PORT ANGELES — Three of the four North Olympic Peninsula cross country teams are prepping for the 37th annual Salt Creek Invitational on Saturday at Salt Creek County Park.
Host Port Angeles, Port Townsend and Forks will compete along with nine other schools Saturday.
Crescent senior Martin Waldrip also will run.
The Loggers don’t have a cross country team, but Waldrip is training with Lee Evinger, an assistant with Crescent’s middle school track and field program, this season and will compete at area meets in an effort to qualify for the Class 1B postseason.
Sequim is heading south to run in the Three-Course Challenge in Seaside, Ore.
The Salt Creek Invitational begins with a boys and girls elementary open races at 9:15 a.m., followed by boys and girls 3-mile open races at 9:45 a.m.
The girls JV race starts at 10:30 a.m. and the boys JV starts at 11 a.m.
The girls varsity race is at 11:30 a.m., while the boys varsity runners start at noon.
Port Townsend’s Ryan Clarke took second in the boys varsity race at Salt Creek last year, on his way to a fifth-place finish at the Class 1A state meet.
Peter Butler, finished ninth last year for the Roughriders, and should be in the mix for a top-10 finish again this season.
Last year’s winner, Luke Beauchamp of Interlake, will be back at Salt Creek. He edged Clarke by last than 2 seconds in 2013.
Port Angeles’ Willow Suess is the top returning North Olympic Peninsula contestant. Suess finished 11th as a sophomore last year.
Here are season previews of each of the area’s cross country teams.
Sequim boys
■ Coach: Harold Huff
■ Top returners: Mikey Cobb, sr.; Pete Ohnstad, sr.; Brendon Despain, jr.; C.J. Daniels, jr.; Jackson Oliver, jr.; Chris Jeffko, jr.; Christian Ash, jr.
■ Top newcomers: Chase Ridgway, sr.
■ Leader of the pack: The Wolves’ strength is their pack. Last year’s state-placing team often finished four or five runners in the top 10 of most races.
■ Outlook: Huff said this is the best boys team he’s had in his 14 years of coaching.
“They worked hard all summer, many running 500 miles, and are motivated to challenge for a state title,” Huff said.
Sequim girls
■ Coach: Harold Huff
■ Top returners: Erin Vig, so.; Elizabeth Rosales, so.; Siana Turner, sr.; Emily Webb, jr.
■ Top newcomers: Audrey Shingleton, jr.; Waverly Shreffler, jr.; Noelle Bittner, fr.
■ Leader of the pack: Shreffler, who ran shorter distances in track last year, ran to a ninth-place finish recently at the Capital Invite.
■ Outlook: “I think this team will be competitive for the league title if they stay healthy,” Huff said.
Port Angeles boys
■ Coach: Pat Durr
■ Top returners: Peter Butler, sr.; Simon Shindler, sr.; Hunter Dempsey, jr.; Tristan Butler, so.
■ Top newcomers: Alek Long, sr.
■ Leader of the pack: Butler is the most experienced and decorated Roughrider runner.
■ Outlook: “We look to be able to compete in the Olympic League and take one of the four top spots to qualify for district,” Durr said.
“Our goal is to qualify as a team to the state meet.”
Port Angeles girls
■ Coach: Cheryl Gerardi
■ Top returners: Willow Suess, jr.; Astrid Shick, sr. co-captain; Annika Pederson sr., co-captain.
■ Top newcomers: Gracie Long, fr.; Madelyn Dougherty, fr.; Lael Butler, so.;
■ Leader of the pack: Long has lead the team by 30 seconds or more in early season races.
“It will be fun to watch Gracie transition from a 2-mile runner to a 5-kilometer high school competitor,” Gerardi said.
■ Outlook: The Riders are seeking a sub-30 second split between the No. 2 and No. 5 racers.
Defending last year’s Olympic League championship is a goal, as well as a top-five finish at districts and a subsequent team berth to the state meet.
Port Townsend boys
■ Coach: Alice Fraser
■ Top returners: Ryan Clarke, sr.; Brennan LaBrie, so.
■ Top newcomers: Jesus Duran, fr.; Kyle Mackey, fr.; and Jack Kingsley, so.
■ Leader of the pack: Clarke, who was the All-Peninsula Cross Country MVP, won the Olympic League championship and finished fifth at state last season.
■ Outlook: Fraser said the Redhawks’ core pack has improved this season, and she expects them to make a strong bid for the state meet.
“Six of the boys ran over 200 miles in the weeks preceding the season,” she said.
Port Townsend girls
■ Coach: Alice Fraser
■ Top returners: Hanna Trailer, sr.; Amelia Grant, so.
■ Top newcomers: Ally Bradley, fr.; Meigan Kunz, fr.
■ Leader of the pack: Fraser said it is hard to separate Trailer, Grant and Bradley so far.
■ Outlook: “Look for some strong competition from our top three, and possible state championship meet qualifiers,” Fraser said.
Forks boys
■ Coach: Brian Weekes
■ Top returners: Alan Ensastegui, jr.; Hugo Lucas, jr.; Austin Pegram, jr.; Joel Mohn, jr.
■ Top newcomers: Sam Gomez, fr.; Paco Bocanegro, jr.
■ Leader of the pack: “Hugo is pushing Alan all the way,” Weekes said. “It’s going to be interesting to see how hard [Lucas] fights and if he can catch Alan.”
■ Outlook: Barring injury, Weekes thinks the team has enough depth to make a push to compete at state.
Forks girls
■ Coach: Brian Weekes
■ Top returners: Tristin Williams, sr.; Kari Larson, sr.; Brooke Peterson, sr.; Jessica Olivera, soph.
■ Top newcomers: Marissa Baily, fr.; Amber Hoagland, fr.
■ Leader of the pack: Larson and Peterson both competed at the state meet last year and Williams has already won the Ocosta Invitational this season.
■ Outlook: Weekes thinks both his boys and girls teams have enough to make the state meet.
“If we don’t send both teams to state then somebody probably got injured,” Weekes said.
