The La Center High School cross country boys and girls teams put in the work over the offseason, and the results are paying off in big ways.
“We have a great group of kids, both girls and boys, and they put in the work over the summer and put in some miles that they were supposed to,” head coach Jill Cole said. “So we’re looking really strong this year. I don’t think we’ve come close to reaching our potential yet this season, which is good. Over the next few weeks, I think things are really going to get dialed in for them.”
In a 1A Trico League meet of all teams at Vancouver Lake on Wednesday, Oct. 1, the La Center Wildcats boys and girls runners won as a team and individually, with first-place finishes. The team win for both the boys and girls added to the program’s undefeated season.
The boys team runs together well, but sophomore Lou Kissinger led the way as the Wildcats finished with the top four runners on Oct. 1.
“Our boys team is really fun because they run in such a tight pack,” Cole said. “The order of their finishes are always changing, which is a good problem to have. But Lou Kissinger is really working his way up and starting to come into his own. So I definitely would be keeping an eye out for him.”
On the girls squad, junior Sasha Pash led the way to first place on Oct. 1, with three freshmen earning a top 10 finish too.
“Sasha Pash is our strong number one runner, and then we have an amazing group of freshman girls that are chasing her down,” Cole said.
To achieve great things in the postseason, Cole said the keys to success will be focusing on the process and training.
“We focus a lot on the team,” she said. “So everybody is able to focus on pushing each other and working together. I mean, it’s not an individualized sport where anybody’s out on their own, so we have a really strong team culture. I think that’s probably a huge key to our success.”
The next Trico League meet will take place at Castle Rock High School on Wednesday, Oct. 15, with the 1A Trico League Championships on Thursday, Oct. 23 at Vancouver Lake.
