The Philomath High School girls cross-country team won the Estacada Invitational on Wednesday at Milo McIver State Park — even without its top runner in the lineup.
The Warriors scored 42 points to beat second-place Ridgefield, Washington, by 32 points in the 19-team field. The Dalles finished third with 109 points.
Philomath took the title without Cassidy Smart, the team’s top girls runner, who did not compete because of a foot injury. The meet was a late addition to the team’s regular-season schedule.
Freshman Olivia Hernandez led the Warriors with a second-place finish in 18 minutes, 2 seconds. Only Crescent Valley’s Alexa Montgomery, who won in 17:45.0, finished ahead of her. Hernandez edged Corbett’s Claire Horton by 4.5 seconds for runner-up honors.
“Olivia was masterful today and the rest of the team stayed close together throughout the race,” PHS coach Joe Fulton said. “Togetherness wins cross-country meets.”
Philomath’s next three runners crossed the finish line within 2.1 seconds of one another. Sophomore Sienna Bushnell placed eighth in 20:00.6, sophomore Piper Pedder was ninth in 20:01.6 and junior Reagan Nuñotook 10th in 20:02.7.
Freshman Sienna Smith rounded out the scoring five with a 13th-place finish in 20:30.3, and junior Libby Kramer placed 16th in 20:47.5. All six Philomath runners finished among the top 16 in a field of 126 competitors.
In the boys race, Philomath placed seventh out of 21 teams with 201 points. Molalla won the team title with 84 points, followed by Crescent Valley with 96 and Washougal, Washington, with 112.
Senior Galen Murch led the Warriors with a sixth-place finish in 16:33.1. South Salem’s Kayden Bejar won the race in 15:59.9.
Freshman Riggins Bushnell finished 22nd in 17:12.3 and was the meet’s top freshman. Only one of the 21 runners ahead of him was a sophomore, Washougal’s Jordan Stultz. The rest were juniors and seniors.
Teammate Braven Beard was the second freshman across the finish line, placing 29th in 17:32.1. Warren Smart (58th, 18:14.1), Oakley Pausch (90th, 18:54.8) and Milo Morrison (112th, 19:54.6) completed the Warriors’ varsity lineup.
Philomath will compete next on Saturday at the CG Bramble Scramble in Cottage Grove. The meet begins at 10:15 a.m. with middle school races. High school junior varsity races follow at 11:45 a.m., with varsity races at 1:15 p.m.
Estacada Invitational
Wednesday, Oct. 14, at Milo McIver State Park, Estacada
BOYS
TEAM SCORING—1, Molalla 84; 2, Crescent Valley 96; 3, Washougal 112; 4, Stayton 136; 5, South Salem 160; 6, Roseburg 196; 7, Philomath 201; 8, Ridgefield 206; 9, Crook County 216; 10, Estacada 277; 11, The Dalles 286; 12, Scappoose 287; 13, Madras 318; 14, Riverdale 361; 15, Blanchet Catholic 375; 16, Cascade 441; 17, Corbett 460; 18, Horizon Christian 481; 19, Gladstone 492; 20, Woodburn 536; 21, Portland Adventist 639.
PHS Results
VARSITY—6, Galen Murch, 16:33.1; 22, Riggins Bushnell, 17:12.3; 29, Braven Beard, 17:32.1; 58, Warren Smart, 18:14.1; 90, Oakley Pausch, 18:54.8; 112, Milo Morrison, 19:54.6.
JUNIOR VARSITY—68, Mika Laukkanen Raskauskas, 21:07.1.
GIRLS
TEAM SCORING—1, Philomath 42; 2, Ridgefield 74; 3, The Dalles 109; 4, Crescent Valley 125; 5, Stayton 146; 6, Roseburg 204; 7, Corbett 205; 8, Washougal 211; 9, Estacada 242; 10, Madras 268; 11, South Salem 303; 12, Blanchet Catholic 323; 13, Cascade 338; 14, Gladstone 357; 15, Crook County 361; 16, Horizon Christian 367; 17, Molalla 381; 18, Woodburn 469; 19, Portland Adventist 564.
PHS Results
VARSITY—2, Olivia Hernandez, 18:02.0; 8, Sienna Bushnell, 20:00.6; 9, Piper Pedder, 20:01.6; 10, Reagan Nuño, 20:02.7; 13, Sienna Smith, 20:30.3; 16, Libby Kramer, 20:47.5.
JUNIOR VARSITY—20, Denae Imlach, 24:55.1; 26, Cassidy Grubbs, 25:55.6; 46, Scarlet Panico, 26:53.8; 73, Wren Pope, 29:54.0.