Published: August 31, 2008 06:08 pm            

Pushing each other to succeed

CLINTON — Each is good in his own right, but Drew Sikkema and Riley Bly also make each other better runners for Prince of Peace. Their friendly rivalry makes the rest of the team better, too.

As the two seniors chase after an individual state title this fall in Iowa Class 1A, they also will lead a team that is seeking a second consecutive top-five finish.

“It would be awesome to go with him at the finish,” Bly said. “I may have to work a little harder thinking about that. Drew is a better sprinter than me, but we've both got a lot of determination, so I think it would be a tough finish. Nothing would be holding us back.”

When it comes to running, there is no holding the other back in the competition between the seniors. To the contrary, they bring out the best in each other.

According to coach Dave Lawrence, Sikkema enters the season ranked No. 1 in the state in Class 1A, while Bly is No. 3.

“It helps a lot having two guys in the top 10 pushing each other,” said Sikkema, who finished fourth as a junior behind three seniors at last year's meet.

“I'm pushing him, but he's pulling me,” Bly joked.

Pushing, pulling. However you describe it, they're making one another better and will try to lead their team to another berth at the state meet in Fort Dodge, Iowa, this fall. Prince of Peace placed fourth in the state last year.

“We're looking pretty well individually,” Sikkema said. “We're really pushing each other, which helps a lot having two kids on the same team. You don't really have to run by yourself. You have somebody right there pushing you.

“Just having somebody there, knowing that they're going to push you, you know you want to work harder because you don't want them to catch you. Having somebody behind you, knowing that they're going to try to catch you, helps a lot with the mentality that you just want to run faster. You can't relax because if you relax, they're going to catch you.”

They believe there is a residual effect of their competition on the rest of their teammates, too.

“As far as the team goes, having two top-10 runners, I think everyone else is forced to run harder,” Bly said. “They're fighting for those other five spots. They don't want to finish that far behind, either. It's a pride thing for them, too. So, I think we have the making of another top-five finish, possibly.”

The two stars and Sikkema's brother Eric, a sophomore who placed 11th in the Big East Conference last year, are the only returning runners from last year's team that placed fourth in Class 1A with 144 points, 89 points behind champion Iowa City Regina.

Despite the loss of the other four varsity runners, low scores and high finishes get a huge boost with two front-runners leading the way. Bly said their goal is to score 8 points or fewer at state, with each pushing for a top-four finish.

“We know we're most likely going to start off with low scores, so it takes off the pressure,” Drew Sikkema said. “They (teammates) know they've got to work hard, but it takes a lot of pressure off them.”

But the success of the Irish duo is felt beyond the high school, according to Sikkema.

“It also sets an example for younger kids, seeing older kids from their high school running well,” Sikkema said.

Sikkema followed up a sixth-place finish as a sophomore with his fourth-place time of 16 minutes, 12 seconds, last year on the 5,000-meter state-meet course. Bly vaulted 19 spots from his sophomore year with his eighth-place finish in 16:34.

“We're probably the only team with two top-10 runners,” Bly said. “It's advantage of running with each other every day, rather than seeing each other every couple of meets. We can pace ourselves off each other, and that helps.”

They have a pretty good rival that they see every so often, too, however. Bellevue Marquette senior Brandt Moore was in the middle of a 1-2-3 finish led by Sikkema at last year's Big East Conference meet in Calamus, Iowa. He then placed seventh at state, up from ninth as a sophomore and 22nd as a freshman.

“The competition we have in our conference, individually and team-wise, you know it's going to be a tough race. Marquette is a good team, and they're usually out there at the state meet. You know if you're hanging with them that you're doing something right.”

Neither one limits his time to running, either. Sikkema is one of the top basketball players in the Big East Conference, and he doubles up in the spring, making it to both the state meets in track and golf. Bly opts to play soccer in the spring season. Bly also enjoys water skiing in the summer.

But, in the fall their efforts turn to cross country.

While both typically post top times and neither does a lot of offseason running (just 15-20 miles a week), there are a lot of difference between the two seniors. Bly has been running with program since fourth or fifth grade; Sikkema didn't start running cross country until he was a freshman. Sikkema likes a hilly course, while Bly doesn't care so much about the course as long as it's a calm day. Bly has no problem drafting off runners ahead of him, something Sikkema prefers not to do. In fact, Sikkema prefers to run by himself.

“Riley wants people around him,” Lawrence said. “He's good at holding people off. Drew is a front-runner. He doesn't like people alongside of him.”

Of course, having Bly on his tail is a different matter. It makes both of them better.

“I know I can run times better than I ever thought I could,” Bly said. “At the start of our freshman year, neither of us, I don't think, ever thought we'd be running the times that we're running.”

They're hoping that friendly competition will keep them chasing a dream of becoming the school's first state champion.

        

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