TDHS Runners take second at Mustang Invite near Heppner
The Level Field- and an open letter to running (Heppner Meet)
By Jill Pearson
If you could only watch one cross-country meet in the season, go out to Heppner.
It’s the ultimate, stripped-down version of what the sport is all about: 3.1 miles out on the Thompson Ranch’s alfalfa pastures which is an hour out of town down the winding highway 74. Buses and cars line the road.
And dust rises from the pack of runners.
Weeds crunch under spikes as a handful of spectators look on under desolately beautiful blue skies. It’s about as far from meets like Nike Portland as you can get, and somehow more authentic to the sport.
On last Thursday, Oct. 6, the Riverhawks raced at the Mustang Invite with Pasco, Heppner, Enterprise, and a dozen other central and eastern Oregon teams, coming in second with strong racing for both sides.
The JV boys continued to impress, with freshman Phoenix Nanie showing an almost 2-minute PR from 22:35 to 20:31, Ethan Smallfoot knocking a minute off, and senior Jarett Smith over 30 seconds off. Sophomore Caleb Caldwell earned his place back on varsity for next week, with a consistently tough 19:13.
On the varsity side, seniors Juan Diego Contreras and Leo Lemann pushed the front pack, coming in first at 15:49 and third at 16:25, splitting Heppner’s Grady Greenwood (2nd) and Trevor Nichols (4th). True to style, Leo started inching up with 1000 meters to go, to stay ahead of Nichols’ finish kick.
The girls’ team was similarly receptive and listened well, with sophomore Alaina Casady holding tight in the front pack, and coming in fourth a second behind her season PR at 20:50. The next three varsity runners from The Dalles mostly ran together, with senior Fiona Dunlop pushing the pace for the last 1000 to finish 14th at 23:14.
Sophomore and newcomer Nayelie Vergara continues to shave time off her PR, down at 24:27 and sliding into the fifth varsity slot. For the smaller girls’ JV squad, Dalila Villegas saw a strong PR just above 30 minutes, earning her both the runner of the meet and setting her up well for a future sub-30 time soon.
As the teams cooled down and celebrated with pizza, the course was quickly transformed from a field of competition to just another alfalfa field. The magic of racing didn’t entirely disappear with the sunset, however, as the team ADV drove back home.
It reminds me of a crumpled piece of paper I kept in my trunk for a while, alongside missing shoes and empty water bottles. I wrote it during the darker days of 2020 when the track season got shut down, and the team was still out running, clandestinely.
Meets like Heppner’s still feel like a bit of a victory against unfairness and busyness of the world:
In a generation where the window of opportunity seems to be shrinking
Because of where you are, or where you’re from, or who you are
I’m thankful for one of the few places a contest doesn’t feel rigged
Or the outcomes set in stone
Where despite the hills the fields are still green and level
A pair of shoes- sometimes from your coach or teammate
Some water, some time, some miles
Time and again, lacing those shoes, double knotting, tucking the laces in
Literally putting one foot in front of the other, and
Flying
If only for a moment
—-
This Wednesday, Oct. 12, the Riverhawks preview their District course at McIver State Park near Estacada. You can follow the rest of their season calendar and PR’s on athletic.net.
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