Runners rock and roll at Pleasant Hill

A sweep of the top three places in the boys varsity race must have sent a charge of confidence through the rest of the Outlaws runners as Sisters had its strongest showing so far this year at the Bristow Park Rock 'N Roll Invitational hosted by Pleasant Hill High School.

Parker Bennett, still undefeated on the season, buried all competitors on the winding, muddy trails surrounding Bristow Park near Dexter Lake to win in 16:17.

Asked afterwards what he thought of the race, he remarked, "Actually it was kind of boring."

His comment had to do with the fact that he was unchallenged throughout the course and the course was not at all spectator-friendly, leaving runners with no fans to cheer them on for long stretches.

Had Bennett not been so busy running in the lead, he may have found the races that his teammates Taylor Steele and Seth Schneider were putting together much more thrilling than his own experience.

Steele and Schneider ran smartly with a small group before Steele was able to open a gap with under a mile to go for second place. Schneider had all he could handle from a charging Nick Cooper of Pleasant Hill, whose efforts to break up the 1,2,3 Outlaws finish fell short as Schneider found yet one more gear.

"I've not had three top runners like these boys in my career," said coach Charlie Kanzig. "They are establishing themselves as three of the top five runners among all 4A schools in Oregon at this point of the season because they are racing strategically as well as with a lot of heart."

Bennett was clocked in 16:17, while Steele and Schneider finished at 17:01 and 17:02 respectively.

"Because Parker put in such copious amounts of training this summer, he makes these victories look easy," said Kanzig. "He recovers so quickly, it is like he just took an easy saunter through the woods."

The Achilles heel for the Outlaws, according to Kanzig, is the gap between Schneider and the fourth and fifth runners on the team, which allowed Pleasant Hill to snatch the team title by 16 points, 56-72. Wilder finished 24th (18:51) and Curtis 42nd (19:38).

"Jeff Wilder and Easton Curtis are running very well for first-year distance runners, and I expect that by district they will be up another 20-30 seconds over 5,000 meters, which will make a world of difference," Kanzig said.

The Outlaws moved up to fourth in the 4A coaches poll, which means other teams have begun to realize that Sisters is a force to be reckoned with.

The girls' team, ranked ninth in this week's polls, put together a very strong group effort in claiming second place as well, finishing just five points behind Sweet Home, 72-77 among the nine complete teams.

Running aggressively from the start for the first time all season, Emi Conrads placed fifth overall in 21:20, to pace the Sisters girls.

Patricia Guterrez of Cottage Grove, the top runner in the Sky-Em league, took top honors in 19:53.

A tight pack of Outlaws completed the scoring for Sisters as Jordan Richerson (23:07), Taylor Walker (23:14), Katie Stewart (23:22) and Hayley Palmer (23:23) all finished within 16 seconds of one another.

"Times were a little slow in general on the muddy, narrow course, but the girls really worked with each other to move together through the course," said Kanzig. "They are forming a strong team, and when we get Tia Berg (24:27) and Fabiola Schellworth (24:47) back in good health we'll be even stronger."

The Outlaws have had a week off from races in preparation for the Sky-Em District Championships scheduled for Thursday, October 29 at Lane Community College. The top two teams will advance to the OSAA State Championships the following week. Both the boys and girls team aim to qualify, but it's no cake-walk, according to Kanzig.

The girls are shooting for second, behind Marist, while the boys are going to battle Cottage Grove and Pleasant Hill for one of the top two spots.

"Marist's girls are the best team in Oregon right now, while P-Hill and Cottage Grove are certainly making things interesting for us on the boys side," said Kanzig.

"You have to be ready on the day of district and we have our work cut out for us," he said. "However, I feel very good about how the teams are progressing right now."