Cottage Grove High School

Track and Field/Cross Country


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The Track Resurfacing Project is Underway!

Please visit the link HERE for details!

Nike Portland XC Recap - Pictures are already available using the 2024 XC Pictures link above.

(Please scroll down for week 7 update)

The cross country team isn't interested in easy wins against smaller schools, so they traveled to Portland on Saturday to find the toughest competition.  Carter raced in the Danner Championship section improving his personal best by 16 seconds and placing 12th against some of the best runners in the west.  Don't blink or you may miss watching Carter have the best season in CGHS history.   The defending 4A State Champion's time of 15:09 ranks him 11th overall in Oregon (1A - 6A schools) and he defeated two runners ranked ahead of him on Saturday.  He is ranked #1 in 4A (ahead of 2nd by 34 seconds) and would be ranked 5th in 5A and 7th in 6A.  Without Carter in the lineup Easton and David led the rest of the boys to a 4th place finish in the D3 race against 22 other teams.  The Cottage Grove boys are ranked 4th in the state and are one of only two 4A teams in Oregon with seven athletes running under 18 minutes.

Ella once again paced the short handed girls to a 4th place finish against 17 other teams in the D3 race which included several 5A/6A teams.  Ella battled two other runners in the lead and took second with a time of 19:26 (a PR by 12 seconds).  Carly ran a lifetime best by 38 seconds and Allison had one of her strongest races in two years.  Despite not having everyone healthy for a few weeks the girls are still ranked 6th in the state and have a lot of room to improve over the next month.  They are looking forward to having everyone healthy!

The short handed JV boys squad fought their way to a third place finish against 19 teams in the D3/D4 JV race.  Braeden ran a 35 second lifetime best and broke 18 minutes for the first time while taking second place overall.  Remington ran a 24 second personal best and finished 11th.  Lilly was the top finisher for the JV girls.

The freshmen boys continue to impress with Jennings and Braeden leading the way and running under 18 minutes.  They are currently ranked 4th and 6th in the state among other 4A freshmen.  Remington (13th), Desmond (21st), and Tyler (23rd) are also all ranked in the top 25. 

Week 7 (September 30 - October 5)

We are currently heading into a four week training block that includes race courses not designed for fast times.  Our emphasis is going to be on getting stronger and focusing on learning how to race in the week to week matchups.  This week at the Woahink Lake invite the girls will face off against the two top ranked 4A teams (Philomath and Klamath Union) and one of the of the top ranked 3A teams (Siuslaw).   The boys will be contending against 3rd ranked Philomath (4A) and 2nd ranked Siuslaw (3A).    

Monday (9/30):  Long steady run

Wednesday (10/2): Medium/Hard workout

Thursday (10/3):  We are planning an informal tailgater for the cross country athletes after practice (5ish).  We are going to provide burgers and dogs for kids in the courtyard behind the school.  If anyone would like to contribute any other food items that would be great.  No need to communicate, we're just going informal potluck style.

Saturday (10/5):  Woahink Lake XC Invite.  Bus will leave at 8:15am.  Race times have been updated as of 10/3.  The girls will be a combined race at 12:30. This means that the awards will also be moved earlier (after the varsity boys).  The schedule will be:


JV Boys: 11:45am

JV AND Varsity Girls: 12:30pm

Varsity Boys: 1:15pm

Awards

The course is NOT spike friendly.  Please do not wait until Saturday to try and take spikes out.

NW Classic Recap 

(Please scroll down for week 6 update)

Carter Bengtson rode a strong final mile to a 7 second PR and the win on Saturday.  His time of 15:25 is the new fastest ever time by a CGHS cross country runner.   The state meet will be held at the same location with a slightly different course (and most likely different conditions), but it is noteworthy that the all-time 4A record for the state meet course is 15:22.  Ella Cardwell fought for a strong position early and held on for a 17 second PR and an 8th place podium finish.  Easton Hutchins' 30 second improvement helped propel the boys team to a 3rd place finish out of 28 teams, and the CG boys are now the 3rd ranked 4A team in the state.  Illness hit the girls team pretty hard last week, but they still battled.  Despite being short handed the girls finished 10th out of 20 teams.  With a lot of potential for improvement the girls team still holds the 6th place ranking for 4A teams in the state.  The team also saw some massive improvements from some of our new 9th grade runners.  Tyler Smith (35 seconds), Desmond Corley (46 seconds), and Lilly Dubbs (44 seconds) dropped significant amounts of time as they continue to adjust to the 5k race distance.  Aiden Walker also had a huge day with a 57 second personal best!  Athletes are looking forward to getting healthy this week and bouncing back as a team in Portland this weekend!

Week 6 (September 23 - September 28)

Reminders:

Tuesday (9/24): This will be the big workout of the week with some harder running and shorter recovery.  Athletes should know what to do to be ready for this.

Saturday (9/28):  The Nike Portland XC meet will be a bit different than other meets.  We make an effort to build our schedule with meets that are closer, but the opportunity for great competition brings us up to Portland for this meet.  Carter will be competing in the Danner Championships section and the rest of the team has been registered in the Division 3 (JV and Varsity) sections.  Our race divisions have been confirmed for Saturday.  We will have athletes in the following events at the following times. We discussed entries at practice, but athletes may check with coaches at practice if they still have questions.  Please read the meet details below with spectator information:


The bus will depart from CGHS at 8:15am.

9:55am - Danner Championship (Carter Only - not riding bus)

12:30am - Girls 3,000m JV Novice (1 athlete)

1:10pm - Division 3 Varsity Girls

1:35pm - Division 3 Varsity Boys

2:50pm - JV Girls (D3/D4)

3:20pm - JV Boys (D3/D4)

We will stop for food somewhere along the way home.

INFO FROM MEET DIRECTOR:

FAQ’s:

*Blue Lake is part of the government agency called Metro and they will charge each vehicle $5 to enter off Blue Lake Road.  Please pass this information on to your families.  It will be faster to enter the park if they have $5 in cash, but Blue Lake does take credit cards.   

*Buses will also be entering on the spectator entrance.  Please be aware that there will be spectator traffic entering at the same spot so make plenty of time to get to your race.  The buses will only drop off at the park, exit the park and then the buses can park for free at Chinook Landing parking area.  Our volunteers will help direct the bus drivers.

*The course will be ready for preview on Friday and be aware that the park will charge $5 for cars and $7 for buses.  Race packets can be picked up as well. We will have our t-shirt for sale from 12-4 on Friday afternoon. Remember it is cash or check for t-shirts. The park closes at 6PM.  We will be selling shirts and hats on Saturday as well at the Shahala Picnic Shelter.  Cash only for t-shirts ($30 short sleeve, $40 long sleeve, $20 for hats, $10 for patches - BRING CASH) 

 *Blue Lake does not allow dogs in the park.

