The Eastside eagles cross country team has posted some strong results through the group’s first few meets.
On Aug. 20, the Eagles took the trip north to compete in the Gorge to Beach XC Gathering 3K. By meet’s end, it was the freshman, Chance Henderson, that once again led the way for Eastside.
Henderson took home second place in just his second official event at the varsity level.
Eastside head coach Clabe Watson took the time to share what makes Henderson so special even as an underclassman.
“His mental toughness,” Watson said. “He's able to push through pain and works hard. which you don't always see from younger runners. He went out strong, but didn't give up at any point of the race. With a quarter mile left, first place was 12 seconds ahead of him and he was able to close a good bit of distance in that finishing stretch, almost claiming first. He doesn't give up.”
Henderson was not the only runner on the boys side to have a good finish, as the Eagles took up half of the top 10 placements.
Along with Henderson, Malachi Scharf, Henry Meller, Ben Weaver and Kaiden Blazina all placed within the top 10.
“This group of kids work extremely hard, and it's paying off. Our top 10 runners are extremely strong and they're all pushing each other to claim the top 7 varsity spots," Watson said. “The top 5 runners, Malachi, Henry, Chance, Ben and Kaiden, have been really pushing each other all summer and at practice this season so I wasn't surprised to see them in the top 10, but that result is confirmation that the program is trending in the right direction.”
The girls team was not far behind in their event as Madeline O’Brien led the way with a 12th place finish.
“Our girls team has grown a ton and it's great to have a lead runner like Maddie at these meets,” Watson said. “The improvement they've shown compared to last year is fantastic and I can't wait to see continued progress throughout the season.
Following the team’s performance at the Gorge to Beach 3K, the Eagles faced a quick turnaround as the Strong Rock Patriot Cross Country Invitational was right around the corner.
Along with the quick turnaround, the team had to adapt to the longer course as the Strong Rock event featured a boys and girls 5K.
Ahead of the event, Watson shared what he wanted to see and his overall expectations for the group.
“We have five of our top runners out taking the SAT or sick, so there's going to be some JV runners getting to run in some varsity spots,” Watson said. “I'm excited to see how those runners react to an elevated level of competition. No varsity spots are guaranteed so I know some runners are going to try to capitalize on the opportunity to drop a quick time.”
Although the team was unable to replicate the top 10 finishes at the previous meet, Eastside came away with multiple top 20 placements.
Once again, Henderson was the lead man.
Henderson claimed 11th place in the 5K with Scharf following behind in 15th place.
For the girls team, it was Maren Poynter that led the way this time. Poynter claimed 18th place in the event.
As they look ahead, the Eagles’ next competition will be held at the same place they competed at for the Class AAAAA state championships last year — Carrollton.
Eastside will compete in the Carrollton Invite on Saturday, Sept. 7. With three events behind them, Watson is excited and optimistic for where the team can go this season.
“These kids have worked hard and it's starting to show through our performances,” Watson said. “We still have progress to be made, and no reason to be complacent, but we're right where we need to be in order to get to state and finish where we want to at Sectionals.
