• NW#3 Central Catholic, with five runners inside the top ten scoring positions, secured their third-straight large school title, and their second 6A title in a row at the expense of cross-town rival NW#5 Jesuit, 32-67. Defending individual champ Taylor Morgan led the Rams with his 15:49 runner-up finish, leading a stream of black singlets across the line into the top 15. Jesuit was fronted by a valiant run by rebounding Brian Manning, 4th in 16:00, and Peter Maag (6th in 16:05). Third place in the team race was Grant High, with 147 points to edge out South Eugene's 150 for fourth.
• Franklin senior Bryce Burgess celebrated his 18th birthday with his first state cross country title, leading Taylor Morgan onto the track by a healthy margin, and then kicking away in the last 300 meters for a 15:44 victory.
• In the 5A team race, NW#1 Crater needed everything in it's arsenal to turn back a determined Hermiston squad which nearly pulled the upset of the meet, finishing within 2 points of the #5-ranked team in the country, 52-54. The two teams traded placings throughout the top 25, with Crater led by the 6th place finish of Zach Elliott (16:16) and Hermiston fronted by the 3rd place effort of Jordan Ringe (16:00). Ashland wasn't far behind, taking the third place trophy with 77 points.
• Senior Jared Bassett became the first runner from Marshfield High in 39 years to stand atop the podium at the Oregon state cross country meet. The last Marshfield Pirate to earn that distinction? Steve Prefontaine. Bassett tore away from Ashland's Matt Miner and Hermiston's Ringe in the closing kilometer of the race, pulling clear for a 15:51 win.
• The boys' 4A team competition exactly mirrored the 5A tussle, with the same score separating the top two teams. In this case, Marist nearly overcame the 2-3-4 placing of North Bend's top three to defeat the defending state champs, but in the end North Bend managed to prevail over Marist's tighter pack, 52-54.  Philomath scored the third place showing with their 138 point effort.
• Phoenix junior Elliot Jantzer finally got the best of North Bend rival Spenser Lynass after several failed attempts in cross country, grabbing the 4A individual title in a race that was among the most heavily anticipated of the day. The two pulled away early, and then Jantzer drew clear in the last mile for a 15:35 victory and the fastest boys' time of the day. Lynass (15:44) led two of his North Bend teammates, Trevor Berrian and Steve Garboden, to the 2-3-4 finish.
• Union High, behind the 4-7-10 scoring of their top three, secured the 1A-2A-3A race with 65 points over runner-up Oakridge (112) and SW Christian (114).
• Oakridge senior Max Long blasted away from the competition in the last kilometer to snag his first small school state title, 16:18 to 16:26 over Lakeview's Seth Walker.

• The season-long NW#1 Jesuit girls proved the soundness of that ranking with a 35 point performance to take their sixth-straight large school title.  Placing their top five inside the top 12 scoring positions, Jesuit soared away from NW#3 St. Mary's Academy (63 pts), who managed three in before Jesuit's third, but couldn't compete with the 4-5 depth of the Crusaders.  Getting up for third was South Eugene with 139 points.
• Centennial senior Michelle Dettmann, toppling a formchart that had Jesuit placing 1-2, took the 6A individual title with an 18:15 effort that was second fastest on the day.  Runner-up was Jesuit's Adrienne McGuirk, edging out teammate Noelle VanRysselberghe, 18:19 - 18:21, with both leading Jesuit to the team title.
• No team peformance, boys' or girls', was more impressive than the pack-running clinic Crater put on en route to the 5A girls state team title.  Scoring an all-time Oregon low of 16 points, Crater placed their entire top five in the first eight slots, and took scoring positions 1-2-3-4-6 when individuals without teams were removed.  Only a last-second pass in the final meters of the race by Crescent Valley's Amelia Yeager kept Crater from a perfect 15 score.  Yeager's CV team was runner-up with 50 points, a total which would have served to win many of the other races throughout the day.  Summit was third, with 78, led by sprinter-turned-harrier Kellie Schueler's 10th place showing.
• Crook County senior Michelly Foley led a 3-girl mini-team of Foley sisters into the state meet, walking away with the 5A individual title (18:58) over Crater's top runner, Kayleigh Tyerman (19:11).  Foley's freshman sister Kellie was 5th (19:19) while junior Leslie was 23rd (20:07).
• In the 4A division, Siuslaw took their fourth-straight team title, recording a convincing 58-98 victory over a Sisters team that narrowly edged third placers Molalla (105 pts).  Samantha Plummer led the Vikings with her 19:28 4th place showing.
• Henley junior Taylor Wallace dominated the 4A individual race by nearly a minute, her 18:13 clocking holding up through two more girls' races as the fastest of the day.
• In yet another example of paper-thin scoring differentials, St. Mary's overcame a Catlin Gabel squad eager to defend it's 2006 title by a two-point margin, 63-65.  Catlin Gabel managed five across well before St. Mary's fifth, but couldn't overcome St. Mary's top four, each of whom fronted their respective adversaries from Catlin Gabel.  Heritage Christian was nearby for third, with 80 points.
• As she did a year ago, Lakeview soph Ashley Baldovino roared away from the pack early in the 1A-2A-3A race, and never looked back.  Her 18:51 came during the frigid morning hours when the course had yet to warm up, but was still 21 seconds clear of runner-up Mary Bennion of St. Mary's (19:12).