*When exiting the park, please make a right turn at Blue Lake Road.  This will make for a faster exit from the park for spectators and buses.  Please inform your families and bus driver to only make a right turn at Blue Lake Road when exiting.  Blue Lake Road will take vehicles to I-84. Buses and cars that make a left turn will slow down the exit.

Boys Show Off Depth at Country Fair Classic Recap

(Please scroll down for week 5 update)

It was another strong showing from the CGHS teams on Wednesday at the Country Fair Classic.  The boys started the afternoon with a dominant win from the JV squad.  Micah and Braeden finished first and second with the rest of the scoring five finishing in the top 14.  Ella paced the varsity girls team to a fourth place finish with her top 10 individual finish.  Her time of 19:54 is the fourth fastest time by a CGHS runner in the last 20 years.  Carter reestablished himself as a 4A favorite by improving his PR by 9 seconds and winning the race by 49 seconds.  The rest of the varsity boys posted some fast times as well and placed 2nd in between two 5A schools (Crescent Valley first and Churchill third).  There is a lot of work to be done still, but the Lions are showing that both the boys and girls teams will be a threat this season!

Week 5 (September 16 - September 21)

Reminders:

Monday (9/16): This will be our most challenging workout of the week.  Athletes, please make sure you are prepared for the workout by eating well, staying hydrated, and being mentally prepared.

Saturday (9/21): Northwest Classic.  The bus will depart at 9:25am.  This is an important meet as both the boys and girls teams will be facing some top competition that they don't normally get to see during the regular season such as The Dalles, Crook County , and Klamath Union.  More meet information such as the meet schedule can be found at athletic.net.  Our athletes will be running in the varsity 1A-4A and in the JV open races.

Girls take 2nd and Boys take 3rd at Ultimook

(Please scroll down for week 4 update)

Saturday was the best performance the CGHS cross country team has ever had as a program at the The Ultimook Race.  The girls took 2nd place behind the defending 4A state champs from Philomath, and despite missing one of their top five runners, the boys finished 3rd place.  Carter was the top finisher for the boys with a 3rd place finish after coming off a soccer game and a late night, and Ella raced to 11th place overall.  The JV boys team finished 2nd place behind a Sunnyside team that happened to run their 3rd and 4th varsity boys in the JV race.  While we prefer to focus on learning how to race rather than times, we can't ignore the improvement that athletes had from last year to this year on this course.  Of the 16 athletes that raced the same distance last year at Ultimook 14 of those athletes had improvements this year, with many dropping massive amounts of time!  Check out the stats and some pictures from the race below.


Athlete and improvement from last year on the Ultimook course:


Easton 2 min 17 seconds

Jackson 1 min 58 seconds

Ella 1 min 56 seconds

Hailey 1 min 48 seconds

Frank 1 min 36 seconds

Ethan 1 min 34 seconds

Zoey 1 min 30 seconds

Ronin 59 seconds

Aiden 58 seconds

Dakota 56 seconds

Allison 55 seconds

Luke 43 seconds

Lucas 16 seconds

Braxton 13 seconds

Week 4 (September 9 - September 14)

Some notes for the week:

Monday (9/9):  This is a quick turnaround for a Wednesday meet, so the workout on Monday will be moderate.  

Tuesday (9/10):  Practice will be shorter today and we will wrap up around 5pm.

Wednesday (9/11):  Country Fair Classic.  The bus will depart at 1:30pm, so athletes will not miss any class time.  It looks like it could be wet, so athletes and spectators should prepare adequately for the conditions.  Race details may be found at athlteic.net (linked above) in the Country Fair Classic meet info section.  We will not be stopping to eat on the way home, so athletes should plan to pack food.

Thursday/Friday (9/12-13):  Normal practices

Saturday (9/14):  No meet or practice, but athletes will be encouraged to meet up in groups and get in a long run.  The seven day training cycle doesn't always cater to a hard workout, long run, and a race.  Having 10 days between races allows us to get in a valuable long run on this day.  We will talk with athletes about what this should look like for them.

Week 3 (September 2 - September 7)

The Opener Recap:  It was a fantastic first meet for the team on Friday!  While our training isn't specific for the 3k, there were still 14 of our athletes that set personal bests at the distance.    Here are a few highlights from the meet:

PHOTOS ARE POSTED FROM THE MEET! Use the 2024 XC Pictures link above and use GoLions24 to access the albums.

Here is what we have coming up this week:

Due to the office being closed last Friday, the due date for apparel orders has been extended to Tuesday(9/3).  If you wish to order please make sure to have forms and money turned in by practice time.  You may access and print a copy HERE.  The completed form with payment should be returned to Mrs. Twyman in the main office by the order deadline.

Practice time is 3:45 to 5:30 unless otherwise specified.  

Monday (9/2): No practice, but athletes should get in a steady run on their own.

Tuesday (9/3): This will be our most challenging workout of the week, so athletes should be prepared.

Wednesday (9/4):  Pictures at 2pm (packets will be handed out on Tuesday).  We will practice immediately following pictures and will be finished by 4pm.  This is also the first day of school for 9th grade students.

Thursday (9/5):  First day of school for the entire student body.  This week is one of the "danger zone" weeks for student athletes as there is a lot of adjustment taking place.  Please be mindful of taking care of sleep, nutrition, and recovery as we all make this transition.  Workouts will be adjusted this week to help keep athletes safe and healthy.

Friday (9/6):  Just a reminder that this is the deadline to pay any unresolved sport fees.  There is a $25 late fee after this date.  Please contact Mrs. Twyman in the main office if you have questions about this.

Saturday (9/7):  The Ultimook Race  This is our longest trip and one of the favorites for the athletes.  The bus will depart at 5:15AM.  This is a unique event and logistics can be tricky, so some of the information from the meet info section on athletic.net has been pasted below.  


Parking:  Here is a parking  map.  Parking this year will be offsite, located about a ½ mile before The Hydrangea Ranch.  Please be aware of the signs indicating “Ultimook Parking.”  All spectators will need to park in the parking area.   Buses, though, can proceed past the parking area, drop off their athletes at The Hydrangea Ranch in the “drop off zone,” turn around, and then go back to the parking area.  Continual shuttle buses will be in motion shuttling people back and forth.  You will not be able to miss this parking area as there will be plenty of signs and the pink Volkswagen bug and yellow school bus in the middle of the cow pasture will give it away.  Please notify parents to look for parking signs.  Only handicapped marked vehicles will be able to part on The Hydrangea Ranch, all others will be turned back to the parking area.  The drop off zone is a short walk from the pavilion.  

Farm Admission:  It will cost $8.00 per adult to enter the farm and $4.00 for students.  Please inform your parents so they are not surprised when they try entering the farm.

Directions to The Hydrangea Ranch:  The Hydrangea Ranch is located at Oregon Coastal Flowers, 9455 Kilchis River Rd., Tillamook, OR 97141.  Take Alderbrook Road off of Hwy 101, ¾ of mile North of the Tillamook Cheese Factory.  Go one mile and you will come to a “T”.  Take a right onto Kilchis River Rd.  Go 2 miles and stop at “drop off zone.”   Follow signs for parking area and then take the shuttle or walk 650 meters to The Hydrangea Ranch.  Click Here to get directions online.

