Accomplishments continue for Sobaski

WASHINGTON - Every day is a good day for running, at least if one wants to participate in a state meet.

Tuesday at Sunset Park, Lance Sobaski, a number of Demon teammates and cross-country coaches Shelby Salow and Stefanie Haworth met to train in 35-degree weather because Sobaski will be competing Friday at 4 p.m. in the Class 3A state meet at Lakeside Park in Fort Dodge.

Sobaski has claimed a number of accomplishments already in his career. As a sophomore he was third in the Southeast Conference meet (time of 17 minutes, 33 seconds), 13th at districts (17:19) and 95th at state (time of 17:48). As a junior this season, he has an SEC title (first in Washington history with a 16:54 time) and Thursday was the highest finish for a Demon at a state-qualifying race (second in 16:27).

The times keep improving as do the finishes. Thursday's time was four seconds faster than the previous record holder - Cesar Castaneda ran 16:31 in 1998. When Castaneda ran that time, he also established the best finish at the state meet for a Demon - 14th. All-state medals are presented to the top 15 finishers, but in 1998 it was only 10, so there has never been a medal on a Demon boy's neck. Sobaski still has a medalist to emulate, however, as coach Haworth was the first Demon medalist, placing 10th in an unnamed year.

Haworth has helped his training, starting with a rough plan for the summer, getting together twice a week in July, then stepping up things in August. His consistency of running every day has made him improve every dayt.

'It's about bettering yourself,” Sobaski said. 'It's about being the best version of yourself.”

After his first competition of the year in September (he didn't run in WHS' first meet after a false positive test for COVID), Sobaski and his coach slyly mentioned goals for the season, but would not share what they were.

'I didn't want to share that I wanted a top-three district finish,” Sobaski said. 'Because I didn't know where it was and who would be there.” Another goal he wouldn't share then, the conference championship, has been check-marked.

The first race of the season is not the time to talk about state, nor the time to talk about district/state-qualifying as they are the two final races.

'We had targeted 16:30, but that time at Fort Madison happened and I knew we could get into the 20s and he did that,” Haworth said. 'Medaling at state is his ultimate goal.”

What he learned from the state meet last year will definitely help him this year.

'It made me star-struck that this was a cross-country meet,” Sobaski said. 'State was unlike anything because you're basically running in a tunnel the whole time.”

That tunnel is a multitude of people lining both sides of a five-kilometer marked route over a golf course.

'My goal is to medal which is top 15, but top 10 would be sweet.”

His passion and love for the sport started from watching Evan Horak run and the movie McFarland. Based on a true story, a coach's rigorous training and encouragement helps the school's cross-country team win nine state titles over fourteen years. All the members of the first team become the first in their families to go to college or into military careers.

'I've just fell in love with running ever since plus Evan (Horak) took me my under his arm in middle school and ran with me,” Sobaski said. 'I would not be anywhere close to where I am today without his help.”

Sobaski is giving that same mentorship to team members. Freshman Micah Rees compares his freshman times to Sobaski‘s freshman times and they are very similar. 'It shows me what I can do if my work is similar,” said Rees, who was one of the teammates running Tuesday and will got to state in support of Sobaski. 'It helps a lot to see his success.”

Friday is a chance to add to that success list.

ers the most the forecast says 10 mph and that's nothing about 50 optimal

McFarland is a movie about cross-country when I was in sixth grade I had seen Evan run as an eighth-grader and