Klamath Union junior Jonas Southwell and his teammates are gearing up for the OSAA Class 4A State Cross Country Championships tomorrow at Lane Community College.
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Both KU boys and girls cross country teams are hopeful to come away with hardware at the state championships, with the KU girls cross country team ranked No. 1 in the state and the boys team ranked No. 4.
Southwell and his fellow male Pelican runners are no stranger to the course at Lane after having won back-to-back Skyline Conference titles this year. Southwell believes all the difficult competitors they have faced throughout the year will only help them in their championship race tomorrow.
“It’s a really big deal to make it to state,” Southwell said. “We raced against the best teams in Oregon, and some of the fastest people in the country.”
The team held its final practice Thursday before heading to Eugene midday Friday where all members of Klamath Union cross country earned a goodie bag from parents of the team. Southwell said the team’s final practice was focused more on mental preparation than heavy training.
“We do an easy run together to get mentally prepared, and then a little speed work on the track because, at the end, there’s usually that last 300 meters where you have to sprint to the line,” Southwell said. “You’ve got to mentally prepare yourself because it’s really hilly. It’s going to be wet this year, too, so we just remind ourselves it’s temporary. You’re only going to hurt for about 17 minutes.”
While cross country can appear to be an individual sport, Southwell said the bond between teammates is what fuels KU’s success. Klamath Union’s Mark Madsen was the top Pelican runner in the conference championship run and finished in second place at 17:19.
Callum Squibb, Kanoa Kranz-Kahopea, Southwell and Jonathan Higgins finished in sixth place through ninth place, respectively, and finished within a span of 36 seconds of each other.
“If someone has a bad race, we pick them up and remind them it’s just one race,” Southwell said. “We always support each other. It seems individual, but it’s really a team sport because one person’s race can impact the whole team. The better they do, the better we all do.”
Klamath Union seniors Rodriguez, Higgins aim to finish cross country careers on top at state
For Klamath Union seniors Eleanor Rodriguez and Leona Higgins, Saturday’s championship race will be more than just another race; it’s the culmination of four years of running, growth, and deep team connection.
The two seasoned runners helped KU to a second-place finish at state last season, and this year, return hungry for the ultimate goal.
“Getting second last year gives us a lot of motivation to try and make it first this year. It’s kind of our last chance for us,” Rodriguez said.
Higgins will have the upperhand heading into the championship race as she will be competing at Lane in the state meet for the fourth time tomorrow. Higgins, a Eugene native, moved to Klamath Falls after her freshman year and competed in the state championships when she attended South Eugene High School as a freshman.
“I was born and raised pretty much on that course,” Higgins said. “It’s almost like an annual tradition now. There’s a lot of motivation to win, especially since we got second last year and we’re seeded very highly.”
“Being ranked first gives us hope, but it can also make people comfortable,” Rodriguez said. “We have to compete as if we are ranked last. We want to prove we deserve that first-place spot.”
The two seniors have engraved in their minds countless advice KU cross country head coach Rob Coffman has given them. For the big race tomorrow, they will stick with what they know.
“He always says a race can’t be won in the first 200 meters, but it can definitely be lost,” Higgins said.
Happy, proud and tired has been the team’s mantra this year, a familiar phrase Rodriguez introduced at the start of the year after it was echoed in team huddles when she was a freshman.
Higgins described how a close bond the senior class from two years ago impacted her when she was the new student at school. She hopes the underclassman on this year’s team feels the same way with her.
“With the thought of having our last practice here today, cross country has always been my first love,” Higgins said. “I’ve been running since I was eight years old. It is sad to leave such a big part of my high school life behind.”
“My coaches, my friends, my teammates, it has been something I’ve looked forward to every day after school. It’s hard to move on from, but it’s exciting to see what we are going to do next.”
