Runners survive muddy challenge at Seaside

Last updated Sep 21, 2010 12:0pm0

Zander Albertson count

Hayley Palmer placed first in the “moderate” race.

Zander Albertson count

Parker Bennett, Stefan Redfield and Micheal Clavan have extended their running careers into college.

The challenge of the Seaside Three Course Challenge is no understatement, as the Sisters Outlaws cross country team discovered Saturday, September 18 at Camp Rilea.

Varsity team members select randomly whether they will run the easy, moderate, or difficult course on race day. The easy course is about 2.5 miles of relatively flat terrain with a little bit of loose sand, but the moderate and difficult courses are another matter as they cover steep ups and downs, singletrack, and the infamous mudpit, which is a man-made stretch of knee deep water about 25 yards wide.

Team scores are determined by adding the top finishers from each team in each of the three courses. Sisters' boys managed second place among Division Four teams behind La Center Washington, while the girls placed third behind Cascade and La Center. Interestingly, Sisters would have won division three, which is comprised of schools between 600-900 students.

The top performance of the day came from Taylor Steele, who took third place overall in the "moderate" race among 471 runners.

Other scorers for the boys team came from Brandon Pollard and Jared Schneider in the easy race, Seth Flanders in the moderate race, and Mason Calmettes and Easton Curtis in the difficult race.

On the girls side, Katie Stewart finished fourth among "easy" runners in Division Four and Hayley Palmer was fifth among "difficult" racers as the top performers for Sisters. Other scorers included Jordan Richerson, Fabiola Schellworth, Zoe Falk, and Kirsten Clarke.

Coach Charlie Kanzig lavished praise on his team for making the trip such a success.

"This meet is all about being part of the largest meet in Oregon and giving the kids a great opportunity to get to know one another and support one another as team members," said Kanzig. "Having an overnight where the kids make dinner together and do team skits makes it a little like going to camp, and they are all more bonded than before the trip."

The Outlaws compete Wednesday at Cold Springs Campground against South Albany, McNary, McKenzie, Regis, and Cottage Grove.

Outlaws grads compete in college

Four former standouts for the Sisters Outlaws cross country and track teams have continued their athletic careers in college. Last Friday three of the four competed in the Willamette University Grass Course meet in Salem before a crowd of current Outlaws runners.

Stefan Redfield, a senior, and Parker Bennett, a freshman, run for the Bearcats of Willamette, while Micheal Calavan, a sophomore, is on the roster for George Fox University in Newberg.

The high school cross country team, on its way to Seaside Friday for a meet Saturday, caught the tail end of the college meet at Bush Park, much to the delight of the three Sisters grads. The course measured just over 7,000 meters (4.25 miles).

"I've been running at Willamette for four years, and suddenly when Parker joins the team we have fans coming from Sisters to watch," joked Redfield, who finished second in the meet behind teammate Leo Castillo in 22:53.

Bennett had been doubtful for the meet with a sore hamstring, but decided to run since he knew the Sisters contingent would be there.

"When we started and no one was there, I thought I'd made a mistake to run, but then in the last mile when I heard all the cheering I really pushed it to the finish line," said Bennett. He finished seventh for the team

in 23:37.

Calavan got the bonus surprise of seeing his sister Marcy, who is a member of the Outlaws team. He finished 34th in 25:36.

Willamette coach Matt McGuirk expects great things from the pair as the Bearcats look to return to the NCAA Division 3 Championships again this year, where they hope to be among the top teams with some good help from two former

Outlaws.

A week earlier, another Sisters graduate, Benton Urquhart, also raced against his former teammates at a meet hosted by the University of Portland. Urquhart runs for Northwest Christian College in Eugene.

"It's gratifying to see these guys still competing in college and contributing to their respective teams," said Sisters High School coach Charlie Kanzig.