One Philomath cross-country team arrives at state with a shot at the title. The other got in on a wildcard. Both race Saturday at Lane Community College in the Class 4A State Championships. The girls run at 11:45 a.m., and the boys go at 12:20 p.m.
The girls are ranked No. 2 in the final statewide coaches poll. They got three first-place votes and 99 points behind defending state champion La Grande, which had eight first-place votes and 106 points. The boys are ranked No. 10.
Only 12 teams advance to state in each 4A race. Philomath is one of eight schools that qualified full teams in both races.
For the girls, it will be the 44th state appearance as a team in 46 years. The boys are making their 43rd trip in 45 years. Philomath coach Joe Fulton said both are state-qualifying records for 4A schools.
Last year at Lane, the Philomath girls took third behind La Grande and Klamath Union. Cassidy Smart, then a sophomore, won the individual title in 18:33.75.
Smart is a junior now. She sat out the Oregon West Conference meet on Oct. 31 but has been cleared to race Saturday. Fulton said last weekend that she is in great shape and hasn’t lost anything.
The Warriors won the district title without her. Freshman Olivia Hernandez won the race in 18:42.0 — nearly 43 seconds ahead of the runner-up.
Fulton anticipates that Smart and Hernandez will run with the lead pack, along with the top runners from La Grande, Banks and Scappoose. Banks is ranked third in the poll and Scappoose fourth. Fulton considers La Grande a slight favorite but pointed out that Philomath has beaten La Grande before.
Philomath’s state roster is Smart, Hernandez, sophomores Sienna Bushnell and Piper Pedder, juniors Reagan Nuño and Libby Kramer, and freshman Sienna Smith. Smart, Bushnell, Nuño and Kramer all ran in last year’s state race. Junior Denae Imlach and senior Ava Panico are the alternates.
The boys took second at districts with 56 points, behind Stayton’s 37 and just ahead of Central’s 60. That finish earned Philomath a wild-card berth. Central also got a wild card, so three Oregon West teams are in the boys race.
The performance at districts was a big step for a team that started the season with nine runners. Only two of them, seniors Galen Murch and Oakley Pausch, were returning varsity runners. Philomath placed seventh at state last year, led by Leo Pausch in eighth place, and he has since graduated.
Murch placed third at districts in 16:24.5 and Fulton expects him to place high at state. The rest of the boys roster is young and includes freshmen Riggins Bushnell, Warren Smart and Braven Beard and sophomores Cameron Barlow and Milo Morrison. Junior Mika Laukkanen Raskauskas is the alternate.
In the final boys coaches poll, La Grande, the defending champion, is ranked No. 1 and Philomath at No. 10.
Fulton said the team spent the week tapering, with easy 30-minute runs and some short pace and speed work.
Spectators must buy tickets online through the OSAA’s ticketing site. A free digital championship program can be found on the OSAA website.