2,000+ students converging on Pasco for one of WA’s largest high school sports events

According to the start list presented by the Washington Interscholastic Activities Association, the state high school cross country championships with host 2,291 runners this Saturday at Sun Willows Golf Course in Pasco.

That makes it one of the largest high school sports events in the state.

The particulars include 11 classification races for both boys and girls, one wheelchair race, and an ambulatory/unified race.

It all begins at 9 a.m., Nov. 9, and there are a few things to keep an eye on.

First and foremost will be the Class 4A boys race, in which Kamiakin senior Ezra Teeples looks for a third individual state title.

But Teeples would like to see his Kamiakin teammates join him atop the podium for a team title. The Braves will have to figure out a way to get past defending 4A team champion Issaquah, as well as Spokane’s Lewis & Clark, which won the district title last weekend.

The latest Washington State Cross Country Coaches Association polls came out on Monday, and the Kamiakin boys are ranked No. 4 in Class 4A, behind leader Lewis & Clark.

In 3A boys, Hermiston is No. 9, with Mercer Island the top team.

Other than those two area teams, no other boys teams are ranked in the top 10.

The Prosser girls have made their mark in the Class 2A poll, earning a No. 10 ranking. Sehome is the top team in that classification.

Here are the No. 1’s are for every classification: Lewis & Clark (4A boys), Mt. Si (4A girls), Mercer Island (3A boys and 3A girls), Sehome (2A boys and girls), Cedar Park Christian of Bothell (1A boys and girls), Mt. Vernon Christian (2B boys), Valley Christian (1B boys), and Pope John Paul II (1B/2B girls).

Besides Teeples, there are five other defending champions back this weekend: Annie Wright’s Will Carroll (1A boys), Liberty Bell’s Dexter Delaney (1B/2B boys), Pope John Paul II’s Ruby Henry (1B/2B girls), Mercer Island’s Owen Powell (3A boys), and Mercer Island’s Sophia Rodriguez (3A girls).

Here’s a look race-by-race with all Mid-Columbia contestants schedule to run.

4A BOYS (3 p.m.): Ezra Teeples, Kamiakin, defending state champion. … Kamiakin team (Coolidge Grigg, jr; Ty Judi, soph; Chase Kennard, sr.; Andrew Larsen, sr.; Forrest McRoberts, soph; Bridger Melver, soph; Kale Petersen, jr.; Ezra Teeples, sr.; Noah Thomas, sr.); Andrew Garcia, sr., Sunnyside.

4A GIRLS (1:30 p.m.): Each of the five Mid-Columbia Conference schools have one representative. They are senior Ava Beus (Hanford), senior Emma Gis (Chiawana), senior Lily Robertson (Richland), senior Valerie Siebol-DeRuyter (Pasco), and junior Elena Till (Kamiakin).

3A BOYS (2:30 p.m.): Mercer Island’s Owen Powell is back to defend his state title. … Led by senior Jaysen Rodriguez, Hermiston qualified as a team after placing third last weekend at the district meet. Hermiston (Gabriel Anderson, so.; Jasper Blackburn, fr.; Miguel Fuentes, jr.,; Franco Gonzalez Mendoza, soph; Jose Juarez Rodriguez, soph; Leroy Lozano Mejia, fr.; Jaysen Rodriguez, sr.; Luis Silva Salas, jr.; Alexander Zacarias, soph); Ian Lash, sr., Walla Walla.

3A GIRLS (1 p.m.): The Rodriguez sisters from Mercer Island (Sophia and Victoria) finished 1-2, respectively, in last year’s final. … Each of the four MCC 3A schools have a state representative: senior Macy Eggart (Walla Walla), junior Maggie Meenderinck (Hermiston), junior Renee Paulson (Southridge), and senior Morgan Thompson (Kennewick).

2A BOYS (12:30 p.m.): Local runners include Othello senior Silas Garza and junior Alejandro Mendoza; Prosser senior Cristobal Gonzalez; and Grandview sophomore Brendan Kramer.

2A GIRLS (10:30 a.m.): Prosser is sending a full team. The Mustangs competing are freshman Reagan Andrews, senior Cherish Deng, junior Katharine Hudak, sophomore Irelyn McDonald, junior Elizabeth Norris, sophomore Iris Slonecker, senior Miriam Slonecker, senior Camila Torres, and sophomore Anya VerMulm.

1A BOYS (12 p.m.): Will Carroll of Annie Wright is back to defend his state title. … College Place has a full team (senior Franky Amparo, freshman Tanner Arlington, sophomore Randyn Burgener, freshman Brannan Hamada, sophomore Teo Masferrer, senior Keenan Pewitt, senior Aiden Potts, freshman Ethan Reyes, and freshman Tucker Wicks. Royal has two runners competing in junior Carlos Barajas and senior Jesus Mendoza.

1A GIRLS (10 a.m.): The Mid-Columbia’s largest contingent with 15 runners. It includes a trio from College Place (Arialee Amsing, jr.; Chayelle Amsing, fr.; Birtukan Durand, jr.); a pair from Wahluke in seniors Stephany Elias and Ayshane Lopez; and Connell sophomore Lucy Campbell. Royal is sending a complete team (Rebecca Carlson. Soph; Alma Cortez, fr.; Sarah Freeman, soph; Caylee Guerrero, fr.; Jaelyn Mendoza, jr.; Cindy Rincon, sr.; Yanise Rincon, fr.; Veleria Rodriguez, soph; and Alina Valentin, soph).

2B BOYS (11:30 a.m.): The WIAA broke out the 2B race from the 1B race, giving both classifications their own event rather than how they’ve been combined in the past. Liberty Bell’s Dexter Delaney won the combined race last season and will now run with the 2B boys. … Tri-Cities Prep freshman Josh Dresser and two runners from Mabton (sophomore Pablo Trujillo and senior Adan Zuniga) are competing.

1B BOYS (11 a.m.): Preston Arnold of Valley Christian, who finished eighth last season, is the highest returning placer this year. … There are no local runners in this event.

1B/2B GIRLS (9:30 a.m.): Pope John Paul II’s Ruby Henry, who won the state title last year as a freshman, returns to defend her title. … There are no local runners in this event.

Football

Kamiakin snapped a 7-7 tie by scoring four touchdowns in the second quarter, beating visiting Lewis & Clark 48-13 in a play-in game to the Class 4A Round of 32 on Tuesday night at Lampson Stadium.

Korbyn Hopwood scored on a 23-yard run; Trent Woodhouse hit Zackery Gandy on a 33-yard TD pass; Riley Stevens rushed in from 16 yards; and Woodhouse hit Micheal Kori on a 28-yard scoring strike as time expired to give Kamiakin a 34-7 halftime lead.

With the win, the Braves travel to play Moses Lake at 1 p.m. Saturday in a Round of 32 game. The contest will be played at Lions Field.