Runners tune up for District meet

Extremely wet course conditions did nothing to slow down the Outlaws' cross-country teams at last Wednesday's Country Fair Classic. Most of the Sisters runners ran season-bests in the final race before next week's Sky-Em District meet.

Days of rain left the course, held at the site of the Oregon Country Fair in Veneta, sopping wet - with ankle-deep water in places - and created enough mud to satisfy even the most die-hard cross-country enthusiast.

Facing a variety of teams from all classifications, the Outlaws produced fast times despite the conditions.

The tandem of Anna Bartlett and Sophie Borders served as the point of the spear for the girls team, while the other scorers, Tate Ricker, Engracia Diez, and Molly Winter closed the gap among them, which is crucial to the team's success.

Bartlett (20:10) and Borders (20:11) ran together throughout the course providing the Outlaws with a strong 1-2 punch, while Tate Ricker cracked the 21-minute barrier to finish in 20:45. Engracia Diez (21:18) and Molly Winter (21:52) also ran personal bests to help the team finish ninth place overall with 233 points among 23 teams competing in the race. Philomath, ranked second, just ahead of Sisters in the latest 4A coaches' poll, scored 211 points to come through as the top 4A team in the race.

"The girls got after it today," said Head Coach Josh Nordell. "We are running with confidence, which is perfect as we prepare District and State."

The girls ran with just five runners and look forward to the return of Amy Hills and Zidane Galant-LaPorte next week.

Jordan Pollard looked fully recovered from a strained calf muscle as he ran a very strong second half of the race to establish a new personal record of 16:24, earning him eighth place overall among 262 runners. The only 4A runners to beat Pollard included Phoenix's Robby Vos (15:59), who placed seventh at the State meet last year, and Michael Brown (16:07) of North Bend, who placed third at last year's State cross-country meet and was the state 3,000-meter champion in track.

"Jordan's performance establishes him as one of the top 4A runners, which is a tribute to his hard work over the summer and to his desire to become the best that he can be," said Nordell.

It was tougher going for the rest of his team, which were missing number-two runner Josh Liddell (illness) and number-three runner Cole Pade (injury), but the rest of the team showed continued growth, according to Nordell.

Peyton Myhre (19:12), Will Werts (19:17), Jack Berg (19:42) and Andrew Stevens (20:23) all ran season bests in what is certainly a rebuilding year for the Outlaws. Sisters finished 25th among the 30 complete teams.

"Injuries and lack of experience are holding us back, but the boys continue to battle," said Nordell.

Entering the Sky-Em District meet, set for Thursday, October 27, at Lane Community College, the girls are heavy favorites to defend their team title, while the boys face a stiff challenge to qualify for State, let alone defend their title from last year.

"The girls will be able to really focus on State, while the boys will be putting all their energy into performing well at District," said Nordell.

The top two teams and top five individuals from each of the seven 4A Districts meet will qualify for the OSAA Championships, scheduled for Saturday, November 5, also at Lane Community College.

According to Nordell, Junction City appears to be the favorite among the Sky-Em boys teams. However, Nordell says, none of the league teams are particularly strong this year.

"I think all the schools in the league are rebuilding, just like we are," he said. "Regardless, the Outlaws plan to put in our best effort once the starting gun fires."