Carson High’s Hunter Rauh among north’s best

More commitment has equaled better performances for Carson High’s track standout Hunter Rauh.

Rauh, who’s ranked fourth among Sierra League 800 runners and 19th in the state entering today’s trials at Reed High School, has shaved seven seconds off his time from last season. The CHS junior chalks it up to working harder.

“I’ve had such an amazing season,” Rauh said after Wednesday’s workout. “I have worked a lot harder (than ever before), and I’ve become a good runner.

“My mindset has changed. I’ve been harder on myself; not taking any days off. I’ve changed my diet; not eating as much junk food and eating healthier. I burned off the calories that I didn’t need to have.”

Hence the better performances. Reno’s Colby Thomas has the best time at 2:00.00, and then it’s four Sierra League runners — Manogue’s Zach Harris (2:00.80), Damonte’s Tony Lechuga (2:01.22), Manogue’s Jesse Fry (2:01.4) and Rauh at 2:01.91. The top two finishers in each league get automatic berths, and then it’s the next fastest times regardless of league that make the 4A finals on May 12 at Carson.

“He’s having a great season,” CHS distance coach Steve Pradere said. “He did a great job being in shape coming off basketball. He has a really good interval and base, and that work is paying off. He has a phenomenal attitude. He is super positive and carries a lot of his teammates.”

“They can see I’m working harder,” Rauh said. “They see how much fun it is to be good at something. I did a lot of core exercises (during basketball), because I needed to get in shape for all the running I was going to do in track. Occasionally I would take a 10-mile run. I think playing basketball has helped me with my speed.”

Rauh is confident he will finish high enough on Saturday to reach the finals given the fact most of the runners in the Sierra League have chalked up better times than their High Desert counterparts

“I don’t want to just reach state, I want to be competitive at state,” Rauh said.

To do that, he would have to do something nobody in Northern Nevada has done yet, and that is to break the 2-minute mark. Six runners in Las Vegas, led by Green Valley’s Martin Nelson’s 1:56.61, have accomplished that feat.

Weather has played a big factor for runners in Northern Nevada, according to Pradere. He pointed out Southern Nevada runners have much better conditions to run in.

“It was so cold early in the season,” Pradere said. “This is the time of the year when a lot of runners’ times will come down (below 2:00).”

And, Pradere thinks Rauh is capable of that.

“I want to get to 1:59 and maybe 1:58.5 (this year),” Rauh said. “That would put me in good position to break the school record (Bryan McClellan ran a 1:57.40 in 1987). It’s been there for about 30 years. I think I’ve been going out too fast. I need to run about a 15-second 100 (to start) and around 30 at the first 200 mark. I want to be able to have something left at the end.”

Rauh is also running the anchor leg on the Senators’ 1600 relay team. Rauh, Darryll Heyward, Dominic Martinez and Chance Smith are ranked first in the Sierra League at 3:36.60. The Senators are nearly a full second better than Bishop Manogue.