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LOWER LAKE'S PEREZ 4TH IN DIV. IV
5-FOOT-8 SENIOR COMPLETES 3.1-MILE COURSE IN 16:04

BYLINE: By STEVE BRAND
FOR THE PRESS DEMOCRAT

FRESNO -- When Lower Lake's Mike Perez won the Viking Classic at Spring Lake this fall, it was considered a
surprise of sorts.
But it was nothing compared to the shocker Perez pulled off Saturday.
Finishing with a powerful sprint that allowed him to surge past three runners in the final 100 meters, Perez
placed fourth in Division IV at the State Cross Country Championships held over Woodward Park's 3.1-mile course
which was made tougher by a brisk, cold wind.
This was not the same Perez who placed fifth in the North Coast Section championships last week -- it was a
faster, more confident runner.
On a day when most of the top Empire runners were unable to match their performances of a week ago, Perez
stood out, clocking a time of 16:04, falling just two seconds short of third place.
Give Perez another 100 meters and he might have finished in the top three.
``I hung out in the top 20, running a steady pace,'' said the senior. ``I just listened to the spectators
and saved it for the finish. The others went with a half-mile to go but I stayed close and waited.''
By conserving his energy early and not making the mistake of going out too fast and then paying for it later,
Perez was able to steadily move up, using the large crowd to help him along the way.
``I could hear them saying, `Come on guys, pick it up,' and I never looked back,'' Perez said.
Although he's a gifted runner who carries a 3.0 GPA, a 67th place finish a year ago in 17:17 only served to
magnify the amount of improvement Perez has made this season.
While most of the competitors here tapered their workouts in hopes of improving their speed on the relatively
flat course, Perez would have none of that.
``I didn't change anything,'' Perez said. ``I basically have three courses I train on -- the school loop;
from the high school to Clear Lake and back; and the long, rolling, steep hill course. Since I was doing great,
why change?''
Especially since the 5-foot-8, 140-pounder has enjoyed much more success than he expected after taking a look
in a full-length mirror and realizing his dream of playing football wasn't terribly realistic.
``I was still going to play football but my mom couldn't get insurance,'' Perez explained. ``You didn't need
insurance to run cross country, and since my sister had run her senior year, I tried it.''
Finishing fourth in the state probably wasn't part of the plan.
Elsewhere, section champion Jacqui Wentz and her Maria Carrillo teammates had a rough day.
Wentz finished 16th overall in 18:54, which is much better than her 54th-place finish at 19:48 in Division III
last year, but after winning last week in 17:58, she was hoping for the Top 10.
``The difference is I knew I could win the section last week,'' Wentz said. ``Here, I knew I probably couldn't
win. At the mile I was in good position but I was a lot more tired.''
As a team, Maria Carrillo's girls were seventh.

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