WE ARE THE CHAMPIONS, MY FRIEND -TDHS Girls X-Country takes district... again
Harriers blow away personal records like locust leaves in a gorge storm
Jill Pearson Bell
The Dalles, Ore., Oct. 30, 2023 - As the silly string descended on their sweat and rain-soaked hair, the Riverhawk runners took in the moment at the 4A-2 Tri-Valley Conference Championship at McIver Park in Estacada on Oct. 25.
The memory of last year’s District and State championship had haunted this year’s teams like a specter- and it seemed a new championship was the best way to relegate old expectations to the past.
The only thing harder than trying to make it to the top is maintaining the momentum that got them there in the first place; championships aren’t inherited- they’re earned.
After such a strong showing at Estacada two weeks ago, the additional target on their backs had the Riverhawk runners- and their coaches- a little edgy. Could they repeat such strong PRs, near-perfect races? They had to believe they could- and believe they did.
Boys JV
For the junior varsity runners, the race held the promise of one final PR- for all but two members of the team, it did in spades. Trey Hodges won the JV boys race at 17:56, with teammates Phoenix Nanie, Jack Dewey, and Sawyer Dray hot on his heels to finish fifth through seventh right above 18:10. For veteran coach Bob Thouvenel (in his 56th season), the sweeping result was a pleasant surprise.
“The last time The Dalles would have won all four races at Districts was over 30 years ago in Madras.” He paused. “I can’t remember the last time we would have had a first in each race, though.”
The Dalles’ boys’ JV team is so stacked- scoring 27 points with a 28-second difference between first and fifth- that they would independently rank about 10th in the State. Ivan Martinez, the squad’s final runner, finished with another 90-second PR, while senior Gabe Stein (20:45) finished close behind teammate Andrew Wring (20:50). To put some of the gains into perspective, just look back a year ago on the same course: sophomore Kaedyn Linker finished a full two and a half minutes faster than his freshman SR, while Trey Hodges was about a minute faster.
Girls JV
While both JV teams raced simultaneously, the girls’ team was the only full team, and thus ended with a perfect score of 15. Before her race, junior Gabrielle Kahler had made a bet with a teammate that she was going to win- which she did, by about 40 seconds at 22:53, and over half a minute faster than her State time freshman year.
Behind Kahler were additional varsity alternates Marley Perry (23:36) and senior Mayet Winwood (24:05), with return runners Dalila Villegas and Sofia Rogers each attaining multiple minute PR’s in fourth and fifth places. The finish line was especially meaningful for sophomores Madison Scherer and Elliot Winwood, who had been unable to participate the past several meets. Their comeback race was a way to finish the season on their own terms, and well below the 35-minute barrier of their previous records.
Boys Varsity
The pressure was on for last year’s championship boys’ team. While they didn’t win, they scored a mere 8 points behind the highly competitive Crook County, who had been projected to outscore them by over 30 points.
To the coaches’ pleasant surprise, sophomore Tyson Long attached himself to lead runner Gavin Humphreys, moving to lead with 200 meters to go and ultimately beating him by .9 seconds to win the race in 16:41, a 22-second PR.
The next trio of Riverhawk runners finished right above the 17 minute barrier: Caleb Caldwell at 17:07 in 8th, Aiden Erickson at 17:09.5, and Egan Ziegenhagen at 17:09.9. Caldwell expressed some disappointment at finishing in “second team all-league” status (places 8-14) again, which would indeed be less impressive if it hadn’t been a 38 second season record, and a full minute and a half better than his district time at Estacada last year. The same could be said for any of the returning Riverhawk runners: in a hypothetical matchup of last year’s team at districts and this year’s team, the squads would have tied at 18 points, but ultimately been beaten by sixth runner Josef Lutz at 17:38 (vs. Caldwell’s 18:16 last year). The boys’ depth was on full display, as well as their hunger to return to Lane next week.
Girls Varsity
After a massive 40 second PR last week in Estacada for lead Riverhawk Alaina Casady, the pressure was on. “Don’t pace off of Ruby or Emily,” coach Mandi Williams advised, referring to Madras and Crook County’s leaders. “Lead from the gun- make them settle for second.
The worst thing that could happen is you still finish in second.” True to her race plan, Casady led the entire race, finishing within .6 seconds of last week, at a fierce 19:21 flat. The solo run was a major confidence booster for her teammates as well: Abi Pope and Ruby Jaimes Mora demolished their previous season’s times, finishing in sixth and seventh place below 21 minutes at 20:58 each. Junior Nayeli Vergara helped secure her team’s finishing score at 13th place in 21:55, while new runners Laura Black and Riley Elliott picked up points and time in honor of injured teammate Kestley Hodges.
“I can’t believe it,” gushed Rokiah Notbohm. “We got to State on a wild card last year…I thought we could run well today, but win?” Sure enough, with all entries in, The Dalles girls had won with 43 points to Crook County’s 47.
In such a small race- the smallest of the season with only 34 runners- every person’s finish helped, whether Vergara’s edging 2 seconds ahead of Crook County’s Samantha Ramos, or Elliott splicing two Crook runners’ finish. Casady’s first place didn’t hurt either, although she was much more vocal about the team’s finish: her first words to me after her remarkable finish were “I think the girls team got it!”
While their strong districts times got the teams excited, the challenge for the next week is to keep their eyes up.
“We’ll give Districts the celebration it deserves after next weekend,” remarked coach Aaron Long at practice the next day. “You all raced really well, but we have a new goal ahead of us.” The team nodded, settling into their recovery pace as the temperatures steadily dropped in the late October sun. After another championship, they certainly have their sights set high and their work cut out for them.
Next week, the Riverhawks head to the State meet in Eugene at Lane Community College on Nov. 4th. More info about their records at athletic.net; tickets for sale at OSAA. The XC team would also like to offer their congratulations to the other TDHS Tri-Valley league champions: The Dalles girls soccer, and volleyball. Congratulations, ladies!
Support Local News
Available to everyone. Funded by readers.
