By Ed Shepherd
SPORTS CORRESPONDENT

Mount Rainier's boys and girls cross-country teams improved their records for this season Wednesday, dashing through the 3.2 miles of hills and trails of Celebration Park in Federal Way for a sweep of Decatur.

The Rams won, 40-21, for boys and 30-28 for girls in a South Puget Sound League North Division dual meet in Federal Way.

The Ram boys moved to 2-1 this season while the girls won their first dual this season, going to 1-2.

The girls team ran the closest most competitive race, as the final team score attests, two points, and head coach Brian Jacobsen, talking to his team afterward, explained the importance of all five runners coming in at the top.

"The boys won by a 40-21 score, so good job there, and the girls showed why all five runners matter, winning, 30-28. So, it was close," said Jacobsen, with the large 30-something group of runners seated on a side hill, just off the finish line area of the race. "So, good job by our girls and boys teams."

Rams' Austin Regier, a junior, finished first place for the boys, in 16 minutes, 56 seconds, followed by Decatur runner Josiah Williams in 17:12. Regier trailed Williams after the two-mile checkpoint of the race, but that's where Regier, who finished 11th at a recent Fort Steilacoom race on Sept. 20, with runners in it from all over Western Washington, took off.

"At the 2-mile point, I was behind Josiah, but at that point I passed him and we started separating," said Regier. "Once I got the upper hand, I just went for it to the finish."

After Regier, behind the Gators' Williams, was Stephen Baklund in 17:22, and next in third for the team, fourth overall, ran Ben Woods in 17:24. A Decatur runner was next, Duncan Fields, in 17:39. followed by Rams runners, Obed Carillo (18:00), and Erik Harang (18:06). Just behind him was Nathaniel Wood, not getting any points for the Rams because only the top five score.

But his time, 18:08, says Harang was a good safety net for Jacobsen's team.

Most of those guys mentioned are underclassmen, and inexperience is a little bit of a hamper for getting to state this season.
"We have a lot of juniors," said Regier. "State, we probably won't get to, but good prospects for next year."

And for the girls.

A couple words Jacobson said in the aforementioned talk to the team, afterward, really explained things well: "close" and "matter."
In the girls' close race, Decatur led after the first mile, with three of its girls ahead of the Rams' Erin Moine, the freshman who changed things. Same with Kirsten Hauke and Mimi Haile, who trailed a couple Decatur runners after the first mile checkpoint of the just over three mile course. Also, Rams runner Katalia Alexander was passed, too.
"I passed three Decatur runners," said Moine. "And, I was behind Katalia at the first checkpoint."

"Erin started out toward the back after a mile," said Jacobsen. "Geneva was first for us, and the four girls after her especially did well. And some of our runners that didn't score pushed back their scores. That pulled it off for us."

So Decatur runner Emma Dalin took first place in 21:40 and Geneva Rossman second overall, first for the Rams team, in 22:35. Then two Decatur runners came in next. But then came in four straight Rams runners, Umi Terukina (24:07), Moine (24:31), and Haile (24:32) and Hauke, in 24:43. Then, came the next Decatur runner, but, then five Rams runners sealed the deal by coming in before the Gators fifth point-scoring runner came across the line.

So, Alexander's Hauke's finish, too, was important, time mattered, coming in behind Hauke, 23:44, helping her team push Gator runners back.
"I was right with Kristen, right behind her," said Alexander. "She had a strong finish."

And, then after the fourth point-scoring runner came in for Decatur, the Rams finished the next five places in a row, times, too, mattering though all five non-scoring finishes. Mount Rainier runners, Lesley Baeza (26:31), Kennedy Lozano (26:32), Carmen Doel (27:41), Ruth Mendoza (28:05) and Nina Flack (28:22) all crossed the finish line ahead of Decatur's fifth runner.

And Baeza said something cool about Lozano as the two raced this course at the same pace, finishing one right after the other.
"I was running with my friend Kennedy," said Baeza. "She was the only reason I kept running. I had shin splints and they really hurt."
So that was that.

"I am proud of how the girls moved up," said Jacobson.
And what about their coach? Any words to say?
Push you?

"Oh yeah," said Ben Wood, speaking of Jacobson, assistant Frank Fisher, and volunteer coaches helping too. "That's for all of us. They push us as a team."

And from the girls' perspective?

"Mr. J," said Hauke, speaking of coach Jacobson. "I think he does a good job. He's been our coach, like forever. He pushes us, and he knows how fast we run, but he doesn't push us too far."

Mount Rainier cross-country goes to the Curtis Invite on Oct. 4 before a home meet against Thomas Jefferson on Oct. 8.