Cross-country teams struggle at state meet

A stellar overall season came to a somewhat disappointing close for the Sisters Outlaws boys and girls cross-country teams as the girls finished seventh and the boys ninth at the 4A State Championships held on Saturday, November 3 at Lane Community College in Eugene.

Both teams hoped to place a little higher, but came up short.

"There is nothing wrong with feeling a little disappointed when you know your potential and don't quite meet it," said Coach Charlie Kanzig. "We won't dwell on what didn't go right, but we will figure out how to be even stronger next year."

With 13 of the 14 runners back between the two teams, Kanzig has every reason to be optimistic about the future.

In the girls' race, junior Zoe Falk hoped to finish among the top four individuals and put herself in good position through the first mile, but felt zapped of energy by the mile mark.

"I just felt dead," she said after the meet.  

She soldiered on, finishing 21st in 20:53, her slowest 5,000-meter time of the year.

"Even the greatest runners are entitled to an off day," said Kanzig. "Zoe's just happened to be the state meet."

The Outlaws were dealt another heavy blow as Aria Blumm could barely finish due to a three-week battle with a sinus infection. Blumm, 13th at last year's state meet, placed 94th.

"Aria never says 'die,' and I knew she would try her best, but I don't think any of us realized just how sick she really was," said Kanzig.

On the bright side, three first-time state runners ran about where expected. Macadia Calavan (21:39), Mary Stewart (22:13), and Natalie Marshall (22:13) all finished in the top half of the pack to aid the Outlaws cause. 

"These three ran with poise, considering their relative inexperience," said Kanzig. "I think they learned a lot and will really help us next year."

Maddi Boettner (22:49) came through as the fifth scorer and senior Katie Stewart finished sixth for the team in 23:25.

"For Maddi, who finished 11th last year, I know it was a letdown, but that is not unusual for girls to struggle a bit after a fast freshman year," said Kanzig. "Her willingness to keep working will bring her back where she wants to be over time.

"I do wish we could have given our lone senior, Katie, a trophy to bring home, but it was not in the cards this year," said Kanzig.

La Salle Prep won the meet, followed by Klamath Union, Molalla, and Scappoose as the trophy winners.

The boys' team had some highs and lows as well on their way to finishing ninth among the 14 teams represented at the state meet.

Brandon Pollard felt satisfied overall with his 14th-place finish in 16:47, which led the Outlaw squad.

"I ran the way I wanted to run and don't think I could have done much better than I did," he said after the race.

Kanzig concurred, "Brandon knows nearly all of the top individuals competing in 4A, and he felt comfortable with his positioning during the race. I know he would have loved to be on the top-10 podium, which he missed by a mere three seconds."

Dyut Fetrow came through as the surprise second-place finisher for Sisters, placing 57th in 18:18.

"The surprise was not necessarily what I wanted since my regular second runner, Devon Calvin, had a tough day, but I was happy that Dyut stepped up," said Kanzig.

Calvin, who entered the meet coming off a great district race where he ran 17:29, finished in 18:50 as the fifth Outlaw across the line.

"I feel for Devon because he was on such a great progressive trajectory," said Kanzig.

Ian Baldessari (18:21) and Izaak Kanzig (18:33) placed third and fourth respectively for the team, while Shea Krevi (18:59) and Gabe Rice (18:59) finished as the team's sixth and seventh runners.

"Their grouping was good overall, but I think we all hoped to be about 30 seconds faster in that pack," said Kanzig. "Thank goodness they will all have another shot at this next year."

The Outlaws are certainly young. In fact, of the 105 finishers, only eight were freshmen and three of those, Fetrow, Kanzig, and Rice, were running for Sisters.

"No team was younger and less experienced at the state meet than the Outlaws, so I am actually proud of their performance throughout the season," said Kanzig. "Our depth and teamwork will pay off for the future."

Siuslaw won its second straight title, followed by North Valley, La Salle Prep, and Hidden Valley.