Oregon State Meet Preview
by Dave Devine

There will be two distinct storylines unfolding in the large school division of the Oregon state cross country championships at Lane Community College on Saturday, and both will likely contribute to a feeling of déjà vu among high school fans. The girls’ race stands a very good chance of being a coronation ceremony for a team that has carved out a dynasty over the last five years. Jesuit of Portland, ranked #1 in the DyeStat Northwest polls all season, is poised to collect their sixth straight state title, after beating Sunset handily last fall for number five. The boy’s 6A race, meanwhile, is shaping up to be a repeat battle for a hotly contested crown, with the two teams which have divided the last five large school trophies—NW#3 Central Catholic and NW#5 Jesuit—reliving the ’06 throwdown that saw Central Catholic take the win by a mere two points. Three weeks ago at the Adidas Classic—a meet which has become a barometer of state meet match-ups in the last few years—Central Catholic impressed with their 59-94 win over an off-form Jesuit squad. But last week, both teams looked formidable at their respective district meets, and Coach Rothenberger will surely have his Jesuit charges primed for a closer contest in Eugene on Saturday.

Here’s a quick look at a class-by-class breakdown of some of the favorites in each race:

Boys 6A

Team
The battle for first should be between a Central Catholic team hitting on all cylinders at just the right time, and a Jesuit squad which entered the season amid high expectations, and is now rebounding behind revitalized leader Brian Manning. Lincoln High, last year’s third place team only 6 points behind runner-up Jesuit, was dismantled by graduation and top returner Nathan Mathabane’s decision to compete in open races this fall, which leaves several teams battling for the other podium positions. North Medford, South Eugene and West Salem have all looked strong this autumn, while Grant High has flown somewhat under the radar, but could surprise with a surge into trophy contention.

Individual
A runner from Central Catholic has won the last five large school individual titles (Galen Rupp ’02, ’03; Kenny Klotz ’04, ’05; Taylor Morgan ’06), and since Morgan returns as a senior attempting to continue that streak, he must be considered a factor. With the state course finishing on the track with a 300 meter sprint, Morgan’s 1:52 800 meter chops certainly come into play. The challenge, of course, is that he’ll have to be close enough to Franklin senior Bryce Burgess to unfurl that kick, and there is no guarantee of that happening. Burgess has looked like a champion-in-waiting his few serious races this fall, and anyone else will be hard-pressed to beat him. Morgan may not even be the most likely candidate on his own team, with the rise of sophomore Musa Ahmed as a contender. Brian Manning of Jesuit, laid low with a mid-season illness, seems fit and ready to roll now, after a 15:38 scorcher at the Metro District meet. Leo Castillo (Hood River), Nathan Knutson (Grant), Dave Marks (Lakeridge), Josh Paul (North Bend), Samot Turina (Central Catholic) and Manning’s teammate Peter Maag have all looked impressive as well, and should be in the mix up front.

Girls 6A

Team
It speaks volumes about the strength of the Jesuit girls team this season, that the #3-ranked team in the Northwest—St. Mary’s Academy—is in the race with the Crusaders on Saturday, and will be hard-pressed to present a serious challenge. Jesuit’s top two of Adrienne McGuirk and Noelle VanRysselberghe couldn’t look stronger right now, while St. Mary’s number one, Alexandra Jones, is nursing a sore IT band that kept her from the district meet. St. Mary’s strength is in their tight pack, but with Maria Salazar soaring to a huge PR last week and Jesuit’s stunning depth, St. Mary’s will have difficulty weaving that pack into Jesuit’s top five in a way that would produce an upset. After these top two, South Eugene looks like a strong contender for third, with Tualatin, Sunset and Westview all fielding strong units as well.

