Intriguing Matchups Feature Some Of The Nation's Top Teams, Individuals As State Meet Returns To Lane Community College

By Doug Binder, DyeStat Editor

Photos by Kim Spir, Tim Healy and Phil Yearian

The mysteries surrounding the outcomes of Saturday's Oregon High School Cross Country Championships are as shrouded as the morning fog in the Willamette Valley. 

The state meet returns to its traditional home at Lane Community College on Saturday morning with small school finals (girls 3A/2A/1A) at 10 a.m. and (boys 2A/1A) at 10:35 a.m. That will be the start of nine races that concludes with the 6A finals. The girls go at 2:55 p.m. and the boys are at 3:30. 

Some of the state's best have not gone head to head so far this fall, which adds a layer of interest and expectation. 

Lake Oswego junior Kate Peters, ranked US#2, will race Jesuit senior Chloe Foerster (US#10) for the first time all fall in the 6A final. Peters won the Nike Portland XC meet and built her high national ranking partly on the victory there against Cherry Creek CO's Riley Stewart and Mira Costa CA's Dalia Frias. No one in the country has beaten runners of that caliber on the girls side this fall. Peters ran 16:40.9 that day at Blue Lake Park, more than a month ago.

Foerster won the Hole In The Wall Invitational in Washington, which had a top end regional field, and she has run 16:51.6 at the Metro League Championships. 

Two more runners who have moved into the elite category are Kaiya Robertson of Franklin and Kendall York of Lincoln, who have tested one another repeatedly in Portland Interscholasic League meets this fall. Those two could maintain contact with the leaders to the very end.

Additionally, Foerster leads Jesuit's US#7 girls team against the reigning champion and US#5 Summit. Those two competed at the opening of the season at the Ash Creek XC Festival on Sept. 11. Summit won that day, 43-47. 

If either of those teams falter, US#27 Lincoln is lurking as well, led by York. 

OREGON COACHES DISCUSS LOADED 6A BOYS FIELD WITH FOUR TOP-30 TEAMS

The lineup for the 6A boys meet has led many in the state to believe that this is a blockbuster year -- perhaps the deepest in state history. Sixteen boys in the state have run times under 15 minutes for 5,000 meters this fall. And while there doesn't appear to be outlier type of star like a Galen Rupp (2003), Matthew Maton (2014) or E.J. Holland (2019), there are a bunch of Division 1-level guys vying for the win. 

Here are the leading contenders - 

James Crabtree of Sherwood - Won the Hole In The Wall Invitational in 14:45.5, breaking a Jonah Price (Eisenhower WA) course record. His training partner Jeffery Rogers fallen back a bit in recent meets, but a good day at state could change the order. 

Caleb Lakeman of Tualatin - Three times under 15 minutes this year, he won the Ash Creek Festival and Meriwether CC Classic races, and also the Champgoeg Invitational. In all three events, he beat fields that included other sub-15 guys.

Charlie North of Franklin - Two years ago, his teammates, Aidan Palmer and Charlie Robertson, went 1-2 in the 6A final and lifted the team to its first state title in any sport in nearly 60 years. North is every bit as good as his former teammates and ran 14:50 to win the Lewis & Clark Invitational. 

Benjamin Balazs of Sunset - The highest returning finisher from the 2019 state final (he was 11th), Balazs cemented his status as a contender by winning the Metro League district title in 14:55.4. 

Aiden Smith of Lincoln - He just won the PIL district title, and beat North, with a 14:50.4 tour of Lents Park in Southeast Portland. His teammate, Tucker Bowerfind, has also run under 15 minutes. 

Max Giradet and Wes Shipey of Central Catholic - Giradet and Shipsey went 1-3 at the Chile Pepper XC Festival in Arkansas, showing their poise and resilience to prevail in a big meet situation. Giradet won that day in 14:55.5. Shipsey, one of the state's best juniors, won the Mt. Hood Conference district title and is working his way back from a sore knee that has limited his training. 

Jacob Nenow of Jesuit - It's hard to forget that Jesuit's top runner is the son of former U.S. 10,000 meters record holder Mark Nenow, and he has the pedigree to break out into a national name at any moment. 

Asher McKinnon of South Eugene - This somewhat unheralded senior won the Southwest Conference district title and ran 14:48.3 on the fast Harrier Classic course in Albany. 

Michael Maiorano of South Medford - He has been slightly off the radar this fall, but Maiorano may have been targeting Nov. 6 all along. It can't be forgotten that he ran 8:51.38 for 3,200 meters on the track at the Portland Track Festival. He came into the cross country season as the state's best prospect. Best this fall: 15:11.6.

The 5A race, too, has a couple of standouts in the field. 

Tyrone Gorze of Crater - He ran 14:29.3 at the Crater Twilight track event on Oct. 8, the fastest 5K in the state this year. Yes, tracks are easier than terrain, but at least we know the distance was accurate. 

Logan Law of Milwaukie - He won the Harrier Classic in 14:43.2 on Oct. 2. He was fifth, however, at the Lewis and Clark Invitational. 

Henry Coughlan of Crescent Valley - The transfer from Enterprise in Eastern Oregon has thrived at a bigger school and he leads a Raiders team that will contend for the team title with Crater and Summit. He was third a the Harrier Classic in 14:56. 

To top it all off, there is a team showdown in the 6A boys race that features US#4 Jesuit, US#12 Central Catholic, US#27 Lincoln and US#29 Franklin. 

Jesuit and Central Catholic, the dominant private school powers in the Portland area, have not raced this fall and both have shown an ability to rise to the occasion this season. Most likely, the first team to put a fifth runner across the finish line will win it. Lincoln and Franklin both have the personnel and belief to pull if off as well. 

In 2019, it was Franklin first, followed by Jesuit (second), Central Catholic (third) and Lincoln was 10th. 

On Saturday, one of those four will win and the margins could be very close.