Kids In The Hall: Coach Matt Rexus, Kamiakin WA

By Doug Binder, DyeStat Editor

Note: High school cross country coaches have so much more to do than simply writing the workouts and leading drills. In order to keep a program flourishing and maintain its success, a coach must keep an eye out for potential new runners and then sell them on the benefits of doing something painful -- until it's not painful. 

Throughout the remainder of September, we're contacting high school coaches and asking them to tell us some of their most memorable stories about finding runners at school -- in the hallway, in class, in the cafeteria, wherever -- and watching them take off. 

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In the spring of 2012, Anthoney Armstrong was nearing graduation at Kamiakin High in the Tri-Cities of Eastern Washington. 

Armstrong was the face of the franchise back then. By the end of that spring the 2011 Nike Elite camper would be a three-time Washington state champion, with a national profile and a bright future. 

In February of 2012, prior to track season, Armstrong was out on a run with some of his teammates. The run concluded on the school track. He noticed two boys playing soccer on the infield and went out to approach them. 

Armstrong introduced himself to Ahmed Ibrahim and Muhamud Noor, cousins and recent immigrants to Kennewick, Wash. from Kenya. 

Head coach Matt Rexus picks up the story from there. 

"Anthoney goes over to them, as he does, and says you guys should be coming out for track," Rexus recalled. "They were kind of shy about it, but they came out ran, and they started getting into it."

At the first track meet of the season, Kamiakin's team was split in two. Coach Rexus went with the varsity but told Ibrahim to enter the 800 and 1,600 at the Walla Walla Big 9 JV meet. 

Ibrahim ran the 800 (2:20.47), the 1,600 (5:07.80) and the 3,200 (10:42.78) that day. 

"I thought, 'Well, this kid did a triple I didn't even want him to,'" Rexus said. "His cousin was not quite at the same level, but they were both outstanding kids and fun to be around. They would tell us about their country back home and I think it was good for the rest of the guys."

Rexus got into the habit of driving the boys home from practice and spent those precious minutes encouraging them, welcoming them, and explaining what was possible if they pursued running. 

Ibrahim, a sophomore, quickly dropped his times to 4:32.39 for the 1,600 meters and 9:39.62.

"That's in six weeks!" Rexus said. "Then we have summer training, and they came out for about two or three weeks and then stopped. They finally came to tell me they had Ramadan and didn't want to run (through the holiday). That year it turned out Ramadan ended the weekend before the season started."

Ibrahim and Noor didn't run for four weeks in the middle of the summer, but arrived for the first day of official practice in mid August. 

"Three weeks later is the Tracy Walters (Invite) and Ahmed ran 15:51 on three weeks of training," the coach said. 

With Armstrong graduated, expectations outside the program dipped. But within, the crew of boys that had been inspired by Armstrong continued to grow. 

Ahmed fluctuated from No. 1 man to No. 3 throughout the fall, but was a key cog. 

Kamiakin qualified for Nike Cross Nationals for the first time ever that fall and upset the formchart on a mucky course at Portland Meadows. Picked to be near the bottom, Kamiakin rose up to take seventh place. 

Ibrahim placed 45th -- just a bit ahead of future stars Phillip Rocha, Ben Veatch and Matthew Maton. (Photo above by Gary Paulson).

Soon after helping Kamiakin advance to its first appearance at nationals, Ibrahim and Noor moved with their grandmother to the Portland area. Ibrahim returned to NXN a year later as an individual qualifier and ran a year of college cross country at Warner Pacific, where he was an NAIA All-American.

"I wish I'd had him one more year," Rexus said. "We loved Ahmed and his cousin. They were a lot of fun."