Outlaws runners capture district title

The Sisters boys cross country team continued its winning ways with a dominating performance at the Sky-Em District Championship Thursday, October 23 at Lane Community College.

Placing all seven runners among the top 13, the Outlaws crushed second-place Pleasant Hill 32-54.

"I have a profound sense of pride in the way these seven boys perform week in and week out," said coach Charlie Kanzig. "I think they are ready to really uncork a great effort at the State Championships."

A very fast start by eventual runner-up Sam Settelmeyer of Cottage Grove stretched out the top runners in the first half mile of the race, but by the mile mark, Benton Urquhart and Parker Bennett were running right with Settelmeyer and Jared Christian of Marist.

Bennett dropped off the pace a bit by mid-way, leaving Urquhart to battle for the individual title. With just over a half-mile to go he made a move for the lead, but Christian countered with a surge of his own and finished in 16:30.

Urquhart ended up third in 16:41, followed by Bennett in 16:48. Drew Harrison (17:19) and Seth Schneider (17:21) came through in seventh and eighth place, followed by Taylor Steele (17:35) and Jared Henderson (17:39) in 10th and 11th.

Mike Calavan (17:55) crossed the line in 13th to complete the top seven for Sisters.

"The strength of our team is its depth," said Kanzig. "Every week we seem to have a different top five."

The top two teams from each of the seven 4A districts in Oregon qualify for state, along with the top four individuals not on a qualifying team from each district. The team faces the ultimate challenge at the state meet in taking on top-ranked Hidden Valley of Grants Pass, along with the other fine teams that have qualified, including Siuslaw, Phoenix, and La Grande.

"You can't take anything for granted at the state meet," said Kanzig. "No matter how meticulous your preparation has been, it really comes down to who's the most confident and hungry."

The Outlaws will be running at noon Saturday, November 1, at Lane Community College.

"Every Outlaw fan available ought to come out and support these boys," said Kanzig. "They have worked hard for months and thrive on the support from the community."