Cross country roundup: Knappa makes history and other local highlights

Local runners made the trip to Eugene with a state championship in mind. Knappa boys had their sights set on the individual and team titles, while a Warrenton star was looking to stake his claim as best runner in the state. Also, Cowapa athletes were looking to end their seasons strong. Here’s how local runners faired in the 2025 OSAA State Cross Country Championships.

Knappa boys complete historical season

The dream team label is often thrown around too much in sports, but in the case of the 2025 Knappa boys cross country team, that label would be fitting.

The Loggers came into Eugene with hopes of winning a state title after finishing second the last two seasons to rival Union. Not only were they after a team title, senior Wyatt Jacobson hoped to stand on the top step of the podium.

Saturday ended up being the coronation for the Loggers as they took the team title over Bandon and Union, and also saw Jacobson hold off Beckett Pahls of Bandon, to claim the individual boys crown.

Jacobson crossed the finish line in a time of 16:17.58, just ahead of the 16:18.47 that was run by Pahls. Jacobson’s teammate, sophomore Rowdy Justus, came home third with a time of 16:25.24 and senior Gavin Jasper also finished in the top five with a time of 16:32.45. These three finishing in the top five gave Knappa a big enough cushion to ultimately cruise home with a total team score of 38. When the Loggers won state in 2022, they won by just two points over Union, so in terms of a state title fight this was a blowout. Bandon flexed their muscles as they finished second with a score of 55 and Union fell to third with a total score of 69.

Rounding out the scoring for Knappa was sophomore Logan Affolter in 15th and junior Paul Thompson stepped up to be the Loggers fifth scorer with an 18th place finish. Affolter ran a time of 17:16.69, while Thompson came home with a personal best time of 17:26.84. Senior Oskar Peitsch finished his last race with a 23rd place finish and a time of 17:32.80.

This caps off a season where the Loggers won all but one invitational, the lone exception being the Harrier Classic where Knappa finished behind five 6A schools en route to a sixth-place finish.

When talking about the history of 1A/2A boys cross country teams in Oregon, one would be hard pressed to find a team as good as the 2025 Loggers.

Warrenton senior building a legacy

All that summer work in Texas paid off for Warrenton senior Jayden Warner as he capped off his breakout season with a state title.

Warner did so in impressive fashion. The senior left no doubt who the fastest 3A runner was as he threw down the gauntlet and won his race by nearly one minute. In the process, Warner ended up running the fastest time of any runner at the state meet.

His finishing time of 14:55.60 was in a different zip code than second place finisher Sebastian Hehn of Cascade Christian, who crossed the line in a time of 15:47.60. In the overall competition Warner edged out 5A athlete Garrett Faught, who ran a time of 14:57.57 in his winning state title performance.

Mixed bag for Cowapa league boys

Saturday could best be described as a mixed bag for the Cowapa league boys.

Seaside saw their two athletes William Flores and Kyle Weichal perform really well, while Astoria saw senior William Laman start off well but gradually fade to black as the race went on.

Laman started off nice as he was in fourth position after the first kilometer about five seconds behind Marshfield athlete Jaxson Stovall. But gradually throughout the race the senior fell back and ended up finishing 91st with a time of 19:35.13. This was a disappointing finish for the senior as he was hoping for a potential top 10 or 20 in his last trip to Eugene, but bad races happen to everyone and Laman will still go down as one of Astoria’s fastest boys distance runners. He is currently in the process of college selection and his running career is just getting started.

On the other hand, Seaside saw really good performances.

After initially struggling in the 5000 meter distance, the freshman standout Flores continued his last season surge. The freshman paced himself nicely and gradually moved up throughout the race finishing 40th overall. His time of 17:38.30 was the second consecutive week in that range, so Flores will have a good benchmark to improve upon next season.

His teammate Weichal also had an admirable performance in his first state meet as he came home 60th. Like Flores, Weichal paced himself and made his move in the back half of the race. His time of 18:15.30 is a good way for him to finish his junior cross country season.

Seaside senior finishes strong

Senior Maddie Menke ended her Seaside cross country career in style, as she finished sixth place in the girls 4A 5000 meter championships.

After starting off a little too fast last year and losing some places in the second half, Menke nailed her pacing just right this season. Menke came through the first kilometer in seventh place and then stayed between 5th and 7th for the whole race. Though she was not quite able to stay with Philomath sophomore Cassidy Smart, she still came home with another top 10 finish at state with a time of 19:19.3. Over the last three years Menke has finished sixth, 11th and sixth in the state meet.