The MHS cross country team is having its best season in years.
Leading the boys' side is junior Kyle Dreibelbis.
"[Kyle] does a great job [as a leader] especially by example," said boys' cross country coach Vic Downs. Both Dreibelbis and senior Karina Nyquist are hoping to get the chance to compete in the state meet. The last MHS runners to make the state level were Caitlin White and Josiah Johnstone in 2006.
Currently the boys' team is ranked fourth and the girls are ranked fifth out of six teams in the league. Downs says that the future looks bright for the boys.
"I can't say enough about participation [and] our strength for the future [for our freshman class]," said Downs. The team has 12 freshman boys and six freshman girls.
The veterans are providing the backbone for the team. Along with Dreibelbis, junior Drew Bernhisel, senior Dylan Weaver, senior Casey Ellingson and sophomore Myles Horton are leading the team.
"Myles has really stepped up this season and Sherby [sophomore Matt Sherburne] is running really well," said Dylan Weaver, "Our top six are pretty set right now, but our seventh position is still up in the air."
All of the individual members of the team have their own goals. These range from personal bests to beating friends and rivals to the state meet, but all are also fighting to help the team achieve success.
"We would like to get someone to state," said Russell Weaver, the girls' coach, "It might be the whole team or an individual but that is the goal."
Karina Nyquist, who has been the lead runner for the last three years, is getting pushed by the girls to run harder. Junior Tasia Boria, freshman Claire Lawson, sophomore Amanda Ecker, sophomore Katy Chupp, freshman Lillian Weaver and senior Beca Scherpf follow her.
"We can go to state, but it's not going to be easy," said Nyquist, who also has a chance to go to state as an individual.
Trask Mountain Assault was held on Sept. 27. Dreibelbis, who predicted that he would place in the top 20, ended up placing 21, with a time of 21:48. Nyquist finished 28th (28:04), just ahead of her teammate Lawson, who finished 29 (28:05).
"It's crazy and dirty and intense," said senior Jeff Burton, who finished 37 in the boys' race with a 26:24.
The team also ran two league meets, one against Tigard and the other against Canby. Both teams lost to Tigard, although it was by only one point on the girls' side. MHS did have the individual winners at the meet, Dreibelbis and Nyquist. Boria had a third place finish, and was not far from Nyquist. Russell Weaver said that the Tigard meet was the best they have had in the last three years. At the second meet, the girls lost, but the Grizzly boys beat Canby for their first dual meet win against someone currently in the conference since 2005.
The rest of the season looks to be promising for the runners of MHS. Behind the legs of the leaders, the others are always pressuring them to keep improving.
"We are all there for each other and we all push each other and make sure we work really hard," said senior Kyle Preston, "I think we have a good chance at districts."
Conference championships for MHS take place on Thursday, Oct. 23 in Oregon City. Please come out and support the teams as they run thier hearts out. The state championship run takes place Nov. 2 in Eugene.