Mavs cross country makes history

MOSES LAKE – For the first time in program history, both the Moses Lake boys and girls cross country teams will run at next weekend’s state meet in Pasco.  

Both teams took second at Thursday’s Columbia Basin Big 9 district championship meet in Yakima. 

“When the lights were on, they came out and ran big,” head coach Larry Dagnon said. “They were on a mission, and they went out and took care of business.” 

Moses Lake’s teams both finished the regular season second in the Big 9 standings; the boys finished a spot behind Eisenhower, while the girls took second to Wenatchee. 

The girls ran first Thursday, finishing second to Wenatchee at the district meet to claim the district’s second team berth to state. Moses Lake finished 10 points ahead of third-place West Valley (Yakima). 

It’s the first time Moses Lake’s girls cross country team has qualified for state since 1986, Dagnon said. The team has been close several times in recent years, finishing third at districts. 

“We wanted it really badly for those other groups, but to see them get that took so much pressure off,” Dagnon said. “You could almost see the relief of years of trying (to qualify).” 

The Maverick boys took second at districts, finishing behind Eisenhower. 

“As soon as the boys got out there, you could see it start lining up at about a mile-and-a-half – that it was a two-team race,” Dagnon said. “We were giving Eisenhower a good race. We couldn’t overcome them, but we gave them a heck of a try.” 

Midway through the race, there was a growing sense that the boys team could clinch its second state berth in program history; Moses Lake went to state as a team for the first time in 2022. 

“It was our time to shine and do well,” senior Jesse Humpherys said. “I think we were ready to go make history.” 

Leading the boys was senior Angel Verduzco, who took second overall with a time of 16:31 minutes. Rounding out Moses Lake’s scorers were junior Liam O’Shea (eighth, 16:55.2), Humpherys (13th, 17:10.7), sophomore Duane Zamora (15th, 17:16.2) and freshman Lane Christensen (16th, 17:22.9). 

“Crossing that finish line this year and having that wave of relief come across you, and being told that we placed second, it was really just an incredible feeling,” O’Shea said.  

In the girls race, sophomore Rachel Nofziger led Moses Lake with an eighth-place finish in 20:02.2 minutes.  

“Knowing that my team was behind my back, and knowing that we had the chance to break a 38-yard record and to go out and make history,” Nofziger said. “You’re doing it for the team, you’re not doing it for yourself all the time.” 

Behind Nofziger were freshman Natalie Vehrs (10th, 20:05.7), freshman Kaytlyn Russell (11th, 20:24), junior Alexis Feller (15th, 21:01.7) and sophomore Emma Wallace (16th, 21:04.5). 

“We had people on the side telling us what place we were at, so we had a good idea of where we were at – you hear someone say, ‘You’re 13th, you need to catch two more people,’” Russell said. “It’s a good feeling because you know, ‘I can do this.’” 

The State Cross Country Championships begin at 9 a.m. Saturday at Sun Willows Golf Course in Pasco. The Columbia Basin Herald will publish a full list of local athletes and teams who qualified for state once released by the WIAA. 

The Maverick girls run at 1:30 p.m. Saturday, while the boys run at 3 p.m. 

“We’re just going to work and try to build back up,” Vehrs said. “Maintain and build a bit, but we don’t want to push too hard. We’re just going to try and have fun this next week.” 

Dagnon credited the athletes and his assistant coaches for helping the Mavs qualify for state. 

“The last two years, it’s just been phenomenal,” Dagnon said. “We just keep building. You can’t get in every year, every team is eventually going to have a down year. It's just how it is. If you’re consistent, you’ve got a shot almost every year. That’s all you can ask for.” 

Team scores 

Boys 

Eisenhower: 41
Moses Lake: 54
Sunnyside: 91
Eastmont: 118
Davis: 125
West Valley: 126
Wenatchee: 138 

Girls 

Wenatchee: 40
Moses Lake: 60
West Valley: 70
Eastmont: 83
Eisenhower: 130
Davis: 171
Sunnyside: 173