Philip Canfield’s senior season just keeps getting better. Canfield took first place for the third straight meet, breaking the 16:00 mark for the first time ever at Camdenton Saturday. His first mile split was under five minutes, at 4:58. (Canfield’s last two victories were at East Newton and Republic.)
Jake Parker continued his strong improvement, shattering his old personal record by nearly a minute and finishing second among the Republic boys with a time of 18:16. Assistant coach Jacinda Canfield says she can’t recall a first-year runner breaking into the 18-minute range so quickly.
Zach Branstetter was just a few seconds off his own personal best. Owen Davis finished under 20:00 for the first time this season. Tyler Mackey shaved a minute off his previous best time, and his younger brother Ryan took off 1 1/2 minutes.
In the girls’ race, one highlight was Tabitha Carruthers. She broke her own best mark by about 1:30.
A band competition and illness left several runners on the sideline for the meet.