Fri, Nov 20 2009
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Published November 08, 2009 04:32 am - COLUMBUS — Belief turned the number four wild for the Perry girls at the Division II State Country Championships. Pirates to the four Clifford (5th), Baranauskas (14th) key Perry’s fourth-place finish BOB ETTINGER Star Beacon COLUMBUS — Belief turned the number four wild for the Perry girls at the Division II State Country Championships.
“Sometimes, they get that look of panic or confusion,” Perry coach Bill Sarvis said. “The questions are there, ‘Do I belong here? Am I legit? The gremlin sits our your shoulder and you have to shake it off with belief and confidence in yourself. “To a person, I never saw that look of panic. We came in and ran our race and believed we belonged here.” Behind first team All-Ohio performances from Abbie Clifford and Marissa Baranauskas, the Pirates tallied a fourth-place finish at Scioto Downs Race Track on Saturday. It was the third consecutive Saturday that Perry had finished in that position after having done so at the district and regional meets. “That’s sweet,” Sarvis said. “What can I say? That is sweet. Wow, that’s awesome! That’s everything we talked about. That’s awesome! We knocked off some teams we’d been chasing. That’s awesome!” Clifford raced to a fifth-place finish in 19:04 and Baranauskas came home in 14th place in 19:29. “I feel better (about the way I ran than I did the last couple of weeks),” Clifford said. “But I’m never satisfied with how I run. When I come across the line, I think of all the things I could’ve done to be better, but I’m happy. “Every time we came in past the stands, I felt myself get faster. I focused on the girl’s number in front of me and that helped me move up.” “(Being first team All-Ohio) is the best feeling in the world,” Baranauskas said. “I gave all of my heart to the last four years. It’s the best feeling in the world.” Cuyahoga Valley Christian Academy’s Christina Blair was the state champion in 18:39. The Pirates totaled 159 points to finish behind team champion St. Vincent-St. St. Mary (98 points), St. Clairsville (105) and CVCA (115). Perry managed to improve upon last year’s fifth-place finish at the state meet. No runner personified what belief can accomplish better than Baranauskas, a senior. “She always struggled with her confidence and not believing in herself,” Sarvis said. “It was nice to see her develop that belief that she was capable of doing it. That means more than any cross country meet.” “(Belief) definitely made a difference this year,” Baranauskas said. “I finally believed I could be up there with Abbie. At the beginning of the season, I remember Coach (Eric) Thomas telling me I could do it — I can run with her. That’s when I started to believe I could do this.” 
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