championships in Clovis, placed 28th out of 32 in nine minutes, 24.47 seconds. The CIF-Central Coast Section champion was roughly 17 seconds off his personal-record time (9:07.10) and more than a half minute behind winner Chris Schwartz (8:51.60) of Foothill.
“Honestly, I don’t know what happened out there,” Wolfsmith, who was seeded 11th going into the race, said Tuesday. “I don’t really have an explanation for it; it just happened. I hit the wall at Lap 6.
“It seems like all my races were like that this year. I either won or did really bad. That was the case this time.”
Wolfsmith was making his second consecutive trip to state. He placed 14th in the 3,200 meters last year.
From the picture-perfect weather at Veterans Memorial Stadium to the first few laps, Saturday’s race panned out just as the senior expected. Most of the elite sophomores, whom Wolfsmith beat earlier this season, fell prey to the juniors and seniors. Wolfsmith planned to weed out his competitors while pacing runner-up Collin Jarvis of Rancho Buena Vista.
Wolfsmith even led through the first 200 meters.
“At least I had a good start,” he said.
The race was dauntingly fast, though, as the top eight racers finished in less than nine minutes. Schwartz’s time was the fastest in California this year. Jarvis, a senior, crossed in 8:53.78, dropping more than 10 seconds off his PR.
“At the pace they were running, anyone could have taken that race,” Wolfsmith’s father and coach, Dave Wolfsmith, said Monday. “It just wasn’t Lance. His legs weren’t there.”
Of the top four seeds — all sophomores and juniors — only No. 2 Heyden Wooff of Camarillo and No. 3 Matt McElroy of Edison finished in the top five. Wooff took third (8:55.16) and McElroy fifth (8:56.44). Novato junior Erik Olson, who clocked the state’s previous best time (8:55.06) in the two-mile this year, finished seventh (8:56.56). South Pasadena sophomore Sam Pons, the No. 4 seed, placed ninth (9:01.05).
Mountain View junior Garrett Rowe, whom Wolfsmith outdueled at section finals a week ago, finished fourth (8:55.71), Barstow’s Isaac Chavez was eighth (8:57.40) and Petaluma’s Sterling Lockert took 10th (9:01.32).
“That was the perfect race for,” said Wolfsmith, who will run for the Air Force Academy starting in fall. “I should have been able to last longer. I never gave up, but I wasn’t in the right shape.
“I have no regrets looking back. I had the best season I could ask for. I know what I’m capable of. I didn’t show it Saturday, but I have another five years or so to do it.”