Important note when leaving The Hydrangea Ranch:  When heading home, the vast majority of busses will be heading South on Hwy 101.  With heavy weekend tourist traffic, it can be very difficult to pull out onto Hwy 101 from Alderbrook Rd using the same exit that you came in on.  In order to avoid traffic backup problems, we encourage some of you to consider staying straight at the “T” at the intersection of Alderbrook Rd. which would provide you with an easier access to Hwy 101, just about ½ North of the other entrance/exit.  Click here for Exit Map.

Race times for CG athletes:

10:45 AM JV Boys 5k, 1A – 4A

11:30 AM Varsity Girls, 1A – 4A

12:15 PM Varsity Boys 5k, 1A – 4A

1:00 PM Novice Race 3k (Boys & Girls), all divisions (1A-6A), 3k (Our JV girls will be running in this race).

Week 2 (August 26 - August 30)

UPDATE:  RACE TIMES FOR FRIDAY HAVE BEEN UPDATED AS OF 8/28 DUE TO CONERNS ABOUT HEAT.  PLEASE BE AWARE THAT ATHLETIC.NET DID NOT MATCH THE UPDATED RACE TIMES AT THE TIME THIS WAS POSTED, BUT BELOW IS THE MOST RECENT INFORMATION.  PLEASE NOTE THAT THIS WILL PUSH OUR DEPARTURE TIME TO 3PM:


3PM - DEPART FROM SCHOOL

6:30PM - JV GIRLS

6:50PM - JV BOYS

7:10PM - VARSITY GIRLS

7:30PM - VARSITY BOYS

Thanks to everyone that attended Meet the Lions last Friday.  Our team battled to come from behind and tie the football team for the win.  The football team may have taken this win with the tiebreaker, but we have more important trophies in our future this season.  Some of you were trying to be in several places at once during the evening, so I've linked the presentations slides HERE in case you missed the parent meeting portion.  We're excited for our first meet of the season.  Here are the important details for the week:

Monday (8/26) - Thursday (8/29):  Practice times switch to "normal" time this week (3:45pm - 5:30pm).  Monday will be our most challenging practice this week as we prepare for our first meet.  Athletes, please prepare accordingly.

Friday (8/30): The Opener at Western Oregon University.  The bus will depart at 3PM (UPDATED) from the front of the school.  Just a reminder that we always depart from the school ON TIME and will leave whether we have everyone or not.  Race times have been updated due to heat concerns as of 8/28, so times may not match on athletic.net.  Please see schedule above. and we will inform kids early this week which race they will be running in.  Our 9th graders will pick up where they left off as we race on the same WOU course that hosts the middle school championship.  This race distance will only be a 3k as opposed to the 5k distance that we will race most of the season.  The meet will feature both 4A defending state championship teams (Philomath girls and Newport boys) as well as top 4A and 5A individual talent (Ty Cirino of Central - 5th place in the 5A state championship race last year).  It will be an exciting way to kick off the season!

Also Friday (8/30): APPAREL FORMS DUE if you wish to order.  Printed copies are available at practice or you may access and print a copy HERE.  The completed form with payment should be returned to Mrs. Twyman in the main office by the order deadline.

Upcoming Dates:

(9/4): Team pictures at 2pm and we will practice immediately after with practice ending at 4pm.  This is also the first day of school for 9th graders.

(9/5): First full day of school for all students.

(9/7): Ultimook Race


Athletic.net Tutorial 

(WARNING: THE VIDEO FEATURES THE SCHEDULE FROM LAST YEAR)

Athletic.net XC Tutorial.webm

Team Camp Highlight Video

(Please scroll down for week 1 update)

Team camp lived up to the hype again this year!  We ran, competed, played, relaxed, set goals, and became closer as a team.  This group is primed for big things again this season and they are excited to do it together.  A special thank you to Allison's mom, Sara, for spending her birthday with us to help out on the trip.  Also, thanks to the Bengtson's for providing extra snacks for the athletes.  Of course, we are extremely lucky to have Coach Tucker on staff to put together great videos and graphics for us.  We were also grateful to have the school administrative team drop by camp with treats for everyone!  What a great community to be a part of!


Week 1 (August 19th - August 23)

It's go time and we are excited for another record setting season!  This is the first weekly update of the season, and new updates will be posted each Sunday evening for the upcoming week.  Remember, you may view the meet schedule by using the link above.  

Track and Field State Championship Recap

(Please scroll down for information about season wrap-up)

The Lions were led by a trio of second place finishes over the weekend.  Carter finished second place in the 3000m, Makya finished second place in the javelin, and Hayes finished second place in the 110m hurdles.  The boys team amassed 35 points over the two days which was good enough for a sixth place team finish.  It is the third consecutive year that the boys team has finished in the top six at the state championship.  By the time the meet concluded six Cottage Grove athletes had earned all-state honors (top 8) in nine different events.  It was a fantastic weekend for the athletes in our program!  A huge thank you to Coach Tucker and Easton Hutchins for providing the photos and amazing graphics of our athletes.  More pictures from the meet will be available using the 2024 Track and Field Pictures link in the quick link section above once they are uploaded this week. Below is a list of our state placers.


Carter Bengtson: 2nd place (3000m), 4th place (1500m)

Hayes Valley: 2nd place (110m hurdles), 7th place (300m hurdles)

Makya Alsup: 2nd place (javelin)

Eli Williams: 4th place (shot), and 4th place (discus)

Terran Stewart: 8th place (300m hurdles)

Micah Hanke: 8th place (800m)

Ella Cardwell: 9th place (3000m), 9th place (800m)

Week 13 (May 20 - May 24) Season Wrap-up

Thank you to all of you that took a few minutes each week to read the updates.  We hope that the updates helped to keep you informed about our weekly operations, and that the updates were also helpful in learning about how the sport of track and field works.  Website design is not our area of expertise, but if you have suggestions about how we can adjust our updates to make them more efficient or informative please let us know.

Important Items and Upcoming Dates:

CGHS All-Time List:  Did you make the list!?  The all-time lists have been updated to include marks from 2024.  We had five new athletes move up or crack the top 10 this season and we will be updating our record boards, but many more athletes were added to the lists.  Why are some lists longer than others on the spreadsheet?  We started every list at 20 names and the lists grow as names are added.  Some events have had much more movement over the last ten years than others.  You may access the updated All-Time CGHS Track and Field Lists in the quick links section above.

Uniforms:  Fines will be issued for any uniform item not turned in by May 28th.  Filling out fine slips is a significant amount of extra work, so thank you for returning uniforms to Coach Knutson (room 109) before May 28th.  

Tuesday, May 21st: Equipment clean up at the track right after school.  Each person that shows up will get squad points!  The trophy is still up for grabs and the results will be announced at the awards night.

