Mavs cross country aims for state berths at district meet

MOSES LAKE — The Moses Lake Mavericks cross country team is gearing up for the Big 9 4A District 5 Championships on Thursday. Though it's one of the bigger meets of the 2026 season, Head Coach Larry Dagnon said his team is feeling great heading into it. 

"I've just noticed a pretty good energy about all of the kids," he said. "The athletes seem to be ready to go, having raced there just about a month ago. I think they're ready. They know what to expect. They know it's going to be cooler than it was when we ran at Sunfair."

At the Sunfair Invitational, which was also hosted at Franklin Park in Yakima, both the boys and girls teams performed well. The boys scored 102 as a team which earned them fourth; meanwhile, the girls placed first with 30.

Dagnon said the Mavs feel poised for another strong performance with recent experience running the course, giving them better ideas of what to expect. 

According to the coach, the boys and girls varsity teams should get off to a solid start, avoid trying to win the race in the first mile, and settle into their race. The terrace at Franklin Park is a major early challenge and positioning after the climb will matter.

"It's really daunting physically when you're within that first mile and you're running up and you're thinking 'Oh my goodness, we still have two miles to go,'" said the coach. "Once you get past that, the race comes to you, and you've just got to take what it gives you. You've got to take your opponents, whether they're speeding up or slowing down. It's crazy to think that at the first mile, a lot of the race is decided."

To avoid the nerves, Dagnon is encouraging his runners to trust their preparation will lead them to success on Thursday. 

"We've preached and preached that the hay is in the barn. So, don't go out and do something that's outside of your training right now," Dagnon said. "Every kid on the team, one through seven has a role, and they don't have to run an A-plus race. You just have to run a B-plus, and everything takes care of itself."

Not only should their preparation lead them to success, but the challenging environments they've put themselves in, like the Iolani Invite and the Nike Bob Firman Invitational, have also provided invaluable experience for the Mavs, the coach said. 

"We want to be in the really big situations where there's some pressure, and pressure is a privilege for kids," he said. 

As he has watched his runners evolve throughout the season, no single athlete stands alone as poised for a strong performance on Thursday, Dagnon said. In fact, several of the Mavericks' top runners could break out on Thursday. For the girls, he pointed out Rachel Nofziger, Natalie Vehrs, Aspen Hoenes, Amelia Olascon, Kaytlyn Russell and Sarah Humpherys. On the boys' side, he anticipates Lane Christensen, Liam Roseburg, Maxwell Jolley, Gabriel Cabiao and Noah Demchuk to perform as well. 

"We've got a really good group of girls that all respond, and they're pretty hungry to race on Thursday," Dagnon said. "They've all put in the work, and they're all capable, from one race to the next, of displacing one of their own teammates and someone else's. When you look at that girls' race at the last league meet, we had seven in the top 14. If that pans out that way on Thursday, it puts us having seven individual placers going off to state ... that's unheard of."

Another strength for the Mavericks this season has been their team culture. The runners have demonstrated a strong team chemistry which has contributed to their overall successes this season. According to Dagnon, this work begins all the way back in May. 

"When kids are there working out together throughout the season, throughout the summer, you no longer care as much about yourself when you're in the middle of these tight races," he said. "(Not) so much as you care about your teammates. You don't want to let them down. I keep hearing it over and over again: 'I just didn't want to let the team down.' There's a whole bunch of little things that have (had) a cumulative effect for our team."

For Dagnon, this time of year usually correlates with a decline in quality sleep, he said. However, this year he feels more confident after the program’s recent consistency and state appearances, though the pressure they feel reflects how invested the coaches are. 

"There were years where I would just wake up knowing that West Valley's number six (runner) was going to have a great race, and then the next day I'd be absolutely terrified of some other kid from another program, who had to displace who. I haven't had as many of those moments recently, so that's been a good thing," said the coach. 

As they gear up for their race on Thursday, Dagnon encourages parents and community members to come out support the runners if they're able. 

"People who want to go see that race should definitely get there. Wear your Moses Lake gear and bring your signs for athletes and cheer them on. It's a very exciting sport," he said. 

    Colton Lucero grinds his way through a challenging 5K at the Gorge Invitational earlier this season.

    The Mavericks' Aspen Hoenes makes the steep climb up the Gorge Amphitheatre earlier this season.
  

    Maxwell Jolley keeps a steady pace during the 5K at the Gorge Invite earlier this season.