Philomath High School will host the Oregon West Conference Championships Saturday on the Paul Mariman Memorial Cross Country Course.
The meet’s varsity races are scheduled for 11:45 a.m. (boys) and 12:20 p.m. (girls). The action begins at 10:30 a.m. with the junior varsity boys, followed by the JV girls at 11:05 a.m.
“Our girls are heavy favorites and should have no problem winning the conference title for the 13th consecutive year,” PHS coach Joe Fulton said. “This will also be the 43rd time in the past 45 years that our girls have qualified for state.”
Fulton has locked in on the seven varsity runners — sophomore Cassidy Smart, freshman Sienna Bushnell, sophomore Reagan Nuño, sophomore Libby Kramer, junior Lucy Thomas, junior Pyper Rutland and junior Ava Panico.
Smart will be the heavy favorite to finish first individually for the girls. Smart has set personal-best times this season in every meet — the latest being an 18:12.5 at The Happy Hustle in Corvallis. Newport junior Alexandra Curtis and Sweet Home senior Mckenzie Miller have the second- and third-fastest times this fall. Philomath’s Bushnell and Nuño are also in the conversation.
Fulton said the seven girls have already secured their spots for varsity entrants at the 4A Championships, scheduled for Nov. 8 at Lane Community College in Eugene.
The Warrior boys also expect to be in contention for a first-place trophy.
“Our boys will be in a tough battle with Stayton, Newport and Sweet Home to get one of the two automatic berths to state,” Fulton said. “If we finish third, then we will still be in contention for the single wild-card berth awarded to the best third-place team from the different conference meets.”
The boys have qualified for state as a team 41 of the past 42 years.
Running for the boys will be senior Leo Pausch, senior Lukas Hernandez, junior Galen Murch, sophomore Sammy Hernandez, junior Cam Herbert, junior Oakley Pausch and freshman Braeden Colvin.
Pausch has the top individual time in the conference by far with a 15:10.5 — which he ran on a very fast course at Tillamook. Just last week, he turned in a time of 15:43.9 on the Crystal Lake Sports Park course in Corvallis.
After Pausch, it might be a good battle for second place. Newport junior Avery Chandler and Philomath’s Lukas Hernandez appear to be in contention for runner-up honors based on times they’ve turned in this season.
“Regardless of how they race on Saturday, Leo, Lukas, Galen and Cam have secured their spots for state if we qualify,” Fulton said. “The other three positions, plus the alternate, will be determined by how everyone races this Saturday.”
Sammy Hernandez, a two-sport fall athlete, hasn’t competed in a meet since the Oct. 11 Paul Mariman Invitational.
Individual runners will be competing for all-conference honors — the top seven make first team and eighth through 14th make second team.
