Torrey Pines positions for improbable state title run

By: SCOTT BAIR - Staff Writer | Thursday, November 24, 2005 7:59 PM PST ∞

Ashlin Yahr wanted to help, but there was nothing she could do.

She watched in horror as two fellow members of the Torrey Pines High girls cross country team lost their footing and fell to the ground in a sea of runners.

It was the CIF Finals, and Yahr was certain that losing Ana Prim and Amanda Moore only 150 meters into the race had doomed Torrey Pines' Division I title hopes. Yahr wanted to stop to help her fallen comrades. But she knew that would only make the situation worse and force another Falcons runner to the back of the pack.

So Yahr did the smartest thing she could've done ---- she leapt over them and kept on running.

Prim and Moore were trampled by the oncoming runners. They sat in disbelief, wounded and confused. Their determination and devotion to the team, however, never wavered.

"I could've either sat there for 10 more seconds after everyone trampled us or I could've (gotten) up and sprinted to the front," Moore said. "Obviously I could've tired myself out in the first mile, but I decided to do that anyway because I didn't want to let my team down."

Moore rushed into contention, while Prim gradually made her way past the competition. Both were in position halfway through the 2.75-mile Morley Field course and held it across the finish. Moore and Prim placed sixth and seventh, respectively, and were key components in the Falcons' improbable run to the Division I team title.

The Falcons, who placed four runners in the top 10 during last weekend's race, finally beat frontrunner and archrival La Costa Canyon after playing second fiddle to the Mavericks all season.

"We've been stuck in second all year behind LCC," said freshman Erin Gillingham, Torrey Pines' No. 1 runner. "No one actually saw us because we were underneath LCC's shadow. But now we've beat them, and it's pushed us out there."

The Falcons are now recognized among the favorites to win the Division I team title at the State CIF Cross Country Championships, scheduled for Saturday morning at Woodward Park in Fresno. Torrey Pines is ranked No. 2 in the state, behind only Clovis Buchanan, by dyestatcal.com. A solid showing may also help the Falcons qualify for the Nike Team Nationals, which will be held in Portland, Ore., on Dec. 3.

The Falcons' late-season surge is a surprise to many, but don't count coach Brent Thorne among the astonished.

"I knew what they were capable of," Thorne said. "I could tell that this was a special group of girls before the season even started. Many of them are new to the program, so I figured that it was going to take some time for us to come together."

Like in the section finals, the Falcons took their lumps early but finished strong.

Torrey Pines was a green group early on. Gillingham, the Falcons' top runner, Prim and Moore, the Nos. 2 and 3 runners, were all new additions to the team. But the young runners jelled during the season and are peaking at just the right time.

Gillingham, Prim, Moore, Yahr, Sophie Davidson, Jessie Bodenhamer and Brigitte Doctor compose a deep squad that is built to win a team title.

The winning formula is simple: a team needs a dominant runner and a tight, talented pack.

Torrey Pines has both.

Gillingham is a frontrunner who rarely finishes out of the top five. The Falcons' second and fifth runners finished within 43 seconds of each other at the CIF finals. A repeat performance could lead to a state title.

"I believe that we can do something special," Thorne said. "We're going to have to run our best to have a chance to win, but we have enough talent to make it happen. Erin just has to be Erin, and the rest of them must stay strong as a group."

Thorne's confidence has spread to the rest of the team.

"I think we can win this thing," said Moore, a junior. "This is a really great team, and we've been running great lately. We all push each other to do our best. I never have been on a team that's as close knit and as talented as this one. Running with these girls is just so motivating."

The Falcons are a potential dynasty in the making. Doctor, the No. 7 runner, is the only senior on a team that features three juniors, two sophomores and a freshman.

While the future is bright, Thorne wants his girls focused on the present.

"I want all of them to stay in the moment," Thorne said. "The sky's the limit for this team in the future, but I don't want them thinking about next year. I need everyone to be focused on the state meet. We have a chance to win now, and we're going to go out and give it our best shot."

Contact staff writer Scott Bair at (760) 739-6642 or sbair@nctimes.com.