Kamiakin Boys Looking To Remain 'Consistent' At NXR Northwest

By Doug Binder, DyeStat Editor

It's possible that the winners Saturday afternoon at Eagle Island State Park could be a carbon copy of 2018. 

The US#1 Summit OR girls are back as they look to book a return trip to Nike Cross Nationals, where they aim to try and defend their championship. 

The Kamiakin WA boys of Kennewick have been the top-ranked boys team in the Northwest all year and their Class 3A title at the Washington state meet showed that they have what it takes to win again. 

E.J. Holland of Ashland OR ran an eye-popping time of 14:30 at the Oregon state meet that makes him a favorite to repeat his regional title. And Sydney Thorvaldson of Rawlins WY, the girls reigning champion, smashed her own Wyoming championships record. 

And yet, there is depth and high-quality talent in the region and the spots available for nationals are limited. Last year, the Northwest got at-large bids on the boys and girls sides and it might happen again. 

Kamiakin, which boasts five seniors and is led by sophomore Isaac Teeples, who runs beyond his years. 

"I've been pretty happy with the boys all year long," coach Matt Rexus said. "They've been consistent in races week after week. I'm hopeful that we'll do that again, but there's a lot of teams really running hot right now. (4A champion) Camas ran great. Blanchet Catholic ran fantastic, although we were able to beat them. Then you look to Oregon. Jesuit was off but they've been up all year, and then Franklin and Ashland."

Rexus knows enough that the variables of the regional format and the Eagle Island course can make things challenging in a hurry.

"The toughest thing about this meet might be the first 200 meters," he said. "The whole thing is tough. The draw of the lane you get can be a factor. We were out there today and there were gopher holes all over the place."

Last year, one of Kamiakin's top runners, Stanford Smith, got badly spiked in the first 100 meters and then kicked off one of his shoes at the mile mark. 

"We need to run as well as have all season to have that shot (to win)," Rexus said. "Nobody cares what we did last week at state."

The path to a top-two automatic qualifying finish for any team requires some good fortune.

Even Summit is not immune. On Tuesday, No. 2 runner Teaghan Knox, suffered a bicycling accident on the way to school that sent her to the hospital for X-rays. She suffered some bruising on her left hip and wrist, but fortunately was not hurt worse. She is expected to be OK for Saturday's race. 

Summit, even at full strength, could have its hands full with a North Central WA team that welcomed back top runner Allie Janke in the past month. Janke led North Central to a 20-point dominant victory in the Washington 3A meet last weekend. Boise ID, Bozeman MT, Jesuit OR and Lincoln OR all have teams capable of running their way to Portland. 

Thorvaldson may be the class of the field, but she will have to beat Summit's Fiona Max, Mountain View's Lexy Halladay, the Bob Firman Invitational champion, NXN top-10 placer Mattalyn Geddes from Twin Falls, Lincoln's fantastic freshman Kate Peters, and Issaquah's talented Julia David Smith in order to reclaim her title. 

Holland will be chased by a group that is expected to include Nathan Green of Borah ID, Wil Smith of Lewis and Clark WA, Aidan Palmer and Charlie Robertson of Franklin OR, Peter Visser of Star Valley WY, Ahmed Ibrahim of Parkrose OR and Jonas Price of Eisenhower WA. 

The girls championship races goes off at 2:35 p.m. Mountain Time. The boys race is at 3:10.