Tuesday, May 28th:  We will have our awards night at 6:15pm in the CGHS cafeteria.  We will hand out participation awards, varsity letter awards, as well as all-league and all-state awards.  Just a reminder that there should be no surprises with varsity letter awards.  The criteria for earning a letter is outlined in our team handbook (linked above) and each athlete should know before awards night if they earned a varsity letter.  Please see Coach Knutson if you have any questions about how this works.  

Tuesday, May 28th:  There will be a meeting at 3:30pm in room 109 for anyone interested in or planning to participate in cross country next fall.  We will discuss summer training, fundraising opportunities, and our summer camp.  The meeting will be focused on athletes, but parents are welcome to attend if they wish. 

Additional Opportunities to Compete:  While there is no official "summer track" there are opportunities if athletes wish to compete this summer on their own.  The Oregon Track Club offers all comers meets where athletes can just show up and compete.  All athletes need to do is show up and pay the $15 fee and pick the events they wish to compete in.  A link to all the details can be found HERE.

Nike Outdoor Nationals:  You may have noticed this meet added to the athletic.net schedule.  Carter will be competing in the 5,000m at the high school national championship event. 

Weekly CGHS Track and Field Trivia:  

Our trivia questions have come to an end this season.  The weekly winners will be put in a drawing and we will reveal the winner and prize at awards night.  

Last Week's Question:  Name the last CGHS girl to qualify in four events for the state meet in the same year.

Answer: Hannah Albrecht - 2017 (100m, 200m, 400m, and 4x400m relay)

Week 12 Winner: Congratulations to Micah Hanke!

Back to Back to Back!

The boys captured their third consecutive district championship on Saturday. This marks the second time that the boys have won three in a row over the last eight seasons (there was no 2020 season).  As usual, the Lions outperformed the form chart to place better in events than expected, and second place Marshfield trailed by over 40 points when the meet ended.  This was a convincing win compared to the last two titles where the Lions were underdogs and needed every point to win by a mere two points each time.  It's the biggest margin of victory since the 2018 team won by 89 points.  The Lions showed off their depth by placing (top 8) three athletes in seven of the 17 events. 

Week 12 (May 13 - May 19) STATE CHAMPIONSHIP WEEK!

What a weekend!  The boys captured their third straight district championship and eight Cottage Grove athletes qualified for the state championship in 12 different events.  Hayes won two events (both hurdles) and was the high point scorer of the meet with a massive 31 points, while Carter was also a two time district champion (1500m and 3000m).  The girls scored 14 more points than what was projected and finished ahead of Marshfield for fourth place.  Makya was the district champion in the javelin, while Ella captured two state qualifying spots in the 3000m and 800m.  Cottage Grove finished third behind North Bend and Marist in the coed standings.  Most importantly, the Lions fought hard and represented our school and community in such a positive way.  What a fantastic group of young people to be associated with!

DISTRICT MEET PICTURES:  Special thanks to Travis for coming to the meet both days and taking pictures.  Those will be posted to view and download soon.  Please use the 2024 Track and Field Pictures quick link above to view those.

Here is a full list of our state qualifiers:

Monday:  We are asking athletes that competed at the district meet to show up for practice for a brief meeting.  We would like to recognize many of them for outstanding performances, and cover a few quick details about the end of the season.   We will have normal practice for our state qualifiers.  State qualifiers should bring their uniform to practice for a photo shoot so that we may get some pictures to create state championship graphics.  

Tuesday (Uniform Return Day):  Please bring all uniform items to the track after school.  We will award 5 squad points to every athlete that returns their full uniform by this time.  We will have our annual state qualifier team dinner at Coach Vogel's house.  We will give more information to those athletes at practice.

Friday and Saturday: STATE CHAMPIONSHIP at HAYWARD FIELD!  Bus leaves at 6:45am on Friday and 10:45am on Saturday. We will go over more meet details with the state qualifiers.  Spectator information may be found HERE and a full meet schedule is linked HERE.  The links include information about tickets, the meet schedule, and the stadium clear bag policy.  Let's get as many spectators as we can to Hayward to support these athletes! 

Awards Night:  We will try to get a date and time established as soon as possible after the state championship.

Weekly CGHS Track and Field Trivia:  

We will have a new CGHS track and field trivia question every Sunday for athletes that are checking the website each week.  The first correct answer each week will be our winner, and each weekly winner will be entered in a drawing for an end of the season prize!  Athletes will only be eligible to win two weeks this season to ensure maximum participation.  Please submit answers using the form linked HERE (only one submission per athlete each week).   Athletic.net and our all-time track and field list linked above will be valuable resources when looking for answers. We will post the answer and weekly winner in next week's update.  Let's learn more about the rich history of track and field at CGHS!

This Week's Question:  Name the last CGHS girl to qualify in four events for the state meet in the same year.

Last Week's Question: Name the last CGHS male AND female athletes to score in both a throwing event and a jumping event at the state championship.

Answer:  Gracie Arnold 2022 (5th in the Javelin and 3rd in the high jump) and Alex Toureen (2nd in shot and 2nd in high jump)

Winner:  Congratulations to Micah Hanke!!

Week 11 (May 6 - May 11) DISTRICT CHAMPIONSHIP WEEK!

JV athletes wrapped up the season last week with a strong showing at the JV district meet in Junction City, while the rest of the team competed at our home invitational on Friday. Eli (Discus), Hayes (110m hurdles) and Carter (1500m) were all event winners enroute to helping the boys team finish third among some of the top teams in the state. Carter's time of 4:06 moves him into the #6 spot on the all-time top 10 list at CGHS for the 1500m.  Ella was the top finisher for the girls with a third place finish in the 800m.   A huge thank you to everyone that helped to make the meet a success.  Without all the volunteers it would be impossible to pull off such a large event.  Last week we communicated with athletes about who would be continuing with the season this week for the district championship, and athletes can already see live entries for the district meet on athletic.net (more details below).


Special notes for the week:

District Championship Info:  This is a two day championship meet that is unlike anything we have attended all season.  We will be covering a lot of information this week at practice, but some important details for athletes and families can be found below:

Varsity Lettering Criteria Reminder:  You may view the full criteria in our team handbook (linked above).  In short, athletes need to hit a certain mark or time during the season, or place in the top 8 in an individual event at the district meet.  Relays do not count toward varsity lettering requirements due to the fact that there are only five teams in the league and every team that makes it across the finish line scores.  Please note the requirement of attending both days of the district meet.

Practice this week:  Practices will continue to end earlier this week based on event groups.  Thursday's practice will start in Coach Knutson's room (109) at 3:45pm.

Upcoming Dates:

State Championship:  May 10 -11.  Full details about the state meet will be available on next Sunday, but until then you may view the spectator information at the OSAA website HERE.

Uniform Collection:  Please look for details next Sunday on how we will collect uniforms.  Squad points will be up for grabs for athletes that turn in uniforms on time.

