High school notebook: Desert Oasis senior runs to state-record time
Desert Oasis cross country coach Curtis Cowan has seen his share of talented high school runners through the years, but none has been quite like Kenan Dagge.
Cowan has watched in astonishment this season as the senior phenom has destroyed the competition while winning his first three races.
“A lot of it is just genetics,” Cowan said. “But Kenan is also greedy. He wants to win. Getting beat doesn’t drive him. He just wants to win.”
Dagge’s 5-kilometer times are beyond anything a normal high school runner dreams about. He opened Aug. 24 by winning the Red Rock Running Company Invitational in 15 minutes, 9 seconds. He followed by winning the hilly 5K Palo Verde Labor Day Invitational in 16:25 on Aug. 21.
He topped both performances with a Sept. 7 victory at the 5K Larry Burgess-Las Vegas Invitational, which he completed in a state-record time of 14:58.1.
Even Dagge cannot quite explain his success.
“I think it’s everything you do, inside of practice and outside of practice,” said Dagge, who has finished his races an average of 26 seconds ahead of the field. “You have to put in 100 percent, day in and day out.”
Dagge is in his first and final season of cross country eligibility for Desert Oasis after transferring from Sloan Canyon as a sophomore. He already is looking into the future as he considers the remainder of his senior season and what might lie beyond.
“I think I’m right on schedule,” he said. “I think I’ll be running way faster than (14:58). I think I can win regionals and state, and I think our team also has a chance.”
Dagge has caught the eye of college recruiters. Cowan said Division I programs typically look for 5K times better than 14:40.
“It’s in him,” the coach said. “The 14:30s are definitely in his realm.”
Dagge has expressed an interest in Wake Forest, Boston University, Colorado, Northern Arizona, New Mexico and Washington.
“My goal is to get a good scholarship,” he said. “I want to progress, and hopefully one day I’ll make it to nationals.”
Dagge’s closest competition has come from Sky Pointe’s Carter Prater, who ran 14:58.7 and also broke the previous state record at the Las Vegas Invitational. But Prater runs in the small schools division and does not generally compete against Dagge, particularly in the season-ending championship meets.
Carson Wetzel of Shadow Ridge has presented the closest competition by a fellow 5A runner, but his top 5K time is a fairly distant 15:13 at the Red Rock Running Company race.
So the remainder of the field will have to get better, or Dagge’s season will have to end prematurely by injury or burnout if anyone else hopes to win the individual state championship.
At the moment, there’s no sign either of those things will happen. Dagge is clearly the man to beat.
Boys cross country
Moapa Valley’s Hal Thompson ran 16:45 in the 3A+ 5K race Saturday at the Moapa Valley Pirates Invitational in Logandale. Basic won the event, and Moapa Valley finished fifth.
At the Iolani Cross Country Invitational in Honolulu, Centennial’s Calvin Rivera finished sixth in a field of more than 200 runners. He ran the 3-mile course in 15:32, helping the Bulldogs to a fifth-place finish.
At the Ojo Rojo Cross Country Invite in Chandler, Arizona, Faith Lutheran’s Logan Scott placed sixth with a time of 15:59 in a 5K field of more than 300 athletes. The Crusaders finished 15th.
Girls cross country
Coral Academy’s Teegan LeBroke won the Moapa Valley 3A+ race in 20:42 Saturday, completing the course more than a minute ahead of second-place finisher Yalitzo Muro of Western (21:55). Western placed all five scoring runners in the top 10 to win the team championship.
Scarlett Cotrone of Faith Lutheran ran 19:35 to place 10th at the 5K Ojo Rojo event in Arizona, helping the Crusaders finish seventh in the 250-runner event.
Boys tennis
Key matches last week included Bishop Gorman’s 10-8 victory over defending state champion Palo Verde.
Green Valley defeated Liberty 10-9 in a match involving a team tiebreaker, and Coronado improved to 6-0 and maintained its 5A South lead with a 16-2 victory over Spring Valley.
Faith Lutheran handed Palo Verde an 11-7 loss.
Centennial, Desert Oasis and Doral remain atop the 4A South standings with 4-0 records, and The Meadows leads 4A Mountain competition with a 3-0 record.
Pahrump Valley (7-0) and Boulder City (6-0) held their leads in 3A South competition.
Girls tennis
Palo Verde beat Bishop Gorman 11-7 and Faith Lutheran 16-2 last week to remain atop the 5A South standings at 6-0. Clark held second place with dominant wins over Arbor View and Spring Valley.
Five 4A teams remain undefeated. Centennial, Desert Oasis and Doral Red Rock lead the 4A Desert at 4-0, and The Meadows and Silverado remain at the top of 4A Mountain play at 3-0.
Pahrump Valley improved to 7-0 and leads 3A competition.
Girls golf
Virgin Valley’s Abigail Llewellyn shot 2-over 74 to win the 3A match last week at Siena. The Bulldogs shot 99-over 397 to win the team title, two strokes ahead of second-place Coral Academy.
Contact reporter Jeff Wollard at jwollard@reviewjournal.com.
