High schools: OKC board to hear athletic director's guidelines to combat heat

“They are a bunch of pretty tough ole' girls, that is what I learned,” Clay said. “It was pretty hot.”

The temperature reached 105 for Friday's race. Had the heat index risen another degree, the meet would have been canceled, she said.

“It's a good indicator of where you stand,” Clay said of Friday's races, which were held on the site of the west regional. “This is awfully early in the season and everybody is going to keep improving. I wouldn't go as far to say we are the best team out there or the best team on this side of the state, but we sure ran good Friday.”

In the individual competition, Edmond North sophomore Jaci Smith defeated defending 6A state champ Emily Helms of Mustang by seven seconds.

On the boys' side, Edmond Memorial runners (Alex Shook, Seth Hammond, Chris Ebert and Gabe Thompson) finished second through fifth to lead the Bulldogs to the team crown. Norman's MacKenzie Wahpepah won the boys' 5K.

DOGPACK TO FEATURE 5K RUN FOR TOP FEMALE RUNNERS

Edmond Santa Fe High School is hosting the 19th annual Dogpack cross country meet Friday, and for the first time, the girls will be running a 5K just like the boys.

The Oklahoma Secondary School Activities Association is considering changing the distance of girls' cross country races from 2 miles to 3.1 miles next year. That would make the girls' course slightly more than a mile longer and the same distance as the boys.

Santa Fe coach Kurt Thomas said Friday's 5K for girls is sort of a test run.

“They (OSSAA) are trying to implement it a couple of times this year to prepare for next year,” Thomas said. “I think we are the only state that hasn't gone to a 5K or a 4K for girls.”

Thomas said most cross country coaches support the change, although a few at smaller schools object because some of their cross country runners also play other fall sports.

“They are concerned it will make it tougher on them,” he said.

Going to a 5K for girls also will make it easier for college coaches to evaluate high school runners, Thomas said.

Teams in Friday's Dogpack are expected to enter only their best runners in the girls 5K. Another girls race at the normal cross country distance of 2 miles also is scheduled.

The Dogpack usually has about 1,000 runners, Thomas said.

BY SCOTT WRIGHT AND ED GODFREY