Individual
Jesuit’s Noelle VanRysselberghe led Adrienne McGuirk in last fall’s state meet (4^th and 5^th), but this season McGuirk has looked fantastic, most recently destroying the course record at the Metro District meet with a blazing 17:36. No one else in the field even has a mark under 18, with the closest being VanRysselberghe, owner of several 18-flat clockings. Those two should go 1-2, with Gresham’s super soph Khalia Tidwell, Hood River’s Erin Jones, Lincoln’s Betsy Kolberg, Centennial’s Michelle Dettman, and a healthy Alexandra Jones from St. Mary’s all in close contention.

Boys 5A

Team
The NW#1 Crater Comets should cruise to the 5A title behind the Elliott brothers, but if they’re caught looking ahead to the NTN Northwest Regional in Boise next week, a tough squad from Hermiston, featuring a pair of brothers as well (the Ringe’s), could certainly swoop in and challenge. After that, Ashland could be battling it out with Century, Cleveland, Sherwood and Summit for podium positions.

Individual
Marshfield’s Jared Bassett has some of the fastest times of the season, but could be challenged by any one of several Crater runners for the individual win (Zach or Josh Elliott, a healthy Ryan Santana), as well as Hermiston’s Jordan Ringe or Terry Johnsen, and Springfield’s Tim Costin. Don’t count out Bend’s Scott Gage, who ran away from the Adidas Classic division 1 field with a blistering opening mile.

Girls 5A

Team
This could be a sweep for the Crater Comets, with the girls’ team, while not as highly ranked as the boys in the multi-state NTN region, certainly looking like the class of the Oregon 5A field. Summit, with a healthy Alyssa O’Connor, might have challenged, but she is unfortunately injured for the second state meet in a row, and her teammates may lack the upfront firepower to take down the Comets. Crescent Valley and Corvallis are two other teams that have looked strong, while state 1-2 finishers from last year, Ashland and Hermiston, will undoubtedly be looking to get back on the podium.

Individual
No team in 5A features a better top three than Crook County, and all three come from the same family. Lacking the depth to qualify a team for the state meet, the Foley sisters will still be unmistakable upfront, likely led by senior Michelly, who has the fastest time in the classification this fall. Not far behind will be sisters Kellie (fr) and Leslie (so), as well as Crater’s lead duo of Kayleigh Tyerman and Riley Swanson. The aforementioned Alyssa O’Connor would have been a factor individually, but in her absence has emerged perhaps the revelation of the fall: Summit teammate and state sprint champion Kellie Schueler finding the legs for 5k. She has a PR of 19:15 from her October 27^th conference meet, and does anyone think she wouldn’t have a chance if she manages to hit the 300-meter track finish within closing distance of the leaders?

Boys 4A

Team
Last year North Bend won a close race with Estacada, and they could find themselves in a battle for their title defense this year, but the contenders will be Marist, who look to have the edge after several impressive performances this season. Most likely fighting for the bronze will be Sisters and Hidden Valley, among others.

Individual
The boys’ 4A individual race could be among the best of the day, with Spenser Lynass of North Bend the top returner from last year and holding the added incentive of a tight team race, and Phoenix junior Elliott Jantzer hot on his heels in third last fall, and likely to be pushing to the wire again this year. After those two, Lynass’ North Bend running mate Trevor Berrian and Marist top gun Matt Hollander figure to be among those racing for third.

Girls 4A

Team
Siuslaw have won three state titles in a row, and they’ll be back and going for number four on Saturday. Molalla, Sisters, North Bend and Phoenix would be likely challengers to the title, with Molalla runners-up last fall and seeking to reverse that order this November.

Individual
Henley junior Taylor Wallace is way out there in this classification, with the next closest competitors likely to be Marist senior Meghan Whalen and Ally Manley of Brookings-Harbor, a freshman who presents the dangerous possibility ninth grade girls always do, of running way beyond expectations in the state meet race.


Boys 1A-2A-3A

Team
In last year’s state meet Catlin Gabel defeated Westside Christian with four in the top 20, and both teams will be back to make another push again, likely opposed by Union, Oakridge, and Southwest Christian.

Individual
Catlin Gabel’s top pair of Sam Estrem and Ian Wayne will have a title defense motivating their run, but they’ll have their hands full with Max Long (Oakridge), Jacob Bowdoin (New Hope Christian), and Caleb Goins (East Linn Christian), among others.

Girls 1A-2A-3A

Team
The girls of Catlin Gabel will be back to defend a state title that contributed to a 2006 sweep of the 1A-2A-3A titles by the Eagles, and they’ll meet fierce opposition from St. Mary’s and Heritage Christian, among others.

Individual
Lakeview’s Ashley Baldovino won this race last year as a freshman, and she’s a strong bet to repeat in 2007. Challenging for second could be Catlin Gabel’s number one, Hayley Ney, as well as East Lin Christian’s Amy Renfro, both of whom have a number of individual wins on the season.