The Philomath High School cross-country season kicks off Friday on Western Oregon University’s Ash Creek Preserve course in Monmouth — and for the girls, the storyline is continuity. For the boys, it’s about restocking after losing two all-state runners.
Longtime head coach Joe Fulton, entering the season with assistant coaches Diana Bushnell and Whitney Smart, said the girls squad returns loaded with talent while the boys are relying on youth to rebuild.
Junior Cassidy Smart made history last fall by becoming Philomath’s first individual state champion since 2003. She returns as the headliner for a team that placed third at the Class 4A state meet — but Fulton said defending that title won’t be simple.
“She’s in good shape, she’s determined, but she also knows that it’s not going to be as easy as last year,” Fulton said. “Banks has moved into 4A, and they’ve got an incredible sophomore girl who is running even faster than Cassidy, and then there’s two incoming freshmen from Scappoose that are even faster.”
Smart spent part of the offseason competing in mountain bike racing and has also been working on building endurance for cross-country. Despite the competition that she’ll see this fall, Fulton believes she’ll be in contention for another climb atop the medal stand.
“I’m not saying that she can’t do it, I think she can, but instead of just one person to deal with, she’s going to have three or four,” he said.
Philomath returns five of six state qualifiers from last year’s third-place team — sophomore Sienna Bushnell (20th at state), junior Reagan Nuño (28th), junior Libby Kramer (45th), senior Pyper Rutland (69th) and senior Ava Panico (76th).
The Warriors also add significant new talent. Sophomore Piper Pedder transferred in from Alsea, where she earned all-state honors in the 400, 800 and 1,500 meters in track and field as a 1A athlete. Freshman Olivia Hernandez, whom Fulton called one of the top eighth graders in the state last year, and freshman Sienna Smith round out a strong newcomer group.
“We’ve got three very strong additions to our team,” Fulton said. “So we’ve got the depth we need now to take on La Grande and Klamath Union and Banks.”
Fulton sees those three programs as the primary competition for a state title. La Grande won the 4A team title a year ago and returns a runner who pushed Smart at the state track meet, plus overall team depth. Banks, the 3A team champion, lost its top runner but returns a strong No. 2, and Klamath Union brings back nearly its entire roster.
“It’s going to be a battle,” Fulton said. “I think we have the depth to take everybody on.”
Boys rebuilding
The boys team faces a steeper rebuild. Philomath graduated both of its all-state runners from a squad that placed seventh out of 13 teams at state a year ago — Leo Pausch (eighth) and Lukas Hernandez (28th).
Senior Galen Murch is the team’s top returner from state a year ago, finishing 48th on the Lane Community College course. Fulton said he’s kept up his mileage. Sophomore Braeden Colvin, senior Cam Herbert and senior Oakley Pausch also ran at state last season and are among the returnees.
Fulton had a positive outlook on a freshman trio he expects to make an immediate impact on varsity — Braven Beard, Riggins Bushnell and Warren Smart.
“Beard has been running about 40 miles a week, so he’s going to have an immediate impact, and Riggins is just a natural,” Fulton said. “He’s Tyler Bushnell’s son … he looks a lot like him, runs like him. He’s very smooth. Warren is just a tough racer; he’s more natural. He doesn’t work as hard as Riggins and (Beard), but he always comes on as the season progresses. So, I think all three of those guys would probably be in our top five.”
Complicating matters for Philomath and every other 4A boys program is a change to how the Oregon School Activities Association determines state qualifiers. Under the previous format, the top two teams from each conference qualified for state automatically, along with one at-large wild card selected by coaches. The new format sends only the first-place team from each conference, plus six wild cards distributed across the state — meaning the wild cards aren’t guaranteed to be spread evenly among conferences.
“It’s quite possible that our own league might only send one team to state — and Newport’s heavily favored to win it,” Fulton said.
To reach state, Fulton said the Warriors will likely need to beat both Central, now in Philomath’s league after competing at the 5A level a year ago, and always-competitive Stayton.
“If we can beat Stayton and Central, we could slip into a spot at state, which would be nice for these young runners to get the experience,” Fulton said.
Both teams will get an early look at three of their top rivals — Scappoose, Banks and Klamath Union — at the Mook XC Invite at Alderbrook Golf Course in Tillamook on Sept. 19.
“We’ll never see La Grande until state but we’ll see the other three up in Tillamook,” Fulton said.
PHS SCHEDULE
Aug. 28 — The Opener at Monmouth
Sept. 5 — The Ultimook Race near Tillamook
Sept. 9 — Country Fair Classic at Veneta
Sept. 19 — The Mook XC Invitational at Tillamook
Sept. 26 — Woahink Lake XC Invitational
Oct. 1 — Grant Robison Invitational at McMinnville
Oct. 10 — Paul Mariman Invitational at Philomath
Oct. 17 — CG Bramble Scramble at Cottage Grove
Oct. 21 — The Happy Hustle at Corvallis
Note: The Oregon West Conference Championships will take place no later than Oct. 31 at a site to be determined. The Class 4A State Championships are scheduled for Nov. 7 at Lane Community College, Eugene.
PHS ROSTER
BOYS
Seniors (4) — Cam Herbert, Galen Murch, Oakley Pausch, Rex Sederlin
Juniors (1) — Mika Laukkanen Raskauskas
Sophomores (5) — Cameron Barlow, Braeden Colvin, Milo Morrison, Abisai Navarette, Maddox Olsen
Freshmen (3) — Braven Beard, Riggins Bushnell, Warren Smart
GIRLS
Seniors (3) — Hailey Eckhold, Ava Panico, Pyper Rutland
Juniors (5) — Cassidy Grubbs, Denae Imlach, Libby Kramer, Reagan Nuño, Cassidy Smart
Sophomores (3) — Sienna Bushnell, Addie Kowalewski, Piper Pedder
Freshmen (4) — Olivia Hernandez, Scarlet Panico, Wren Pope, Sienna Smith
Head coach: Joe Fulton
Assistant coaches: Diana Bushnell, Whitney Smart
