Bailey Granstrom better be careful. She almost derailed her quest for another trip to Pasco.
Last Saturday the Lake Stevens High School senior smacked her left shoulder on a metal pole as she maneuvered through a gate early in the Western Conference North Division girls cross country championship race at Lakewood High.
Granstrom, a senior, overcame the pain and placed third, but the collision left her pretty sore. \"I whacked it pretty good. It hurts,\" said Granstrom, who laughed about her clumsy moment.
Sore shoulder and all, Granstrom doesn\'t plan to let anything stop her from earning a fourth-consecutive trip to the Class 4A state cross country championships. She and other 2A, 3A and 4A runners will chase state-meet berths Saturday at the District 1 boys and girls championships at South Whidbey High.
Here\'s who qualifies for state: 4A-the top three teams and 15 individuals; 3A-two teams, 10 individuals; 2A-four teams and 20 individuals.
For Granstrom, who placed 76th at state last year, one more state appearance is a must. \"It means a lot for me to do that,\" she said. \"After going (to state three times), it would suck to not go senior year.\"
The road to state for the Cascade Conference-champion Lakewood boys team should be interesting. The Cougars, ranked No. 6 in 2A in the Washington State Cross Country Coaches Poll, will go against the state\'s top three-ranked 2A teams - No. 1 Sehome, No. 2 Burlington-Edison and No. 3 Bellingham - at districts. Last fall Lakewood won the 2A district meet and placed fourth at state, but that was before Sehome, B-E and Bellingham dropped from 3A to 2A.