Cross country girls win championship

The Lady Outlaws are champs!

Domination is the only way to describe how the Outlaw girls cross country team handled the district meet as Sisters placed seven girls in the top 13 in cruising to the Capital Conference title Friday, October 26 at Bush Park in Salem.

In what was expected to be another showdown with the Molalla, Sisters outperformed the Indians from top to bottom to win 33-44 in a battle of two of the top 3A teams.

Last year Sisters missed going to state, losing to the Indians by one point. Resa Hodson led the charge placing third overall (20:35) in her first race in nearly three weeks due to an injury to her ankle.

Anna Morton had a break-out meet, finishing fifth (20:52.5) just ahead of Tiffany Stevens who was sixth (20:53).

Rikki Glick (21:20) and Amy Cretsinger (21:21.7) were ninth and 10th to complete the top five scorers, but in a show of amazing depth, Iris Powell (21:22) and Melissa Little (21:45) were right on their heels in twelfth and thirteenth.

"For our sixth and seventh runners to beat out Molalla's fifth girl was more than I expected," said head coach Charlie Kanzig.

"Our depth makes the team so powerful because the girls help each other out along the course."

Molalla is a very good team, according to Kanzig, and he expects them to contend, along with Sisters for a top five finish in the team race at the state meet.

"They've been ranked fourth in the coaches' polls most of the season, and we've been in the top ten all year, too and from what I've seen there are only two teams, Philomath and Rogue River, that look any better than either of us," he said.

Kanzig was quick to note, however, that nothing is a sure thing at state.

"My experience tells me that there are no guarantees and no limitations about what happens there," he said. "I've seen overwhelming favorites crash and darkhorses win."

In the junior varsity race, the Outlaws nearly compiled a perfect score as Sisters had five of the top six runners to overwhelm the competition.

Freshman Lindsay Chick set a new course record to pace the team in 22:08, which would have been good enough for 15th place in the varsity race, according to Kanzig.

Mauri Matsuda was second in 22:52 and Jamie Cundiff (23:34) and Crystal Metcalf (24:58) were third and fourth. "My top four junior varsity runners would have made the varsity teams for every other school but ours," said Kanzig.

Teresse MacKenzie rounded out the scoring for the Outlaws, finishing sixth in 27:33.

Other finishers for Sisters included Kaylin O'Brien (8th), Brittany Burdick (9th), Jacquelien Mansker (10th), Amber Randall (14th) and Elyse Brownson (18th).

For the state championships all classifications (4A, 3A, 2A) run November 3 at Lane Community College in Eugene.

The schedule of the races is as follows:

12:00 p.m. -- Boys 3A

12:30 p.m. -- Boys 4A

1:00 p.m. -- Boys 2A/1A

1:30 p.m. -- Girls 3A

2:15 p.m. -- Girls 4A

3:00 p.m. -- Girls 2A/1A