Prairie High School’s cross country teams closed their regular season strong Tuesday, Oct. 14, taking first in both the boys and girls varsity races against Evergreen at Pacific Community Park.
The meet marked the final league matchup before districts, and both Falcons squads made their presence clear on a windy 5K course, looping through the open park and wooded stretches.
Sophomore Chloe Copes led the Prairie girls to a dominant finish, placing first at 20 minutes, 34 seconds. Prairie runners filled the top seven spots, securing an undefeated league season and the outright league title.
“I stuck with a pack of girls for most of the time, and then we kind of separated at the end,” Copes said. “I haven’t been super happy with my season so far, but I think today turned it around a little bit.”
Head girls coach Nick Spencer said the win was more than just another good finish.
“If we win, we get the solo league title and go undefeated,” Spencer said before the race. “Big day for the girls; kind of a standard day for the boys.”
Spencer praised his top runner’s drive.
“She’s one of those kids where you can ask her to do literally anything or any amount of work, and then she’ll do it and find ways to do even more on her own,” he said. “She’s only a sophomore, still young and learning, but literally one of the top girls in the district.”
Behind Copes, Prairie’s lineup stacked up tightly.
First — Chloe Copes — 20:34
Third — Addison Juhnke — 23:26
Fourth — Addie Staley — 23:26
Fifth — Maya Briggs — 23:53
Sixth — Laura Faron — 24:00
Seventh — Abby Buck — 24:10
Eighth — Mia Hasselblad — 24:36
On the boys’ side, sophomore D’Argo Heid took first in 17 minutes, 53 seconds.
“I thought I could have gone faster,” Heid said. “I only knew there was like 400 left because one of my teammates on the sideline told me, and then I started sprinting to the end.”
Heid, who’s dropped his mile time from 5:30 to 4:50 since the start of the season, credited both team chemistry and a bit of superstition for his success.
“We’ve been doing great as a team, lots of team bonding,” he said. “I also had my lucky dollar in my pocket while I was running, so that’s a big part of why I ran.”
Prairie’s runners finished their races nicely behind D'Argo.
First — D'Argo Heid — 17:53
Third — Elijah Newton — 19:09
Fifth — Nolan Campos — 19:39
Sixth — Micah Hoyt — 19:39
Seventh — Colton Sautter — 19:39
Eighth — Augustus Leitgeb — 19:40
Head boys coach Cody Barton said the team’s consistency and depth have made them a serious postseason threat.
“The men’s team right now, we’re undefeated in the league and we’re the favorites to win the district title,” Barton said. “We had a really good stretch where we went one through five against Kelso, which is the second-best team in the league — that’s a perfect score in cross country.”
Looking ahead, Barton said the program’s goal is simple: keep climbing.
“We’re pushing to be a top 10 program,” he said. “We’ve received votes to be a top 10 team for a majority of the season, and we’re gonna change the perception of coaches around the state with our state performance rather than what looks flashy on paper.”
For the girls, Spencer said this fall has been one of the most rewarding in his five years leading the program at Prairie High School.
“We’ve been really close before, but this year seems to be our year,” he said. “We just gotta stay healthy, stay focused, and finish two more weeks here.”
