Jorge Clemente-Garcia

 

By Mike London
mike.london@salisburypost.com

CHINA GROVE — Carson senior Jorge Clemente-Garcia figures he had the perfect storm working for him during the boys cross country season.

“I had a teammate, a friend, who could push me in every race, and I had a coach who pushed us to our limits, and then beyond what we thought our limits were,” Clemente-Garcia said. “He could run with us.”

The teammate was junior Eric Gillis, who could be one of the state’s brightest stars next season. The coach was Zachary Marchinko, the former Carson and Charlotte 49ers runner who is one of the all-time greats in Rowan County. His father, Bob, is the head coach of track and cross country at Pfeiffer University.

Clemente-Garcia is the Post’s Runner of the Year, but with a salute to Gillis, who was on his heels most of the season. In the 3A State Championships in Kernersville, Gillis actually nipped Clemente-Garcia, but they quite literally finished their season together, separated by half a second. They placed fourth and fifth, giving the Cougars two All-State runners.

“Jorge had a season for the ages,” Marchinko said. “He’s a model athlete, he’s a leader, he’s an amazing young man. He’s one of those athletes that you’re just honored and proud to be his coach.”

Clemente-Garcia ran track in middle school, but he figured his main sport in high school would be soccer.

“But I started having some success in cross country sophomore year,” Clemente-Garcia said. “I started realizing that I could be good at it, started believing I could be good at it.”

In the August 2022 Pre-County Meet, he ran 17:42, nowhere close to where he is now, but that time was good for third place, and he was getting hooked. Eventually, cross country replaced soccer as his athletic focus.

He finished his junior cross country season with a bang, running 15:59 for fifth place in 3A, and had some momentum for big senior season.

The trophies, plaques and medals pilled up during his senior season.

Clemente-Garcia ran 16:17 to win the Rowan County Championships, with Gillis taking second. That event had been moved to the course at Salisbury Community Park after storm damage to the course at Dan Nicholas Park.

“Now that’s a hard course,’ Clemente-Garcia said. “I think when I was younger, I might have been thinking about how much I hate those all hills. But I’m stronger mentally now. Now it’s like, “I can’t wait to run those hills.’ That’s something you learn in this sport. You’ve got to love it. You can’t hate a course. You have to love every course. Every course is a chance to run and I love to run.”

In the South Piedmont Conference Championships, Clemente-Garcia, Gillis and Robinson’s Chase Tompkins broke away from the pack. Clemente-Garcia won in 15:50.

The 3A Midwest Regional meant another dose of the Salisbury Community Park course, known for its inclines and switchbacks. Clemente-Garcia attacked the course and ran 16:01. Gillis placed second.

Then in the 3A State Championships, Gillis ran a PR 15:48.85 to Clemente-Garcia’s 15:49.34.

During the course of the season, there were more outstanding runs for Clemente-Garcia, including a PR 15:45 in the Hare and Hounds Meet at McAlpine in Charlotte.

Clemente-Garcia and Gillis are transitioning now into the “indoor” track season that is run mostly outdoors.

In a recent 3200-meter charity fundraising race in Pfafftown that attracted a stellar field, Clemente-Garcia finished 17th but was only nine seconds off the lead. He ran 9:21 and achieved the automatic qualifying standard to compete in the National Indoor Championships to be held in Boston in March.

“Jorge has worked extremely hard to be where he is now and he continues to work for all that he’s accomplishing and will continue to accomplish,” Marchinko said. “He had a super cross country season and big things are ahead for him in the indoor and outdoor track seasons, as well.”

Clemente-Garcia said he’s looking at a lot of colleges, but he believes he would prefer a smaller one with smaller class sizes. His probable major is business.

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While Clemente-Garcia and Gillis were dominant individuals, South Rowan, coached by Tyler Downs, climbed back on top in the county and in the SPC after Carson won everything in sight in 2023. South had some depth, with five all-county runners. West Rowan also had some depth, and a young Falcon team did well in the regional and qualified to run in the state meet.

The All-Rowan County team is set by the top dozen finishers in the Rowan County Championships.

All-Rowan County

Carson — Jorge Clemente-Garcia, Eric Gillis, Chance Simmons

West — Luke Henson, Jonathan Medina, Wayne Hall

Salisbury — Sam Fatovic

South — Ethan Overby, Davis Kemp, Garrison Raper, Keaton Sloop, Sam Noe

Runner of the Year — Jorge Clemente-Garcia, Carson

Coach of the Year — Tyler Downs, South