Awards Night:  This is still TBD, but will take place sometime after the State Championship (May 17-18).  We will push info out as soon as we know the date, time, and location.

Weekly CGHS Track and Field Trivia:  

We will have a new CGHS track and field trivia question every Sunday for athletes that are checking the website each week.  The first correct answer each week will be our winner, and each weekly winner will be entered in a drawing for an end of the season prize!  Athletes will only be eligible to win two weeks this season to ensure maximum participation.  Please submit answers using the form linked HERE (only one submission per athlete each week).   Athletic.net and our all-time track and field list linked above will be valuable resources when looking for answers. We will post the answer and weekly winner in next week's update.  Let's learn more about the rich history of track and field at CGHS!

This Week's Question:  Name the last CGHS male AND female athletes to score in both a throwing event and a jumping event at the state championship.

Last Week's Question: In which track and field event has Cottage Grove High School had the longest drought in qualifying someone for the state championships?  In other words, which event has seen the most number of years pass since CGHS has qualified an athlete for state?  A correct answer needs the gender and the event (for example: boys 3000m)

Answer:  Girls Long Jump - We believe the last time was Ginger Loescher in 1999.  Between 2010 and 2024 CGHS has qualified one or more athlete for the state championship in every other track and field event.  The boys team has qualified at least one athlete in 14 of the 17 events since 2021.

Winner:  Congratulations to Rylie Reeder!!

Week 10 (April 29 - May 3

It was another solid week for the Lions with multiple trips to the coast.  The varsity preview at North Bend and the Central Coast Invitational provided opportunities to compete and tune up for a couple of big weeks ahead.  Carter also had a strong showing at the Jesuit Twilight Relays.  There will be a lot of moving parts over the next two weeks, so thank you again for taking a moment to stay informed.

Athletes will find themselves falling into one of several categories this week, and we will do our best to communicate with each of them at practice.  After last week many athletes should already have a good idea of where they stand in each event area, but additional competition this week can make an athlete's status a bit fluid.  Below is a quick synopsis of each of our remaining meets.

JV Districts:  This will be the last meet of the season for many of our athletes.  We will communicate with those athletes at practice on Monday.  Some athletes might also compete in this meet due to the fact we won't know until Wednesday night if they qualified for the Wally Ciochetti Invitational.  We are trying to make sure kids get at least one meet this week.  As a result, there will be a few athletes that may have two meets this week.

Wally Ciochetti Invite:  Our home invitational hosts 16 teams and we cap event sizes with a maximum of three entries per team.  Our remaining athletes won't know who makes the cut in each event until Wednesday evening.  There will be some athletes where Friday will be their last meet, and others who won't qualify for Friday, but will still compete at districts the following week. 

Districts:  The focus of the district meet is to advance athletes to the state championship and maximize team points.  Since the meet is two days there are some athletes that will double up in events.  This means there aren't the same number of vacancies in events as usual, and some athletes that might have attended invitationals this season may not compete at districts.  We have been communicating this with athletes throughout the season, so this should not come as a surprise.  There will be much more information to come about this meet.  Entries for coaches are due at 12pm on Saturday, May 4th and there are no changes (other than scratches) allowed after that point.  It is critical that athletes share any potential scheduling conflicts with Coach Knutson NOW.  If an athlete scratches after the May 4th deadline we are not allowed another entry and the spot is lost. Please be sure to communicate with coaches ASAP if there may be any schedule conflicts.


Special notes for the week:

Monday (4/29):  Athletes that are competing on Tuesday will have a chance to confirm events.  Athletes will most likely be finishing up a little early depending on which event group they are in.

Tuesday (4/30):  JV District Meet.  Athletes will be dismissed at 12:55pm and the bus will depart at 1:15pm.  Athletes not attending the meet will still have practice at the normal time.  

Wednesday (5/1):  Even if athletes are done for the season we are asking everyone to at least attend our team meeting to start practice.  We will recognize athletes for performances that they had at the Tuesday meet.  We also need help from athletes for our Friday meet, and they will be signing up for job assignments.  After the team meeting athletes that are done competing for the season may either stay and practice or head home.  After Wednesday practice will be limited to just athletes that are still competing.  Our entries for Friday are due at 8pm and we will then know who has qualified for the Friday home invitational.  Athletes will be notified on Thursday at practice.

Thursday (5/2):  Short pre meet practice and set up for the meet.

Friday (5/3):  Wally Ciochetti Invitational at CGHS.  This has become the premier late season meet for 4A schools and we cap the number of schools at 16 to maximize entries for each team.  This is why teams travel from as far as Klamath Falls and Prineville to compete at our event.  The entire meet schedule may be viewed in the meet info section at athletic.net.  Athletes competing or helping will be dismissed at 12:30pm.  There may be some athletes that are competing later in the afternoon that choose to stay in class longer.  

Upcoming Dates:

Saturday, May 4th: Entries for the district meet are due for coaches at 12pm.  Athletes will be informed of all finalized entries at practice on Monday, May 6th.  

Friday, May 10th and Saturday, May 11th:  District Championship at North Bend High School.  We have yet to receive a formal version of this year's schedule, but from what we've been told we will be following the same time schedule from last year.  You may view a copy of LAST YEAR'S SCHEDULE HERE.  PLEASE BE AWARE THAT THIS IS SUBJECT TO CHANGE.

Uniform and end of season awards night:  Once we make it through this week we will share more information about the process for turning in uniforms and schedule our awards date.  Thanks for your patience.

Weekly CGHS Track and Field Trivia:  

We will have a new CGHS track and field trivia question every Sunday for athletes that are checking the website each week.  The first correct answer each week will be our winner, and each weekly winner will be entered in a drawing for an end of the season prize!  Athletes will only be eligible to win two weeks this season to ensure maximum participation.  Please submit answers using the form linked HERE (only one submission per athlete each week).   Athletic.net and our all-time track and field list linked above will be valuable resources when looking for answers. We will post the answer and weekly winner in next week's update.  Let's learn more about the rich history of track and field at CGHS!

This Week's Question (We have some athletes that are close to the answer.  This will be the week!): In which track and field event has Cottage Grove High School had the longest drought in qualifying someone for the state championships?  In other words, which event has seen the most number of years pass since CGHS has qualified an athlete for state?  A correct answer needs the gender and the event (for example: boys 3000m)


Week 9 (April 22 - April 27

What a week for the Lions!  After hosting a league meet on Tuesday and working the middle school meet on Wednesday, the Lions headed for some big events over the weekend.  Carter represented Cottage Grove at the Oregon Relays, one of the premier high school events in the United States.  Carter entered the two mile event ranked 46th out of 107 runners.  During the last five laps of the race Carter held pace and passed over 20 runners to take 4th in his heat and 15th overall in the elite field of runners.  Carter ran a 10 second PR in the 3000m enroute to a 27 second personal best in the two mile.  His 3000m split time of of 8:43 moves him one spot away from the school record (8:35.39) set by Bruce Davidson in 1984.  The CGHS 3000m school record is once of the toughest in Oregon at the 4A level.  The boys followed up with the team victory at the 36 team Meet of Champions on Saturday  with many strong performances, including wins from Carter in the 1500m and Hayes in the 110m hurdles.  It is the third consecutive year the CG boys have won the meet.  Makya and Ella were top finishers for the girls on Saturday.  Makya started the week as an alternate to get into the meet and then took advantage of the opportunity by throwing a massive 14 foot personal best in the javelin to take third place. Her mark of 114-4 moves her into the #8 spot on the all-time CGHS javelin list. Ella ran a strong race in the 3000m to capture third place as well as an eight second PR.  Ella's time of 11:10 moves her to the #7 spot on the all-time CGHS list.  

