Vashon cross-country teams race their way to state

The Vashon High School cross-country girls team won the district title for the first time in 10 years, and the boys finished second. Both secured a team bid to compete at the State Championships in Pasco next weekend.

On Saturday, Nov. 1, the Vashon High School cross-country team traveled to Chambers Creek Park to compete in the Westside Classic, the district qualifier, with a trip to state on the line. The top three teams from both the boys and girls races qualify to race in the State Championships in Pasco next week.

The girls team came in ready to battle — both the other teams and the insane weather. Gusts over 30 mph, heavy rain, standing water and mud made for one of the wildest race days in recent memory. The girls were undaunted as they attempted to win their first district championship since 2015.

Crossing the line first for the Pirates was senior captain Emily Harrington, who raced solo for most of the day, cruising to a second-place finish overall. Next up were senior captain Cece Guenther and sophomore Annabelle Thompson, teammates who paced together for most of the race and finished in the crowd-favorite positions of sixth and seventh, respectively — three runners in the top 10.

Fighting through the rain and mud, freshman Sadie Reissiger was next across the line, finishing 13th. Just a few seconds later, also running solo for most of the race, sophomore Bridget Simmons powered through to round out the team’s scoring with an 18th-place finish. Not done yet, freshmen Zephyr Schildbach (25th) and Cedar Henderson (42nd) closed out the varsity team in a district meet to be remembered.

After the dust (or mud) settled, the girls proved victorious, winning the district championship over East Jefferson in dominant fashion — scoring 41 points to East Jefferson’s 62. This is the girls’ first team title in 10 years, earning them the chance to race at the State Championships next week in Pasco.

The boys team was up next, and the weather was no kinder to them. With blustery wind and a chewed-up course, the boys laid it all on the line for a chance to race at state next week.

The boys got out hard and were determined to compete with their rival — and “The Rivals” — East Jefferson, for the district crown. Getting out to an early lead and never looking back, junior captain Josh Healey dominated the course to finish first overall, becoming the first Vashon boys district champion in more than 20 years. It was an incredible effort from Josh, years in the making.

Next across the line was sophomore Harrison Decker, who ran his best race to date, hanging in the lead pack for much of the day and finishing in an impressive fourth place. Reprising his top-10 finish from last year, sophomore Leif McBennet battled the elements to equal his place from last year, crossing the line in eighth. Sophomore Max McLachlan was next up for the Pirates, fighting back and forth for a final spot in 14th. Freshman Jared Mansfield, who has shown incredible improvement throughout the season, rounded out the scoring, finishing as the fifth runner in 21st. Senior captain Oskar Cobb-Maigetter, who was only cleared to run five days ago after suffering a collarbone injury in early September, gutted out a 25th-place finish in his first race of the season.

It was great to see Oskar back with the team after such a tough injury, and his body will no doubt adapt quickly to have a strong showing next week at state. Rounding out the varsity seven was freshman Atticus Andrews-Waller, who suffered an injury during the race and had to retire before the finish.

Overall, the boys finished second and punched their ticket to compete in Pasco next week at the State Championships — an incredible performance that gives the team motivation to lock in and bring their A-game to the race on Saturday.

This was a great day for Vashon cross-country, qualifying both boys and girls teams for state in the same season and setting the tone for a new level of competitiveness from the program.

According to the Washington State Coaches Association poll, the boys are ranked seventh and the girls sixth heading into the final race of the year on Saturday, Nov. 8, at the State Championships in Pasco. The girls will race at 10 a.m. and the boys at noon at Sun Willows Golf Course.

Go Pirates!

Editor’s note: A previous version of this article stated, “As far as we know, in the history of Vashon High School, both the boys and girls teams have never qualified in the same year.” This has been removed following new information confirming that both teams have, in fact, qualified for state in the same year before.

James Batey is the head coach of the Vashon High School cross-country team.