PASCO — The East Jefferson boys cross-country team had the best showing of any squad from the Olympic Peninsula, finishing an impressive fifth as a team at the 1A state championships as the Rivals’ girls finished 10th.
Port Angeles, Sequim and Forks had individual runners at the state 2A and 2B races, but East Jefferson was the only program that qualified full teams.
The East Jefferson boys had four runners in the top 28 runners and finished with 152 points. Winning the state 1A championship was Cedar Park Christians (Bothell), which had three runners in the top eight.
Leading the Rivals was Joshua Yearian, who came in 15th with a time of 16 minutes, 32.3 seconds. Yearian made up a lot of place after the early part of the race as he was 24th after one mile. The winner time was by Oliver Zimmerman of Cedar Park Christian, who had a time of 15:22.9.
The Rivals had three runners all bunched up with 25th and 28th, less than 2 seconds apart. Nico Errichetti was 25th in a time of 16:55.1 and Noah Isenberg was right behind in 26th at 16:55.5. Teammate Dustin Hines was 28th at 16:56.7.
Zeke Banks was 119th (18:41.2), Louis Sanborn 151st (20:43.4) and John Neville 154th (21:15.2). the other good news for the Rivals is that six out of seven of their runners return next year with only Hines graduating, so another top-5 state finish is possible.
The East Jefferson girls had three runners in the top 48, with Leah Ferland 24th in 20:25.7. Hilina Tylor-Lenz was 42nd (21:04.6) and Michael Gregg 48th (21:12.2). Alli Applewhite was 120th (23:34.7) and Charlotte Hines 127th (23:59.3). The Rivals made the top 10 in the state despite being the only team with just five runners.
PA, Sequim, Forks
All of Port Angeles’ boys runners finished among the top 87 in the 2A race. The best showing was by Andre Campbell, who came in 47th with a time of 17:04.9. Teammates Henry Wendel was 83rd (17:39.3), Easton Dempsey 85th (17:40.2) and Jay Lieberman 87th (17:42.8).
“It was a beautiful day with ideal conditions on the course, and our Riders showed grit and determination throughout their races,” said coach Angie Gooding. “We’ll miss our incredible seniors — Andre Campbell, Easton Dempsey, and Leia Larson—whose leadership and dedication have left a lasting mark on the program. Our younger athletes have a bright future ahead: Henry Wendel and Jay Lieberman will lead a talented boys’ team next season, while Miriam Cobb will step into her senior year ready to guide the Lady Riders.”
Sequim’s Adrian Osborne was 81st (17:35.5) and Gavin Tupper was 127th (18:14.8).
Among the 2A girls, Sequim’s Emily Bair had the best showing, coming in 60th with a time of 20:57.9. Leia Larson led the Port Angeles runners, coming in 81st (21:28.4). Miriam Cobb was 124th (22:43.6).
For Forks, Luis Ornelas was 72nd in the 1B/2B race in a time of 18:47.4, while Darinel Garcia-Lopez was 120th (20:10.9) and Orlando Camacho 131st (20:47.5). In the girls 1B/2B race, Elizabeth Morrison was 113th with a time of 24:53.4, while