THANK YOU to those of you taking the time to read the weekly update, there are a lot of layers each week as we navigate through the end of the season.


Common question this time of year:  Why is my athlete being moved around to different events so much?

Answer:  There are multiple reasons athletes don't compete in the same events at each meet and the simplest reason is recovery.  When there are multiple meets in a week for some athletes we typically prioritize one of the meets.  We want athletes to be healthy and ready when it matters most, and shifting events so athletes can still participate in two meets in a week allows us to accomplish this. The more complicated reason is the big picture.  As we approach the district championships we are focused on two primary performance goals.  How can we advance as many athletes as possible to the state championship and how can we score as many team points as possible?  Sometimes this requires reducing event loads for athletes or even removing some of our top athletes from relay teams.  Other times this means athletes are trying new events late in the season where our league may not have as much depth with the hopes of scoring points at districts.  Ultimately, it's all about maximizing success for our athletes and team.  The last two seasons our boys team has won the district championship by two points.  This means that two athletes finishing in 8th place (and each scoring a single point) at districts over the last two years made all the difference for our team.  Mistakes with entries can make or break our team success which is why we take athlete placement and entries very seriously. We always make a conscious effort to explain this to our athletes, but sometimes that message doesn't make it home.  If something doesn't seem like it's making sense and you'd like to know why, please ask.  Everything that we do is calculated and we are happy to explain our rationale when given the opportunity.  


Special notes for the week:

Monday (4/22):  Athletes were notified at practice on Friday if they will be attending the Tuesday meet at North Bend. Entries for the meet will be posted at practice so that we may make adjustments to events.

Tuesday (4/23):  Sky-Em Varsity Meet at North Bend.  This meet is for athletes that might be competing at the district championships in May.  Those not attending the meet will not have practice on Tuesday.  Students will be dismissed at 11:25am and the bus will leave at 11:45am.  It is critical that athletes pack food for lunch and dinner.  North Bend is a long trip on a school night and we don't plan on stopping to eat on the way home.  We want kids home and in bed so that they will be rested and focused for school and recovered for our meet on Friday.

Wednesday (4/24):  Normal practice and we will inform athletes who will be attending the Friday meet.  We want to give athletes a fair opportunity to compete on Tuesday before finalizing the Friday entries.  Most athletes will have a good idea of where they stand prior to Wednesday.

Thursday (4/25):  Practice

Friday (4/26):  You may have noticed the Nike/Jesuit Twilight Relays on the athletic.net schedule.  Carter will be competing in this event on Friday evening (pending acceptance into the meet this week).  Like the Oregon Relays, there will be teams from several west coast states.  Another group of our athletes will travel to Florence for the Central Coast Invitational.  Athletes will be dismissed at 11:45am and the bus will leave at 12:15pm.  Again, this is during lunch time, so be sure to bring food.  We will stop on the way home for dinner.  Those not attending the meet will not have practice on Friday.

Upcoming Dates:

Tuesday, April 30th:  The JV District Meet.  This will be the last meet for some.  Others that compete in this meet might still continue on for one of the last few meets.  More details to come.   Athletes not attending the meet will have normal practice.

Friday, May 3rd:  The Wally Ciochetti Invitational at CGHS.  This has become one of the premier 4A meets late in the season.  We are excited to host another strong field of teams this year.  We will have more information about how parents might be able to help out at this meet.  

Weekly CGHS Track and Field Trivia:  

We will have a new CGHS track and field trivia question every Sunday for athletes that are checking the website each week.  The first correct answer each week will be our winner, and each weekly winner will be entered in a drawing for an end of the season prize!  Athletes will only be eligible to win two weeks this season to ensure maximum participation.  Please submit answers using the form linked HERE (only one submission per athlete each week).   Athletic.net and our all-time track and field list linked above will be valuable resources when looking for answers. We will post the answer and weekly winner in next week's update.  Let's learn more about the rich history of track and field at CGHS!

This Week's Question (This is a tough one, still no correct answer yet.): In which track and field event has Cottage Grove High School had the longest drought in qualifying someone for the state championships?  In other words, which event has seen the most number of years pass since CGHS has qualified an athlete for state?  A correct answer needs the gender and the event (for example: boys 3000m)

Week 8 (April 15 - April 20) 

The Lions capped off the week with a dominating win from the boys team at the Philomath Relays.  The girls battled to a second place finish behind the defending state champions from Philomath.  Many JV athletes saw some big improvements at the Marist meet last Monday as well.  It's another busy week with our home meet on Tuesday, Oregon Relays on Friday (for Carter), and the Meet of Champions on Saturday.

Upcoming Grade Checks: Updated grades will be available on Monday.  Those not passing five classes and/or below a 2.0 GPA won't be competing on Tuesday and in the future until they have improved grades to the minimum standard.

Pictures:  Pictures have arrived for those that ordered.  Please pick those up in Coach Knutson's classroom (room 109).  

Monday (4/15):  Athletes will have the opportunity to check event entries for Tuesday.  They were responsible for getting signed up at the end of last week.  Like many of our pre meet practices, athletes will be getting done with workouts earlier on this day.  We will also have athletes sign up for job assignments for the Wednesday middle school meet.  

Tuesday (4/16):  Athletes will be dismissed at 2:40 and should be in full uniform and at the starting line ready for warm ups at 3:10.  Field events start at 4pm and track events start at 4:30.  The order of events and full schedule can be found in the meet info section at athletic.net (linked above).  Just a reminder that we ask all athletes to stay to the end of the meet to support their teammates.  Entries for the Meet of Champions (Saturday) are due at 10pm and we will know by Wednesday who has been accepted for the Saturday meet.

Wednesday (4/17):  HOME MIDDLE SCHOOL MEETAthletes should be in the main gym dressed and ready for practice at 2:30pm.  We will go over job assignments for the middle school meet and then get in a team warm up.  Athletes should expect to be helping until 7pm.  Please be sure to bring layers of clothing as it cools off quickly in the evening.  Athletes will also find out at practice if they made the cut for the Meet of Champions.  Some may be on the alternate list and could potentially be added if athletes scratch prior to Saturday.  

Thursday (4/18):  Normal Practice.  We will be checking in with athletes about which events they will be competing in for the upcoming "Varsity Meet" in North Bend next week.  Not all athletes will be attending this meet.

