CROSS COUNTRY

Ocosta Invitational

WESTPORT — Host Ocosta got two girls into the top-three finishers in the girls race to highlight the home team’s efforts at the Ocosta Invitational on Saturday.

Mark Morris won the boys team title, with Austin Beasley winning the boys race, over Ocosta. Forks outdistanced the field in the girls meet.

Ocosta’s Kathryn Anderson pulled away to win the girls race by 20 seconds over Enid Ensastegui, of Forks. McKenzie Ballo, Anderson’s teammate, improved on her time from last year’s Ocosta Invite by almost 30 seconds to take third. Willapa Valley fielded a full team and took third place, led by Traci Hoffman and Avery Strozyk at 12th and 13th places, respectively.

“We haven’t done any real hard workouts yet, but they ran really well,” Willapa Harbor coach Brad Donovan said of the Valley girls. “I think Morton-White Pass will be one of the ones to beat this season and for us to only be 10 points behind them is pretty exciting.”

The Wildcats’ boys team put all of its scoring runners into the top-30 spots, led by Alex Bailey in sixth. Raymond’s Jachin Heckman took eighth, Elma’s Dylan Volz ninth and Hoquiam’s Carlos Juarez in 11th place.

“They all ran well and Alex really ran a solid race for the first meet,” Ocosta coach Aaron Anderson said. “We had 13 schools represented and it was just a fun meet.”

Ocosta won the girls race in the Junior High portion of the invitational with Ocosta’s Dylan Most being the first runner to cross the line.

Ocosta Invitational

Boys

Mark Morris 49, Ocosta 75, Forks 82. 5. Elma 103. 7. Raymond 166.

Top-Five Finishers: 1. Austin Beasley (MM). 2. Josue Lucas (F). 3. Kameron Werner (MM). 4. Samuel Gomez (F). 5. Danny Martinez (F).

Top-30 Local Finishers: 6. Alex Bailey (Oco). 8. Jachin Heckman (Ray). 9. Dylan Volz (E). 11. Carlos Juarez (Hoquiam). 12. Drake Mitby (Oco). 13. Sam Quinby (Oco). 14. Oscar Joya (Hoq). 16. Tucker Holcomb (E). 17. Gunner Jones (E). 21. Daniel Quinby (Oco). 30. Raleigh Anderson (Oco).

Girls

Forks 32, Morton-White Pass 53. Willapa Valley 63, Mark Morris 69.

Top-Five Finishers: 1. Kathryn Anderson (Oco). 2. Enid Ensastegui (F). 3. McKenzie Ballo (Oco). 4. Madison Carlson (F). 5. Katie Ackley (Highland).

Top-20 Local Finishers: 12. Traci Hoffman (WV). 13. Avery Strozyk (WV), 15. Amber Anderson (WV). 17. Savannah Lutz (Hoq). 18. Payton Parshall (Hoq). 20. Jasmin Valasco (Oco).

Ash Creek Cross Country Meet

MONMOUTH, Ore. — Montesano kicked off the cross country season in Oregon with a trip to take part in the Ash Creek Cross Country Meet on Saturday.

The Bulldogs placed 20th out of the 35 teams competing in the varsity high school meet with senior Jake Mustard setting the pace with a time of 18:01.0 to place 63rd. Monte coach James Edwards also cited senior Logan Clements, who placed 69th and junior Connor Parkinson, who finished 80th out of the 276 runners in the boys field.

“For being our first meet I saw some good things,” Edwards said. “It was tough running in the heat but they weathered it out. It is a pretty good start for what our goals are for (Logan and Connor) to run this year.”

The Montesano girls team competed in the junior varsity race.

(Montesano runners only)

Boys varsity

63. Jake Mustard, 18:01.0. 69. Logan Clements, 18:07.2. 80. Connor Parkinson, 18:16.8. 162. Josef Aschenbrenner, 19:31.6. 196. Blaine Ross, 20:04.1. 209. Kyle Cox, 20:18.3. 224. Braden Stowers, 20:53.3.

Boys junior varsity

223. Hunter Birdsall, 22:31.2. 258. Samuel Borcherding, 23:03.2. 271. Evan Ramstad, 23:13.4. 279. Tristan Bodwell, 23:20.7.

Girls junior varsity

183. Madelyn Prall, 28:44.1. 208. Elizabeth Hunley, 30:02.1.