Consistency and Grit: Riverhawks' Cross Country Team's Promising Start to the Season

From North Wasco County School District 21:

By Jill Bell

The Dalles OR. September 12, 2023 - Cross-country runners are, in general, pretty mild-mannered individuals. Polite to a fault, involved in most of the community activities, as comfortable talking with adults as their peers, and signed up for as many honors courses as they could fit textbooks for. It’s always a bit of a surprise, then, when some hidden ferocity comes to light: charging up hills like warriors, arms pumping into a finish or battling (rolling?) through a mud pit...and once finished, wiping the mud off and cooling down. Clark Kent-like, you’d never know an hour later what they were are- capable of.

In their first two weeks, the Riverhawks had ample opportunity to show their toughness. They hosted their first-time trial/community run the weekend before school started, and then headed to Tillamook for the much-anticipated “Ultimook” race. Despite- or perhaps because- of being both difficult courses, the runners showed consistency and grit and gave promising times for a great season ahead.

For the Riverhawk run, the middle school teams showed strong starts. Lazarus Taylor, a 6th grader at TDMS, won the 3k in just under 13 minutes (12:52), with Izzy Maldonado from St. Mary’s hot on his heels (13:03). It was a good day for the elementary siblings of the Riverhawk squad as well, with Kellen Caldwell (16:48) and Ellsley Waller (17:26) winning their under-10 divisions.

Tyson Long handily won the 5k for the boys’ side, at a tough 19:08, with teammate Caleb Caldwell at 19:37 and recent graduate Kayden McCavic coming in third at 19:57. On the girls’ side, Alaina Casady won in 22:56, a full minute ahead of dad Brian (23:55), which should be enough to ensure a full season of bragging rights. Close behind Casady were teammates Nayeli Vergara (24:27) and Abigail Pope at 26:02.

The community turnout, while small, was enthusiastic: logging solid times and donating enough money to the team to purchase team t-shirts and swag for their next meet: Ultimook.

More than a meet, Ultimook is an experience: an afternoon of running, playing, eating, and camping at the Hydrangea Ranch, followed by a full day of racing a “true cross country course” of mud pits, narrow lanes, and creek crossings. The Riverhawks chose “Cars” for their theme (as in the Pixar movie), repeating the lines “Ka-chow!” and “I am speed” as they hyped up for their race.

The tough course highlighted the gains of return runners. Sophomore Abigail Pope finished in 24:48, nearly 4 minutes off last year, while senior Gabriel Castillo-Quintana finished under 20 at 19:51, a minute and a half better than his previous sophomore time. Junior Egan Ziegenhagen finished second in the JV boys’ race at 19:10, enough to secure him a coveted varsity spot for next week. The girls’ squad also gained some depth this year: a full varsity plus an ample nine on the JV. The “wild card” experience from last season seems to have taught the returning runners that every meet and every finish matters- an attitude that’s proved infectious to the new runners.

Tough courses, like The Dalles’ and Tillamook’s, draw on early-season strength rather than quickness. It’s especially evident in the runners who put in time over the summer: Josef Lutz’ tight 19:32, Trey Hodges’ 19:53, and Noah Preston’s 20:02. As Aaron Long, assistant coach, remarked: “Summer miles make fall smiles.” One of the things that excites me particularly as a coach is the deep boys’ varsity team- 7 runners’ times within 38 seconds, and another 4 within striking distance. This should bode well for the rest of the season, as the Riverhawk squad trains and shaves down times together.

For the newest- and largest group- of Riverhawk runners, experience is proving a valuable teacher. From learning they can push past discomfort in intense interval practices, to getting “out there” and racing without overthinking, they have been a joy to coach. Quiet and fierce, it’ll be fun to see where they go this season.

Next Saturday the Riverhawk squad heads to Oregon City for their invitational, followed by their only other home meet of Bridget Nelson on September 22 at Sorosis. Come cheer them on! You can find the rest of their schedule on Athletic.net