PASCO -- Last Sunday, Ryan Prentice went to bed bound and determined to win the state Class 3A championship in the 3,200-meter run.
Last Monday, Prentice woke up bound and determined to crawl out of bed.
Prentice, nursing an apparent pulled muscle on his right side, exploded past longtime rival Seth Bridges with 150 meters to go and won Friday's only 3A boys' running final.
"Halfway through," Prentice said with his ever-present smile, "I didn't know if I could finish."
Prentice, the tiny Mount Rainier senior who is headed to Oklahoma State on a full ride for track and cross country, finished in 9 minutes, 16.42 seconds. That's well off his best of 8:59.76, which is one of the best prep marks in the nation this year, but he'll take it after being unable to "run a step since Monday" due to the injury that he suspects may be traced to last week's district meet.