Well, now. Last week’s high school cross country meet in White Salmon threw a new twist into Wednesday’s Trico League Championship race. Especially on the boys side.
Columbia held a definite home-course advantage Oct. 13 and parlayed that into a win in the boys competition over pre-race favorite Seton Catholic and perennial contender La Center. Columbia edged Seton 40-42, while La Center was third with 53 team points. Those three schools should be the frontrunners this week when they toe the line for conference supremacy at Vancouver Lake. Competition begins at 3:45 p.m.
La Center won the past two boys conference championships and three of the past four. Columbia won the 2018 title after winning three in a row from 2014 to 2016.
“We knew on paper some of these teams looked better than us,” Columbia Coach Mike Hannigan said of the six teams in town for last week’s race. “But this is our home course and we’ve been putting up some really solid training runs that indicated we were growing stronger each week in leaps and bounds.”
That increased strength was most evident in the Bruins’ No. 2 and 3 runners — sophomore August Lorincz and frosh Noah Slayton. They finished fifth and sixth in the three-mile race which included 64 varsity finishers. Seton’s No. 2 and 3 runners were seventh and eighth.
Deeper into the lineup, Columbia’s team depth also was evident. For the second straight week, the Bruins’ second through seventh runners were within 60 seconds of each other.
Columbia’s No. 1 runner all season, junior Camden Uffelman, finished third in the race in 16 minutes, 57 seconds. Joseph Blanshan of La Center won in 15:53 and Seton’s Sam Soto was second in 16:35.
The conference meet will be held over a 5,000-meter course, vs. the slightly shorter, spectator-friendly three-mile track at Columbia High. Seton holds an edge over Columbia based on best times this year contested over 5,000-meters. No matter the course length, Hannigan likes how his team has come together this fall.
“The best part of what we are doing is that the team spirit is so high, and the positivity is flowing,” he said. “I’m hoping we can continue to grow, so that at district we can pull out a district championship. It will be tough, but I feel good about our work.”
This week’s Trico Conference meet serves as a tune up for the 1A/2A District IV meet Oct. 28 at Lewis River Golf Course in Woodland. Top teams and individuals at district qualify for the WIAA state meet Nov. 6 in Pasco.
The Columbia girls were third in last week’s race behind Seton and La Center. Seton is the heavy favorite this week and next at district.
“The girls team has been steadily gaining on the competition and we had an absolutely amazing day of racing,” Hannigan said. “Seven of eight girls got a PR for the home course. This is really outstanding.”
Columbia junior Ella Zimmerman was fifth to lead the Bruin girls.
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