Mavs cross country running well

MOSES LAKE – Both the Moses Lake boys and girls cross country teams have had successful outings over the previous weeks, with each team claiming high finishes at recent meets. 

“They’re starting to come into stride,” head coach Larry Dagnon said. “Their training is caught up, they’re dropping times, mentally they’re in the right place — they’re confident. They’ve raced enough races the last month to where they’re just really focused.” 

The most recent meet was Nike Hole in the Wall in Lakewood on Saturday, where the Maverick girls took second place in the Varsity Silver division. Moses Lake’s five scorers finished in the top 36 runners of a field of more than 200. 

Leading the Mavericks was sophomore Rachel Nofziger (20:28.2) in 15th place overall, followed by freshman Natalie Vehrs (20:33.7) in 18th place. Freshman Kaytlyn Russell (20:52.9) took 30th, while sophomore Emma Wallace (21:05) and junior Bria Bodenman (21:05.1) took 35th and 36th, respectively.  

The Moses Lake boys team placed 17th out of 44 teams in the Varsity Gold division at the same meet, with its highest finisher being senior Angel Verduzco (16:51.1) at 58th overall. Ephrata also sent its varsity teams to the meet, with the boys taking 10th in the Varsity Silver division and the girls taking 17th in their Varsity Silver division. 

“Rachel (Nofziger) is just gaining confidence every rave she runs ... she’s confident she can do that every time she steps out on the course,” Dagnon said. “Natalie (Vehrs), she’s just so very tough, especially for a freshman. She doesn’t think that she has a limit.” 

Last Thursday the program hosted the Live Nation Invitational, where runners raced along a course at The Gorge Amphitheater. The course begins down in front of the stage before ending at the top of the large hill where spectators typically see their favorite bands and performers. 

“When they go to The Gorge, it’s amazing – my kids consider that their home meet, and they have a sense of territory when they’re there,” Dagnon said. “They want to defend the course, it’s pretty fun. They get down there, they start at the stage, and they just get to appreciate that there have been so many stars who played there.” 

The Moses Lake boys won the Large School division at the meet, with all five scorers finishing in the top 17; leading the way was Verduzco, who took fifth with a time of 17:04.78. Rounding out the scoring was junior Lian O’Shea (17:37.14, 10th), sophomore Duane Zamora (17:44.18, 13th), senior Jesse Humpherys (17:47.54, 14th) and freshman Lane Christensen (17:53.14, 17th).  

Moses Lake’s girls team finished second to Lake City (Idaho). The Quincy boys took fourth as a team in the Small School division, headlined by a second-place overall finish by junior Alejandro Birrueta and a 10th-place finish by junior Sergio Esparza.  

“The boys at The Gorge, they were just utterly dominating with how they stepped up and really came through for us,” Dagnon said. “... they’re all coming around and racing exactly how they need to. If you run a 16 or low-17 (minute race) at The Gorge, it is not a PR course at all. Yet, these guys are still putting out really respectable times.” 

The Maverick girls picked up a win this season in the Varsity Red division of the Battle for the 509, which was held in Spokane. Once again, each of the Moses Lake scorers found themselves bunched together inside the top 50 – the highest finish was Nofziger at 13th, while Wallace took 47th. In between was Vehrs at 21st, Russell at 39th and Bodenman in 41st. 

“You look at all the fast times from our league at that race, and once again, Rachel (Nofziger) and Natalie (Vehrs) really stepped up, and then Kaytlyn (Russell) was right behind them,” Dagnon said. “Bria (Bodenman) and Emma (Russell), that group of five, they just know how to pack up and feed off of each other.” 

Moses Lake’s boys team took 13th in the Varsity Red division of the Battle for the 509. Othello took ninth in the same division, highlighted by junior Alejandro Mendoza (17:00.7) and junior Daniel Gonzalez (17:07.8) finishing sixth and seventh overall, respectively. Lind-Ritzville/Sprague and Warden had individual runners compete at the meet as well. 

With just one league meet remaining on the schedule, the focus will soon shift toward the postseason; The Big Nine’s district championship meet is Oct. 31 at Franklin Park in Yakima, with the top two teams at districts going on to qualify for the state championship meet in November. 

Dagnon said the boys team sits second in the league standings, while the girls are in third. 

“We’ve got a lot of strategy that’s playing in for us to get over the hump, and I think that bodes well for our kids because they’re having really great practices,” Dagnon said. 

    Members of the Moses Lake boys cross country team begin last year’s Moses Lake Invitational at The Gorge Ampitheater. The Moses Lake boys team won the Large School division of the meet, now known as the Live Nation Invitational, last Thursday.