Outlaws sweep district meet

The Sisters Outlaws entered the Sky-Em District meet with high hopes and left with first-place trophies and berths at the state meet.

Districts were held on Thursday, October 27, at Lane Community College.

The girls' team, ranked third in the latest 4A coaches' poll, was a heavy favorite to win the team title, and right from the clang of the cowbell to start the race the outcome was never in doubt. All seven Outlaws placed among the top nine finishers to score a nearly perfect 21 points.

Zoe Falk battled Nicole Rasmussen of Sweet Home halfway into the third mile before losing contact and finishing second in 20:16. Rasmussen won the race in 19:55.

Frances Payne (20:47), Maddi Boettner (20:50), and Aria Blum (20:53) finished third, fourth, and fifth respectively, while Shelby Duncan (22:57), Emily Ford (23:07), and Jordyn Clymens (23:21) came through in seventh, eighth, and ninth to complete the near clean sweep.

"I think the girls performed quite well in a very spread-out field of runners," said Coach Charlie Kanzig, who was named Sky-Em Coach of the Year. "It's tough mentally when there are such big gaps on an expansive course like the one at Lane Community College."

The course covered much of the same course used at the state meet, which will feature the top 14 4A teams on Saturday, November 5.

"I honestly think that this girls' team can stay with any of the teams in the state on a given day," said Kanzig. "It will be exciting to go head-to-head with number-one-ranked Klamath Union and the other top teams."

The Outlaws have qualified for state for nine of the last 10 years.

Sweet Home placed second with 52 points, followed by Elmira (82), and Cottage Grove (83). La Pine and Junction City ran with incomplete teams.

The boys' team had a bit more of a challenge and responded with poise and determination, edging Cottage Grove 41-44, behind the placement of four runners among the top nine. Sweet Home, which had three runners among the top four, placed third with 55 points, followed by La Pine with 98, Elmira (140), and Junction City (154).

Brandon Pollard (17:27) and Mason Calmettes (17:34) ran with the top group of runners that remained in a tight pack of six until about 800 meters from the finish, when Sweet Home's Nick Hall pulled away to win in 17:11. Pollard and Calmettes placed fifth and sixth, followed by Easton Curtis (18:00) and Jared Schneider (18:06) in seventh and ninth places respectively.

Seth Urquhart (18:56) placed 14th for the team to complete the scoring with Ian Baldessari (also 18:56) right on his heels. Trevor Barry (19:24) placed 18th.

Kanzig believes that the boys' squad can crack the top six at the state meet if they put everything together.

"The boys did everything they needed to win," said Kanzig. "I think they have an even better race left in them to use Saturday at the state meet."

It is the Outlaws' fourth trip to the state meet in the past five years, after the team narrowly missed qualifying last year.

The junior varsity teams shone brightly as well, sweeping the team titles and producing the individual winners in the process.

Freshman Tysen Gill took charge of the 5,000-meter race midway and held off a late-charging Shea Krevi by two seconds in 19:07.

Katie Stewart led from start to finish to win the junior varsity girls' title in 23:53, which would have placed 10th in the varsity race. Another Outlaw, freshman Natalie Marshall, placed second in 24:32 to lead a Sisters sweep of the top eight places in the race.

The OSAA State Championships feature races at all classifications on the same date and course. The 4A girls are scheduled to race at 11:15 a.m. Saturday, followed by the boys at 11:50 a.m.