CLARE FLANAGAN, Blake, cross-country
It wasn't that long ago that Flanagan, a junior, didn't feel she could beat Shakopee's Maria Hauger.
They are friends when not competing, and Flanagan, the 2011 Class 1A individual champion, had never finished ahead of Hauger, the three-time Class 2A state champion, until last spring.
That's when Flanagan took second and Hauger third in the 3,200-meter run at the Hamline Elite Track and Field meet.
Finally over the hump and brimming with confidence, last week Flanagan finally beat Hauger in a cross-country race, taking first place at the Gerry Smith Invitational at Montgomery. It was the first time that Hauger had lost a high school race since she was in eighth grade.
"Clare was excited before the race to be running against good competition," Blake coach Gary Lee said. "She doesn't always get that during the season."
After running together for the first half of the race, Flanagan made her move early in the race's second half. Hauger failed to go with her and Flanagan pulled away, winning the 4K race in a personal-best time of 13:55.
"It didn't surprise me to see what she did," Lee said. "I've watched her improve day in and day out. She is so smart. She knew exactly what she needed to do. It's fun to watch somebody run the plan like that."
KORLI AKITI, Blake, soccer
The Bears won three times last week. The junior midfielder had six goals and an assist, including a hat trick in a 4-0 victory over Mounds Park Academy and both goals in a come-from-behind 2-1 victory over Richfield.
