Cross-country boys sixth at state meet

The Sisters Outlaws boys cross-country team wrapped up a successful season with a sixth-place finish at the OSAA Championships on Saturday, November 5 at Lane Community College.

Going in to the meet, the team knew that there was an outside shot at finishing in the top four and snagging a trophy, but the Sky-Em District champion Outlaws fell a bit short.

"We came in ranked fourth in the coaches' poll, but the team from Henley came on super-strong the last two weeks of the season and really mixed things up in the team standings," said Coach Charlie Kanzig.

Heavily favored Siuslaw won with just 36 points, followed by #2 North Valley (87), Henley (134), and La Salle (148).

Newport placed fifth (165) and Sisters came through next with 181 points among the 14 teams that qualified.

Sophomore Brandon Pollard moved up throughout the race, finishing in 17th place with a time of 17:01. Seniors Mason Calmettes (17:25) and Easton Curtis (17:45) powered through the last 1,000 meters to place 29th and 42nd respectively.

Jared Schneider, another senior, crossed the line next in 18:24, 12 seconds ahead of late-charging Ian Baldessari (18:36). Seth Urquhart (18:50) and Trevor Barry (19:18) wrapped things up as the sixth and seventh runners for the Outlaws.

"I am proud of the approach the boys took to the race," said Kanzig. "They performed well under some pressure, considering only two of them had been to the state meet before."

Kanzig noted Curtis' achievement as being particularly stellar: "Easton completed his career with a personal best, which is incredible considering the difficulty of the course. I told him before the race that I knew I could count on him for a clutch performance, and he did it."

The team will lose a fine crop of senior leaders according to Kanzig, but he sees a tremendous future with the young men coming up in the ranks.

"It's hard to say goodbye to Jared, Easton, Mason, and Seth, but they have set a tone for the younger guys who are chomping at the bit to represent the Outlaws in 2012 and beyond," he said.