Senior Davis Johnson helped the Ankeny Centennial boys’ cross country team to a third-place finish in the Class 4A state meet on Saturday at Lakeside Golf Course in Fort Dodge. It was the Jaguars’ highest finish in school history.
Johnson placed 43rd in the 5K race in a field of 130 runners. He posted a time of 16 minutes 14.1 seconds.
Here is some inside info on Johnson:
Congratulations on your team’s achievement. How did it feel to stand on the awards podium and to hold the trophy after the meet?
Honestly, I didn’t really know what to think when I was on the podium above all the people. Almost all the pride I got came from my family and teammates. This sport is special. I would feel just as happy for my team regardless of a podium (finish). I feel honored to be able to run with each one of them.
Did you do anything special with the team to celebrate afterwards?
It’s a tradition to go and get BBQ after the state meets. Usually we go to Whatcha Smokin (in Luther), but they had a really long wait time so we went to Jethro’s instead.
Your team dropped to 12th in the final rankings after placing third in a state qualifying meet on Oct. 22. Did you think a podium finish was possible after that meet?
We’ve been battling a series of illnesses and injuries and inconveniences of every sort. At the beginning of the season, I was skeptical about even going to state at all. I think my team has proven to be incredibly stubborn in getting back up after being knocked down. We have some grit.
Your team didn’t even qualify for state a year ago. Did that provide a lot of motivation in the offseason?
I think it was more of a lesson. The loss last year definitely hit home for a lot of the guys. We had had a constant season of great races, and we broke the streak when it mattered. We definitely took state qualifier with a little more caution this year.
To what do you attribute the team’s tremendous growth over the last year? Was it simply a matter of putting in the work?
We put in a huge amount of work; everyone improved significantly. However, it wouldn’t be possible without (the addition of) Jax Alvarez (to the lineup).
You missed the CIML Conference meet on Oct. 15 due to an illness before returning to the lineup and placing 24th at the state qualifying meet in 17:39. Did you feel better on Saturday than you did the week before?
The state qualifier was something else. I was still coming back from being sick the week before, but what really was a problem was at about the 200-meter mark, someone flat tired me and my shoe was falling off. It was actively slowing me down and I had no choice but to fix it on the spot, putting me in last place. I ended up running a PR 400 (53 seconds) and passing over 50 people. This move; while impressive, was really irrational and I paid for it dearly later on. I wasn’t feeling too great while running at state, but sometimes life just does that to you. I was satisfied with my performance.
What was your individual goal going into the state meet?
I have three goals normally: A, B and C. A is borderline unattainable; for this meet it was to land on the podium. My B goal is meant to be a benchmark for success. All season it has been the same; finish with Jax. C is there to make me feel better, and that is just to finish the race. While I was a bit behind Jax (who placed 28th), I still did better than I thought I would at the starting line.
The top four individuals all broke the 15-minute barrier. Was the pace of the race about what you expected?
Front groups are always going to have insane times. As for the pace, it was a little faster than I remember my sophomore year.
Your teammate, Cohen Moll, also got on the awards podium as an individual with his 14th-place finish. What can you say about his performance?
He was definitely doing a lot of the work early on in the race, but he said to me that he was really happy with his performance. Overall, he seems to be in a really good mood today.
Are you planning to run in college?
I’ve weeded out my options, and I have landed on two that I feel excited about. Granted, I want all of my options on the table before making the final decision. The two are Iowa State or Northwestern College in Orange City. If I go to Northwestern College, I’ll definitely run for them.