Prep Cross Country: R.A. Long runners shine at Jack 'n Jill Invite
Cross Country Roads: Blast Zone area schools chasing autumnal gold
Don Schaplow for Blast Zone Media / blastzonenews@gmail.com
R.A. Long cross country Coach Keli Hancock’s teams love a good fight and that was the plan for The School by the Lake when it hosted the Jack ‘n Jill Invite last Saturday at Lake Sacajawea.
Both the R.A. Long boys’ and girls’ teams swung their proverbial axes well on their home course, finishing second in team scoring only to Mountainside High School of Beaverton, Oregon. Mountainside is a 6A school, the largest classification in the Beaver State, which is precisely the kind of brutal competition Hancock was looking for.
“I’m really thankful for Mountainside,” noted Hancock. “They bring the type of competition we want and need.”
The greater the degree of difficulty the better for the Jacks and Jills. Take for instance Andres Orozco Stansbery, a runner who impressed everyone who was paying attention on Nichols Boulevard.
“Today was a great challenge for Andres,” Hancock said in reference to Orozco Stansbery’s third overall finish and time of 16:49.30.
Likewise, R.A. Long juniors Alexis Soto (18:37) and Noah Pedersen (18:48) also finished among the top 20 runners. Skysun Holzer (19:13) and Adam Reyes (19:17) rounded out the scoring for the Jacks.
The Lumberjills also sawed their way to an impressive second place team score, led by junior Elliana Higgins’ (20:20.60) third place finish.
“Our girls ran some of their fastest times so far this year,” said Hancock. “I’m challenging them because I truly think they have a shot at qualifying for the state meet as a team. Our 2A district boasts some of the toughest competition in Washington.”
Kayleigh Spaulding finished eighth crossing the stripe at 22:09. Makyla Genung (23:27), Sophie Brunelle (23:42), and Isabelle Sully (25:55) were the remaining scorers for the Jills.
“I’m so proud of both our teams. This course around the lake is lots harder than you’d think,” Hancock noted. “There are a few ups and downs provided by those metal bridges that can make things tough.”
This Saturday the Lumberjacks and Lumberjills will split their squads with some athletes running locally at the Harvest Classic in Longview, while others will compete at the HOKA-John Payne Invitational at Chambers Bay Golf Club.
“Trying to seek out the toughest competition we can find,” explained Hancock.
Other top 20 local female finishers included Kaylynn McSmith (7th) of Woodland, Ellie Powers of Castle Rock (14th ), Naselle 8th grader Kenzie Larson (15th ), and Ruby Birch of Castle Rock (16th ).
Other local boys runners in the top 20 were Woodland’s Alejandro Alvarado (5th), Jack Kerker (recently returned from an injury) of Castle Rock (11th), Clatskanie senior Ayden Emerson (14th), and Martin Betancourt-Galvan (16th) of Woodland.
All told, the Woodland boys gnawed their way to a fifth place team finish. They were followed by local teams like Winlock (8th), Castle Rock (9th), Kalama (11th), Rainier, Ore. (12th), and Three Rivers Christian (13th).
The final girls’ team scoring featured Blast Zone area teams like Woodland at sixth, Naselle (7th), and Rainier, Ore. (8th).
WIAA 3A Tracks
The Kelso harriers mopped up Heritage High School at last week’s dual meet. Both the boys and girls’ squads showed out strong placing first. The Kids in Plaid will also head north to Chambers Bay this Saturday to the HOKA Invite.
Harvest Classic Ahead
This Saturday the annual Harvest Classic will take place in downtown Longview.
The race is hugely popular with our local schools as well as alumni and community athletes. Look for fast times at the event, which is essentially a road race.
As coach Hancock stated, “Expect fast times. This course is about as flat as it gets.”
Hosted by Kevin Rentner and Three Rivers Christian, this event supports local humanitarian needs. Most of the profits go to the HELP Warehouse that provides supplies to food banks in Cowlitz and Wahkiakum Counties. Other beneficiaries include the non-profit organizations LifeWorks, Faithful Servants, the Salvation Army, and the Longview Early Edition Rotary Foundation.
If You’re Scoring at Home…
Did you know that in cross country the lowest team score wins? Only to top five runners from each school are actually scored, even though each team may enter more than five runners.
Total team points are tallied based on individual placing. One point for first, two
points for second, 23 points for 23rd and so on. Pretty simple huh?
A perfect score at a cross country meet would be 15 points. That’s where a school’s top five runners sweep the top five places.
Sweet (Sub)-16 Club
Toledo’s Treyton Marty recently ran 15:57 in a 5K race, ranking him second in
Washington small schools behind only Dexter Delaney of Liberty Bell-Winthrop
(15:49). Those two runners are currently the only two sub-16 minute 1B/2B athletes in the state of Washington.
Look for another speedy performance from Marty at Saturday’s Harvest Classic on the flat paved roads of The Planned City.
WIAA COACHES POLLS
3A BOYS
1- MERCER ISLAND
2- MT. SPOKANE
3- SEATTLE PREP
3A GIRLS
1- MERCER ISLAND
2- BISHOP BLANCHET
3- CENTRAL KITSAP
2A BOYS
1- SEHOME
2- BAINBRIDGE
3- RIDGEFIELD
…
9- MARK MORRIS
2A GIRLS
1- SEHOME
2- ANACORTES
3- BAINBRIDGE
…
8- HOCKINSON
9- COLUMBIA RIVER
1A BOYS
1- CEDAR PARK CHRISTIAN
2- SOUTH WHIDBEY
3- THE BUSH SCHOOL
1A GIRLS
1- CEDAR PARK CHRISTIAN
2- LAKESIDE
3- MEDICAL LAKE
1B/2B BOYS
1- VALLEY CHRISTIAN
2- OKANOGAN
3- POPE JOHN PAUL II
…
9- MORTON WHITE PASS
1B/2B GIRLS
1- ST. GEORGE’S
2- RAINIER, WA
3- POPE JOHN PAUL II