Friday (4/19):  Carter Bengtson will be competing at The Oregon Relays and the rest of the team will have normal practice.  To meet the standards and qualify for the Oregon Relays in an individual event is extremely challenging.  Carter ran in the meet last season and will compete in the 2 mile event which starts at 11am.  It is online ticketing only for the event and you can find all the spectator information HERE.  

Saturday (4/20):  The team travels to Sweet Home for the Meet of Champions.  This is a 37 team invitational for 1A-4A schools and the event has been around for decades.  Athletes qualify individually (or as a relay team)  to compete.  Athletes will know on Wednesday if they are attending and the bus will leave at 7:00AM.  All the meet details can be found in the meet info section at athletic.net, but a schedule is also linked HERE.  We will stop for food on the way home.

Upcoming Dates:

Tuesday, April 23rd:  The Sky-Em Varsity Meet is a preview of the district championship meet that will be held at North Bend High School.  Because all five teams from the league will be attending it is called a "varsity" meet as a way to limit entries and keep the weekday meet manageable.  Please understand that the entries for this meet won't necessarily match the entries for the two day district championship meet that will happen on May 10-11.  Some athletes that compete at this meet might not compete at districts.  Also, as we approach the second half of the season, this is just a reminder that the varsity lettering standards can be found in the team handbook linked above.  

Weekly CGHS Track and Field Trivia:  

We will have a new CGHS track and field trivia question every Sunday for athletes that are checking the website each week.  The first correct answer each week will be our winner, and each weekly winner will be entered in a drawing for an end of the season prize!  Athletes will only be eligible to win two weeks this season to ensure maximum participation.  Please submit answers using the form linked HERE (only one submission per athlete each week).   Athletic.net and our all-time track and field list linked above will be valuable resources when looking for answers. We will post the answer and weekly winner in next week's update.  Let's learn more about the rich history of track and field at CGHS!

This Week's Question (This is a tough one, still no correct answer yet.): In which track and field event has Cottage Grove High School had the longest drought in qualifying someone for the state championships?  In other words, which event has seen the most number of years pass since CGHS has qualified an athlete for state?  A correct answer needs the gender and the event (for example: boys 3000m)

Week 7 (April 8 - April 13

It was a fantastic way to get back into competition last week with the JV meet at Marist and the 28 team invitational at Marshfield.  Congratulations to Gavin Grogan (long jump) and Hayes Valley (110m hurdles AND 300m hurdles) for earning the event wins on Saturday among large fields of quality competition.  Ella Cardwell (4th in the 3000m) and Makya Alsup (5th in the javelin) were our top finishers for the girls.  There were many other CG athletes that made the podium (top 8) as well.  While the team was at Marshfield we had a group of athletes here in Cottage Grove that volunteered to serve at the Family Relief Nursery Gala on Saturday night.  Thank you to all those athletes that volunteered and represented our program in such a positive way!

Upcoming Grade Checks:  Just a reminder that our next grade check will be this Friday, April 12th.  Any athlete that is not passing five classes and/or is below a 2.0 will be immediately ineligible until grades are improved to meet the standard.  Athletes, please make sure we are taking care of our priorities in the classroom.  

Monday (4/8):  JV Meet at Marist.  Monday meets are not common, but we have one this week.  Like last week, some athletes will be attending and others will have a normal practice.  Athletes with the option of attending the meet were given the opportunity to sign up for events last week and those entries can be viewed HERE.  If you happen to see a necessary change with the entries please contact Coach Knutson via email (ricky.knutson@slane.k12.or.us) ASAP.  However, there are no promises that the changes will be made prior to the Sunday afternoon deadline.  Those competing will be dismissed from class at 1:40pm and should be on the bus ready to roll at 2:00pm.  Everyone else should be at practice at the normal time.  

Tuesday (4/9), Wednesday (4/10) and Thursday (4/11):  Normal Practice.  We will also be ironing out entries for the unique relay meet on Saturday.  Most athletes will know by Tuesday or Wednesday (if they don't already know) if they will be attending the Saturday meet.  Due to the nature of the meet and event structure, there will be some athletes attending that may not normally attend invitationals.  

Friday (4/12):  Athletes will sign up for events on this day for our home meet the following Tuesday (4/16).

Saturday (4/13):  Philomath Relays.  Departure time is 8:15am.  This invitational is a unique meet where the track events are all relays and the field events are scored as a team (top three marks from each team in each event are added together to determine team place).  There aren't a lot of details listed at the meet info page at athletic.net, but if you select the schedule option (within the meet info page) you may view a list of events.  Field events start at 11am and track events start at noon.  Due to the nature of the meet there will be some athletes competing in events that they may not normally participate in.  This type of meet showcases a team's depth, and there may be spots that need to be filled that we don't usually have to fill.  Athletes that may not typically score for the team become very important in events like this, especially in field events, as marks for three athletes are required for a team score in each event.  It should be a fun day!

Upcoming Dates:

Tuesday, April 16th:  Our next home meet.

Wednesday, April 17th:  Middle school home meet at CGHS.  Our athletes help to put this meet on by running the field events.  Please plan on a later release time on this day.  We hope to be done by 7pm.

Weekly CGHS Track and Field Trivia:  

We will have a new CGHS track and field trivia question every Sunday for athletes that are checking the website each week.  The first correct answer each week will be our winner, and each weekly winner will be entered in a drawing for an end of the season prize!  Athletes will only be eligible to win two weeks this season to ensure maximum participation.  Please submit answers using the form linked HERE (only one submission per athlete each week).   Athletic.net and our all-time track and field list linked above will be valuable resources when looking for answers. We will post the answer and weekly winner in next week's update.  Let's learn more about the rich history of track and field at CGHS!

This Week's Question (SAME AS LAST WEEK SINCE THERE WAS NO CORRECT ANSWER): In which track and field event has Cottage Grove High School had the longest drought in qualifying someone for the state championships?  In other words, which event has seen the most number of years pass since CGHS has qualified an athlete for state?  A correct answer needs the gender and the event (for example: boys 3000m).

Week 6 (April 1 - April 6

Spring break was a solid week of workouts for athletes that attended practice.  We ended the week with a frisbee croquet squad competition and squads were also awarded points for every member that had perfect spring break attendance.  Don't forget that you may access the latest squad scores in the quick link section above.  It's going to get busy from here on out and we're excited to get rolling with more meets!

Apparel:  The apparel order has arrived!  Apparel has been individually bagged and will be ready for distribution on Monday.  Athletes should confirm items are correct at the time of pickup and BEFORE walking away with apparel.  PLEASE LABEL YOUR ITEMS WITH YOUR NAME ON THE TAG.

Upcoming Grade Checks:  Just a reminder that our next grade check will be April 12th.  Any athlete that is not passing five classes and/or is below a 2.0 will be immediately ineligible until grades are improved to meet the standard.

