Gregg, Owens lead Chiefs in final Big Nine cross country meet before districts

MOSES LAKE — The endgame is to be one of the top two teams at the District 6 cross country meet next week in Wenatchee. If Tuesday’s Columbia Basin Big Nine No. 2 meet at Blue Heron Park is any indicator, the Moses Lake girls are on the verge of something big.

Freshman Carlie Gregg finished sixth overall (20 minutes, 30 seconds) and the Chiefs edged closer to Eisenhower in the final tune-up, finishing fourth on the home course. It was a short turnaround for the Chiefs, who finished third at the Oroville Invitational on Friday, but they ran well on the familiar hills of Blue Heron Park.

“In the last four years, the top two teams at this race have gone on to compete at state,” Moses Lake coach Larry Dagnon said. “I believe our best race is yet to come.”

Big Nine perennial powerhouse Eisenhower smoked the field with three runners in the top four, winning the final meet of the regular season by 30 points. The Cadets won with 31 points. Davis was a distant second at 61. West Valley (78) and Moses Lake (100) were third and fourth, respectively.

“We have improved so much during the season. We’re getting closer to Eisenhower,” said freshman Mikayla Cooper, who ran one of her best races of the season, finishing 15th in 21:33. “This is a really, really tough course. Next week we run on a flat course in Wenatchee, we’ll run much faster.”

They can’t beat every Eisenhower runner, but they can get some of them. If the Chiefs can push further into the Cadets scoring lineup, they might have a chance to do something that hasn’t been done in 30 years — qualify for state.

“We have no choice, if we want to get to state we have to plan on catching every girl we can,” said senior Anette Vyakhk, who ran her final race at Blue Heron Park. “Their front runners were too far out today, but their four and five girls were in my vision sight. I know that I can get them. Next week, time doesn’t matter. It’s about picking off each chick that’s in front of you. Keep moving up no matter what.”

Moses Lake put all five scoring runners in the top 30. The determining factor will be with the No. 4 and No. 5 runners, but Gregg, who won for the first time this season last week at Oroville, has done her part. The Chiefs freshman added another top 10 finish to her resume in a fast, fast field. She finally chased down Dallas Borego of Sunnyside, beating her for the first time all season. She goes into the district meet with a chance to qualify as a top 14 individual.

In the boys race, Eisenhower set the bar high with a 1-2-3 finish and a team score of 22. West Valley was a distant second (80) and Eastmont was third (89). The Moses Lake boys were fifth.

Zach Owens led the Chiefs with a sixth-place finish in 17:00 and Zak Bishop was the No. 2 man. Bishop (17:26) came in under 17:30 to finish 18th in a fast race.

“My race plan was to finish in the top 14 today and I was sixth. This is the same field next week, so I feel pretty good about my chances of qualifying for state,” Owens said. “I went out a little faster than I was supposed to, but once I settled into things I felt good. I tried to pick off some kids as I went. The kid from Davis and Eisenhower passed me in the end, but I wanted to stick with them in the last 100 meters. You can’t beat every Eisenhower kid, but you can get some of them as you go.”

The Eisenhower boys are in a class by themselves, but the race for that second state-qualifying spot is up for grabs. West Valley (80), Eastmont (89), Wenatchee (97) and Moses Lake (105) will slug it out next week for the right to move on to the Class 4A state meet at Sun Willows Golf Course in Pasco on Nov. 5. For complete results, go to http://www.athletic.net/CrossCountry/School.aspx?SchoolID=551.