John Harwell went into the dense woods of Tanglewood Park a second time Saturday morning as a contender. The Asheville High junior came out as the NCHSAA 3-A boys cross-country champion, thumping down one triumphant stride after another.  Keenly using the vegetation as a landmark, Harwell threw forth a surge in the final 1,000 meters to win the Cougars' first state title since 2001 in 15 minutes, 57.36 seconds.

His closest competition was Olympic's Steven Bollinger (16:10.60).

“I'm really excited about this, it was definitely a goal to come here and win today,” Harwell said. “I can't thank my coach enough. We had a plan, not to go out too hard but to make a move the second time in the woods. At that point, I thought I could win.” And win with patient ease, Harwell did.

At several points during the 3.1-mile race, Harwell looked around to gauge the competition's reserves. His final steps were the only time that Harwell himself appeared to be laboring.

Saturday was the first time that Harwell has gone under the 16-minute mark this season, one which has included Buncombe County, Mountain Athletic and 3-A Western Regional championships.

“In the past, John would have tried to take the lead early,” Cougars coach Chris Stroup said. “He had a perfect strategy today and he executed it. It was just a great race and I'm happy for him.”

Harwell placed fifth at the 2007 state meet, and now has the chance in 2009 to become a rare four-time all-state runner. As a team, the Cougars placed fourth on Saturday.

Asheville's last state cross-country champion was Milos Mitric, a native of Yugoslavia who later ran for Villanova University.