Cross-country girls win at Seaside, boys take third

The Outlaws cross-country teams concluded a busy week in grand fashion by performing very well at the Seaside Three Course Challenge held Saturday, September 24 at Camp Rilea.

The challenge included 82 teams from throughout Oregon and Washington as well as two from California, which were broken into five divisions based on school size. Competing in Division Four, the Outlaws girls team took top honors, while the boys team placed third.

In this unique meet athletes must randomly draw to determine which course they will run: easy, moderate, or difficult. In Division Four, the top two finishers for each team in each race score for the team based on finish place.

Frances Payne took charge in the 4,500-meter easy course, finishing fifth among 264 competitors in her best race of the early season. Jordyn Clymens placed 53rd as the second scorer in the race, which featured a mucky water pit and challenging hills.

Freshman Aria Blumm closed with a strong second half of the race to place 13th in the moderate race among 238 finishers. Another freshman, Emily Ford, came through for the team as the second scorer by finishing 64th after veteran Katie Stewart had to drop out mid-way through the race.

In the difficult course, Zoe Falk overcame a wrong turn to place 19th among 227 racers, while yet another freshman, Maddi Boettner, exhibited her potential in placing 57th.

The girls won the meet with 211 points, ahead of South Whidbey (236) and La Center (276), which placed second and third among 18 schools.

"After witnessing this race, I would say the girls are on the verge of being among the best teams in our 4A classification," said Coach Charlie Kanzig. "Our mix of experience and fresh, new runners is beginning to gel into a winning combination."

The boys team held its own as well, according to Kanzig.

Mason Calmettes continued his high performance level, placing 13th in the easy course among 294 boys. Sophomore Ian Baldessari contributed a solid 51st place finish as the second scorer for the Outlaws.

The boys' moderate course included the largest number of entrants at 375 runners, but Brandon Pollard (35th) and Colton Cooper (90th) handled the crowded conditions well to score for the Outlaws.

The field in the boys difficult course was nearly as big at 366 runners, and Jared Schneider muscled his way to a 52nd-place finish. Seth Urquhart showed a return to competitive form, finishing near the top third of the competition in 131st place.

La Center won the team title with 217 points, followed by Montesano (WA) with 327 and Sisters with 373 among 18 teams in the division.

The Outlaws hosted their annual meet and barbecue at Cold Springs Campground on Wednesday, facing teams from Regis, Bend High, Elmira and McKenzie. Mason Calmettes and Brandon Pollard nabbed the top two spots in the 5,200-meter varsity boys race, while Zoe Falk broke up a pack of runners from Bend High to place third in the varsity girls race.

"We love putting on this meet locally in this beautiful spot so parents can see their kids run without having to travel hours to do so," said Kanzig. "The barbeque allows the teams to mingle and parents to get to know one another."

The Outlaws travel Thursday, September 29, to the Stayton Invitational on the Stayton Middle School campus and compete Saturday at the Harrier's Classic at Bryant Park in Albany.

"These next two meets will really help us see how we are progressing with our times as we head into what we consider the real race season in October," said Kanzig. "I'm feeling pretty excited about how the kids throughout the team are developing."