There’s a rich Hood River Valley (HRV) cross country history, a fact not lost on first-year Coach Laura Haspela.
That’s arguably one reason the long-time Hood River teacher and wellness coach is a good fit to lead the program. Haspela has more than 50 girls and boys runners signed up for the fall sport, which continues through the Nov. 9 OSAA state championship meet.
Talk of the state meet two months into the future might be getting ahead of things in some cross country programs. But a road trip south to Lane Community College in Eugene the first week in November has been a regular staple for the Eagle program — especially the past decade. This fall should be no exception, especially for the HRV boys team, which returns the top five runners from last season’s Northwest Oregon Conference (NWOC) championship squad.
Senior Logan King (second in district), senior Kai Wagner (third), junior Sam Knoll (seventh), senior Davis Kerr (18th) and junior Victor Coffman (19th) were HRV’s scoring runners (top five finishers) a season ago when the Eagles won the NWOC district meet with 47 points.
“They are such a dedicated crew,” Haspela said. “They’ve been training all through the winter; they’ve been training all summer. They’re doing their daily doubles. They are dedicated; they are committed.
“They want to get top three in state this year. They’re working together to try and make it happen.”
The large group of returning runners eases some of the workload for Haspela, who welcomed a large turnout of 56 to the program’s preseason practices. “They have a plan,” she said. “They are very clear in how they want to train.”
There is less experience returning — overall — on the HRV girls team, but the lead runner, junior Syl Perrin is back. HRV finished third in the girls NWOC district meet a year ago, as four points separated the top three teams. District champion Wilsonville (55 points) lost two of its top three runners to graduation. Runner-up La Salle Prep (56 points) graduated its third, fifth and sixth finishers at district. Hood River was third at district with 59 points, and the Eagles qualified for the OSAA state meet for the 12th successive season.
“Syl has got a strong base on her this summer,” Haspela said of Perrin, the 2024 NWOC fourth-place individual finisher. “She had a phenomenal track season. [It was] a great experience for her to build her mental toughness. That’s so much of this game of cross country.”
The Eagle girls team likely won’t have the depth that is equal to the boys squad.
“We have a small but strong girls team this year,” Haspela said. “They bring positive energy and joy to the team that lifts all of us up and will help our entire team succeed this season. Bella [Perez Dal Canton] is a new Eagle athlete, visiting from Spain this year who I can already tell will be a compatible training partner for Syl, our fastest female racer on the team. I’m excited to watch this team come together and help each other do more than we thought possible on our own.”
Hood River’s girls cross country team has qualified for the state meet every year the championship has been held since 2011. (COVID-19 canceled the 2020 meet.) During that 13-year period, the Eagle girls program won 10 district titles — was four-for-four in the Intermountain Conference from 2018-21, and it won five crowns in the prior eight years in the Columbia River.
“I couldn’t be happier working with this group of kids,” said Haspela, who takes over the program from long-time coach Brandon Bertram.
HRV cross country notes: The Eagles have won six girls trophies at state (top four) including the 1992 3A state title and the 2018 5A state title. HRV boasts three individual state champs, as well: Christy Paul, Class 4A (largest schools) in 2001; Grace Grim, Class 5A in 2012; and Frances Dickinson, Class 5A in 2018. The latest title year saw Eagle runners — Dickinson and teammate Brinna Weiseth — finish first and second at state within four seconds of each other. HRV is in the midst of a 12-year state championship meet run. The Eagles won their 1992 3A crown during a four-year run of trophies from 1990 (third), 1991 (second), and 1994 (second) — and a six-year state qualifying streak. The 2023 NWOC individual champions were underclassmen. Eleven of the top 13 boys finishers and seven of the top eight girls also were underclassmen at the 2023 district meet.
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