Outlaws run toward another good season

The hallmarks of a successful athletic program include "going the extra mile" in ways the average teams simply don't do.

The Outlaws cross-country program has been a perennial power over the past 20 years, earning numerous district championships, appearances at the state meet and state-level trophies.

The team often has members numbering over 50. What is the key to this success?

"Consistency of coaching and giving kids a well-rounded experience," says Coach Rima Givot, who has been part of the program for the past 14 years.

One of the things started years ago that has paid dividends, according to Givot, is a summer running camp that includes traversing the entire McKenzie River Trail, while also doing some whitewater rafting on the river.

"A camp like that brings kids closer together, and they finish with a real feeling of accomplishment," she said. "Each time we drive along Highway 126 on the way to Eugene, the kids see the trail and remember what they did."

The team also takes part in other adventurous, team-bonding events including the Portland-to-Coast High School Challenge, which takes place every August in tandem with the Hood-to-Coast Relay. This year, the squad ran a bit shorthanded with only nine runners instead of the typical 12, but still finished in about 18 hours on the 127-mile course from Portland to Seaside. Captain Maddi Boettner ran four legs (rather than two) and covered over 22 miles.

The Outlaws hope to defend their district titles for both boys and girls teams in late October when the Sky-Em League meets to determine state qualification for teams and individuals, according to second-year Coach Josh Nordell. 

The girls team returns six of the top seven varsity runners, which placed fifth at last year's state meet. Aria Blumm, whose improvement during track season - where she placed third in the 3,000 meters at the 4A State Championships and shattered the school record - figures to lead the team. Blumm finished third at the district championships last year, while fellow senior Maddi Boettner, who like Blumm is a veteran of three state championship races, is hungry to finish her career on a high note according to her coaches. She placed fifth at last year's district meet.

Juniors Macadia Calavan and Mary Stewart, along with senior Natalie Marshall and another junior, Betsy, placed seventh, eighth, ninth and tenth respectively at district last year as the Outlaws wiped out the rest of the league with just 25 points.

The Sky-Em League added Sutherlin and lost La Pine, but overall the competition for the Sisters girls does not look particularly daunting, especially considering the Outlaw girls also took the top seven places in the junior varsity race at district last year.

Sweet Home returns four of its top five runners and Cottage Grove, behind last year's District Champion Breanna Wright, are likely to vie for the second state berth out of the league.

For the boys' team, junior Dyut Fetrow and senior Shea Krevi look to run at the front of the Outlaw pack after the loss of three seniors from last year's team. Fetrow, third at district, turned in career-best performances as a sophomore and has the potential to continue making improvement, according to Nordell.

Junior Gabe Rice, 14th at district, looks to move up the ranks to help the team, which also lost Caleb Johnson to a year as an exchange student in Germany.

Nordell noted that there are other returning runners along with some newcomers to help round out the varsity team.

The boys' team race in the Sky-Em District might turn out closer than last year when Sisters won by 35 points, but the Outlaws are still considered the favorites.

District Champion Jakob Hiett of Sweet Home returns and has the potential to win the state meet after placing third last year. None of the other teams in the league return any top-tier runners.

Sisters opens its season at the Jere Breese Memorial Ranch Stampede hosted by Crook County High School on Saturday, September 6. The team hosts its lone home meet Saturday, September 27 on the high school property.