Poll tabs Wallowa County runners as favorites

Published 10:06 pm Wednesday, August 23, 2023

ENTERPRISE — If the state’s cross-country coaches are correct, the bus ride home from Lane Community College at the end of the season will be a happy one for both the boys and girls of the Enterprise/Joseph/Wallowa cross-country team.

The Oregon School Activities Association released the state’s preseason coaches’ poll on Wednesday, Aug. 23, showing the voting on the upcoming cross-country season.

The Enterprise/Joseph/Wallowa girls, the reigning state 3A/2A/1A team champions, are picked to repeat the goal this season, according to the coaches. The Outlaw girls picked up all but two of the first-place votes by the coaches. Oregon Episcopal is ranked second and picked up the remaining first-place votes.

Enterprise/Joseph/Wallowa held off Oregon Episcopal in last season’s state championship, winning by 21 points.

The Outlaws see only the loss of Maddie Nordtvedt to graduation from the state championship squad, returning all sophomores led by Piper Harvey. Harvey finished 11th in last year’s state meet, while fellow sophomore Abigail Hurley placed 13th. Mary Hellinger crossed the finish line in 20 th and Owyhee Harguess placed 24th. Finishing up the all-sophomore team will be Opal McDonald and Freya Hostetter, who placed 30th and 38th respectively at the state meet.

After finishing fourth in the team standings last season at the state meet, the coaches of Oregon are picking the Enterprise/Joseph/Wallowa boys to win it all this year in the 3A ranks. The voting saw Siuslaw ranked second behind the Outlaws with Valley Catholic in third. Siuslaw is the reigning 3A state team champions while Valley Catholic is runner-up from last year’s state meet.

Like the Outlaw girls, the Enterprise/Joseph/Wallowa team suffers only the loss of Weston Wolfe to graduation. Returning are junior Jett Leavitt, the 12th-place finisher in last year’s state meet. Leavitt will be joined by sophomore Jonah Lyman and senior Andrew Hurley, both top-20 finishers from last season.

Junior Xander Perry is back after placing 33rd and sophomore Colton Keffer returns after finishing 52nd.

Junior Lucas Goodrich finished last year’s state meet in 56th.