Pats, Warriors run Ragged

By Ryan Yemen
Published: September 2, 2008

With Western Albemarle’s Michael Terribile and Kyle Satterwhite coming into the Ragged Mountain Cup with injuries, it looked like everything was in place for Albemarle to win the race.

However, that was not the case. The two Warriors ran through the pain, and Satterwhite finished second overall behind teammate Stutzman, who set a new course record for the two-mile race.

“Injuries were a major concern coming into this race,” said Western coach Lindy Bain. “We knew that if could put out a top ten team that this would be a really great race.”

Western was trailing the Patriots in the relay before Stutzman cruised through the course. When he crossed the finish line, he and his team had a 33-second lead.

Ecstatic with Stutzman’s performance, Bain was equally impressed by Satterwhite’s ability to run while still in recovery from a stress fracture suffered in the spring.

“That was a gutsy performance,” Bain said. “This was the first time he’s raced this hard, so you have to be impressed.”

If the Warriors can stave off Satterwhite’s stress fracture and Terribile’s tarsal tunnel issues, Bain thinks his squad is capable of putting together an outstanding season.

“We wouldn’t mind if the season didn’t get on underway for another month or so, but this is a great way to start and should give us some great experience,” Bain said.

On the Patriots’ end, boys coach Buz Male was disappointed his team didn’t come out on top, but tipped his hat to the Western runners.

“I really thought we had it,” Male said. “I would have liked to finished on top, but [Western] has three really great seniors and they ran a great race.”

It wasn’t all bad news for the Patriots as their girls team was able to exact revenge, beating out the Warriors by 23 seconds.

Liz Barclay paved the way for Albemarle by finishing first overall, while Emma Spano also chipped in by placing fifth.

“Having Liz Barclay on your team is almost dangerous,” said Patriots girls coach Lance Weisend. “She always finishes so well it can be misleading as far as how the team is doing.”

The Patriots’ B squad finished third behind the Warriors, which has Wiesend excited.

“This year it’s not just Liz Barclay,” Weisend said.  “I feel like we have some real depth.  Hopefully if we stay healthy we’ll be able to win the district.”

Weisend appreciated the opportunity to play against strictly local teams.

“This is a great race for the area,” Weisend said. “It’s just nice to be able to focus on the teams that are in our community. We don’t get to do it that often and it really matters to the kids.”