Philip Canfield wasn’t happy with his race at cross country districts in Nixa. He made up for it at sectionals. Now he has his eyes on an all-state performance in Jefferson City Saturday.
Racing last weekend in Camdenton, Canfield finished fifth overall, with a time of 16:05, easily qualifying for state. He says his sectional race wasn’t much different from the race at districts, except for the finish.
“I was running about the same splits as I did last week. But something clicked in me in that last mile this week,” he says. “I thought, ‘I’m a senior, I have two races left. I’ve got to make it count.'”
He did. Canfield put it in a higher gear down the stretch, passing four runners in the final 400 meters to improve from ninth to fifth place.
The strong finish set up Canfield to tackle the hilly course in Jefferson City for a second straight year. Going into the state meet, Canfield has his eye on an all-state finish, which goes to the top 25 runners in each class. But he believes a top 15 finish is within reach.
“I’ve got to finish strong. That’s all I’m really worried about,” Canfield says. “That last mile has a big hill, and it will kill you. It will make or break state champions.”