Running solo

~ The Tiger was the surprise district winner and qualified for today's state meet at last week's sectional.

Cole Bradley nabbed a district title then added a trip to the Class 4 state cross country meet.

Considering he picked up the sport three years ago because it sounded like fun, he's on quite a roll.

"I played soccer my freshman year," Bradley, a Central senior, said. "I did not have very much fun playing soccer, actually. I like the cross country a lot more. It's a lot more laid back. And I'm glad I switched, obviously."

Bradley surprised himself when he covered the Class 4 District 1 course at Jackson City Park in 17 minutes, 19 seconds to win the title Oct. 20. He was just hoping to place in the top 10 at the district meet.

"State was a goal from the beginning, but districts was a complete shock," he said. "Even that morning I did not think I was going to get top 10.

"It was really weird. I was just running with the pack and I was running my own race. It just happened that I was just faster than everyone else's race, I guess."

He competes in the state meet today at Oak Hills Golf Center in Jefferson City. The Class 4 boys race is scheduled to start at 11:30 a.m.

Now that he's added a couple accolades to his running resume, he's ready to rip the competition and earn another top 10, right?

"I'm going to be honest, it's just going, that satisfaction," he said. "I'm going to compete though. Top 75 would be really well for me. Maybe one of the top 100 fastest guys in the state would be nice."

Central coach Mark Hahn asked Bradley, a soft-spoken, likable kid, to take on a leadership role during the year. It's a role Bradley's embraced.

"I love it, it's great," Bradley said. "When I was a sophomore, I looked to John Kipper, the senior star on the team. I looked at how he pushed me and I want to keep it going and push all these young kids we have on the team.

"I lead by example. I don't point it out, but it's there. People will respect you and listen to you more if you're leading more by actions than words."

Hahn said that Bradley can be a vocal leader, but has also set an example with his training and conditioning.

"Coming into the season, we weren't sure what the leadership situation was going to be like," Hahn said. "I did pull him aside and ask him to take responsibility there. He has exceeded my expectations. That might be the thing I'm most proud of with Cole."

Bradley understands that his influence as a leader on the team likely won't be visible for a few more years. But he plans to follow the Central team closely, especially since his younger brother will be on the team next year.

"I hope that what I've done will help them next year," he said. "They should be a lot stronger next year because everyone's going to improve. I don't know if I could be No. 1 on the team running my times in a couple years. That's how good they're going to be."

Central girls to compete

Bradley will be the lone competitor from the area in the Class 4 race, but he won't be alone at the state meet because the Central girls team, which won the sectional title, qualified for state. He figures he'll manage at the state meet.

"We are all pretty close on the cross country team," he said. "It's not going to be a problem with me."

It won't be a problem on the course either. He said he's used to running without a teammate nearby, which means he must maintain his own pace, something he's been doing all season.

"We do a lot of work throughout the season learning pace so you have a sense of where you are," Hahn said. "He's got that figured out. He would know if he was running faster than that pace or slower than that pace. He could make the adjustments off himself instead of off of other people. Not everyone learns that."

Bradley doesn't plan to run cross country in college, which means today's race will be his last. He doesn't expect a tearful end to his racing career.

"This is going to be it," he said. "Right now it's going to be relief, I think."