PASCO — As soon as Lord King Nana-Badu-Weah started to fade and eventually fall out of the top-five, his thoughts went from individual to team. Trae Cooper was thinking about the team from the starting gun going off.
Even though the Battle Ground High School boys cross country program didn’t end up on the podium as a team, they made it to state as a team for the first time in 14 years.
And Cooper plus Nana-Badu-Weah were the two main characters all fall long.
Nana-Badu-Weah fought through a difficult final mile-plus to finish 11th in the Class 4A state championships field while Cooper placed 14th to join his teammate on the medal stand at Sun Willows Golf Course.
“A podium is an added bonus,” Cooper said. “Let’s see what we can do.”
The Tigers finished in eighth place with 249 points, 98 off a podium spot. Mead, Gonzaga Prep, Kamiakin and Camas were the four trophy groups this season.
“INext year we’ll have a really good chance,” Nana-Badu-Weah said.
The junior knew the opening mile was going to be fast, but when he saw his time of 4:40 and Camas’ Cohen Butler sub-4:35, he was immediately concerned. So he slowed down a touch to attempt to save some kick for the end.
He didn’t get the sudden burst of energy late. Yet after just missing a medal as a sophomore with a 17th place performance, Nana-Badu-Weah didn’t have to stress about Saturday. Plus, his time of 15:34.10 was the best in two trips to Pasco.
“Going in, I had high expectations,” he said. “I don’t know what happened at mile one and I just fell off. I know it is good.”
It was the first time Cooper ran the state course and understood after a run-through the day before, how hilly and difficult it presents itself. He also took away another factor.
It’s a fast course. The junior – and a host of other 4A competitors – proved that right. Cooper’s time of 15:41.60 was roughly nine seconds off his PR.
“My coach gave me an amazing strategy and I stuck to it and I ended up where I should be,” Cooper said. “It was a good course. Hopefully coming back next year.”
Battle Ground also saw Devontae Kephart place 94th, Soren Matson secure 102nd and Vance Cooper finish 111th. Of the nine runners the Tigers brought to state, only Kephart graduates. It leaves Cooper feeling very high about their prospects in 2026.
“We’re looking for a fifth guy, we don’t know what is going to happen,” Cooper said.
In Class 3A, Prairie’s Tavin Timperley snared his first state XC medal with an 18th place performance in 15:57.30. It was just the fifth full 5,000-meter race the Eagles sophomore has run this fall. He’s had a pair of 4,600-meter races and the GSHL league meet was 2.95 miles in Kelso.
He went out strong with a chase pack and settled into a rhythm. He eventually fell off, but didn’t sulk across the finish line.
“That was a thought of mine, but I wasn't sure at the beginning of the race, the legs felt heavy,” Timperley said. “That second mile, I didn't expect to be that fast.”
Prairie qualified for state as a team for the fourth year in a row and placed 17th overall. Shackleton Hoyt, Ethan McKell, Augustus Leitgeb and Colton Sautter all placed inside the top-160.
“They’ve worked hard and we made big jumps as a team,” Timperley said. “It is pretty awesome.”
Hockinson’s Tanner Hood was the highest area finisher in Class 2A, running 16:41.60 to place 30th. It marks the first time has run under 17 minutes in Pasco and the placement is 45 spots better than last year.
Hood was outside the top-five at both the GSHL and District 4 races. He was the fifth best runner amongst the league and district.
“I have definitely gotten mentally stronger and that’s everything for me,” Hood said. “The hills are a killer and once you figure out how to run them, you run so much better.”
The Hawks placed eighth in the team race with 244 points while Ridgefield was 11th at 262. Senior Dominic Turner was the highest Spudder at 67th overall. Aiden Raymond, Leif Jensen and Colin Honeywell all were in the top-80.
For Hockinson, Skyler Picard placed 56th, Andrew McGettigan was 65th and Houston Young registered a 78th place performance.
In Class 1A, La Center was ninth in the team race with 259 points. Lance Cole and Sharp Young went back-to-back 63rd and 64th, respectively, while the Wildcats’ other scoring three runners all placed in the top-100.
