SPARTANBURG -- It hasn't always gone according to plan for John Ward. He's had to learn how to compete with the leaders of a cross country race.
"It's like a mental thing," Ward said. "If you're in the back of the pack, and you see people in front of you, it messes you up. But if you get in front, and you can see the one guy who's in first place, then you know you're going to catch up to him eventually.
"It's very mental. You have to control the mind."
Ward, a senior at Wade Hampton, was able to do that Saturday in the boys international race in the Eye Opener at the Roger Milliken Center, and the strategy enabled him to overtake Science Hill's Alex Crigger and win with a time of 15:42.
Crigger, the runner-up to Malik Epps of Byrnes in last year's race, had the lead throughout most of the race. Ward, who finished sixth a year ago, ran second to Crigger and then passed him on the top of the last stretch, with about 200 meters remaining.
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