Volunteers Needed:  We are in need of some volunteer athletes to help out with The Family Relief Nursery Gala on Saturday, April 6th.  It's a bit tricky this year since many athletes and our coaching staff will be at Marshfield for the meet.  If there are any athletes that are not attending the meet that would be interested in helping please let Coach Knutson know.  Jim and Joyce Settelmeyer will be helping to oversee the volunteers as they plate food, and assist the caterers. We will also award 10 squad points for each person that volunteers. Details below:

This week:

Monday (4/1):  Athletes that missed practices over the last week will be taking time in practice to "spin the wheel" and participate in some conditioning activities.  They will do this as a group and we will spread spins out over the course of the week.  

Athletes that meet the spring break practice requirement (see updates for the last two weeks) and are attending the Tuesday JV meet will need to make sure to check posted entries at practice and confirm their event entries with Coach Knutson before leaving practice.  Entries for Tuesday are due by 6pm on Monday, so it is critical that those are in and accurate.  Most athletes already know if they are attending the Tuesday meet, but should follow up on Monday if they have questions.

Tuesday (4/2) JV Meet at Marist (Athletes not attending the meet will have practice as normal with a small coaching staff):  

Athletes will be dismissed at 1:40pm and should be in full uniform, with equipment loaded, and ready to roll at 2:00pm.  The track and field program always departs ON TIME.   Athletes are responsible for getting out of class on time and being ready to go on time. ANY ATHLETE NOT ON THE BUS WHEN IT IS TIME TO LEAVE WILL BE LEFT AT CGHS.   All information with regards to meet schedule can be found at athletic.net in the meet info section.  If you are not familiar with how to use athletic.net we have put together a quick tutorial that could be helpful. You may access that video HERE (It will also be available in the quick link section above for the rest of the season).  Just like with our home meets we ask that athletes stay until the end of the meet.  We won't be stopping for food on the way home, so please be sure to bring snacks.  ATHLETES WILL BE REMINDED TO CALL TO ARRANGE PICKUP FROM CGHS WHEN WE LEAVE EUGENE.  THANK YOU IN ADVANCE FOR PICKING YOUR ATHLETE UP FROM THE SCHOOL WHEN WE RETURN SO THAT COACHES DO NOT HAVE TO WAIT. 

Wednesday (4/3):  We are allowed two entries per event for the Saturday meet at Marshfield, but not all entries will be accepted.  We should know by practice time on Wednesday who has been accepted to compete at the Marshfield meet on Saturday.  

Thursday/Friday (4/4 - 4/5):  Normal practices. On Thursday athletes will start the event sign up process for our meet on 4/8.  It is not very often that we have a Monday meet, so athletes will need to make sure to confirm their events prior to leaving practice on Friday.   Friday will end a bit early depending on the event area as practice will be light due to the Saturday meet.  

Saturday (4/6):  Bus leaves at 6:30am.  Again, we will leave ON TIME, so please be in uniform, equipment loaded, and ready to roll at 6:30am.  Meet details can be found at athletic.net.

Weekly CGHS Track and Field Trivia:  

We will have a new CGHS track and field trivia question every Sunday for athletes that are checking the website each week.  The first correct answer each week will be our winner, and each weekly winner will be entered in a drawing for an end of the season prize!  Athletes will only be eligible to win two weeks this season to ensure maximum participation.  Please submit answers using the form linked HERE (only one submission per athlete each week).   Athletic.net and our all-time track and field list linked above will be valuable resources when looking for answers. We will post the answer and weekly winner in next week's update.  Let's learn more about the rich history of track and field at CGHS!

This Week's Question: In which track and field event has Cottage Grove High School had the longest drought in qualifying someone for the state championships?  In other words, which event has seen the most number of years pass since CGHS has qualified an athlete for state?  A correct answer needs the gender and the event (for example: boys 3000m).

Last Week's Question: Who was the last male CGHS track and field athlete to qualify for the state championships four years in a row?

Answer:  Austin Place (2009 - 800m, 2010 - 800m/4x400m, 2011 - 800m, 2012 - 4x400m/800m)

Last Week's Winner: Congratulations to Eli Williams!

Week 5 (March 25th - March 30th) SPRING BREAK

Our home icebreaker meet was a success and it was fantastic that the weather also cooperated.  Many athletes had their first high school track and field experience!  On Friday we had our annual team potluck and squad competitions.  An ENORMOUS thank you to everyone that contributed to the potluck, it was a fun evening of team bonding for the athletes.  The updated squad scores can be viewed in the quick link section above. Only 29 points separate fourth from first, the squad title is up for grabs! Thanks again to Coach Tucker and other yearbook photographers for taking pictures at our events.  Remember, pictures from the season can be accessed above using the 2024 Track and Field Pictures quick link.  On Saturday we had some of our throwers compete at the Harvey Lewellen Throws Invitational where our boys (Eli, Rogelio, and Clayton) took first in the shot put team competition.  They combined top throws for a score of 127 feet and .05 inches!  It was a great showing from our throwing crew!

Apparel Order Update:  We are hoping that the apparel order shows up shortly.  It usually arrives around spring break.

Pictures:  We took team pictures last week.  If you would still like to order please visit the website HERE. When the pictures are ready they will show up at the school to be distributed to athletes.

This Week:

Monday - Thursday (March 25th - 28th): Spring break practices from 9am to 11am.  Practices are required and absences will be treated the same way that we do with any other missed practice (two spins of the fitness wheel for each day missed).  We understand that some families may leave for spring break, but we maintain the same standard for all athletes.  There is no need to notify coaches of absences this week; athletes are either at practice or they aren't.  Athletes, please enter the facility through the gate at the track and you may then access the locker rooms through the gym door at the track.  FOR SAFETY REASONS, ONLY ATHLETES THAT ATTEND PRACTICE DURING SPRING BREAK WILL BE ELIGIBLE TO ATTEND THE APRIL 2ND MEET.

Friday (March 29th): NO PRACTICE

Upcoming Dates:

April 2nd: JV Meet at Marist.  This meet is designed for JV and/or newer athletes.  Athletes that competed at the varsity district meet last season will most likely not attend this meet.  FOR SAFETY REASONS, ONLY ATHLETES THAT ATTEND PRACTICE DURING SPRING BREAK WILL BE ELIGIBLE TO ATTEND THIS MEET.  Again, this is not a consequence, it is to protect athletes that will not be prepared to compete after missing a week of workouts.

April 6th: Prefontaine Rotary Invite.  We are only allowed two entries per event at this meet, and then we will be informed which entries make the cut.  Entries are due Tuesday evening and we've been told that we should know who was accepted by Wednesday.

Weekly CGHS Track and Field Trivia:  

We will have a new CGHS track and field trivia question every Sunday for athletes that are checking the website each week.  The first correct answer each week will be our winner, and each weekly winner will be entered in a drawing for an end of the season prize!  Athletes will only be eligible to win two weeks this season to ensure maximum participation.  Please submit answers using the form linked HERE.   Athletic.net and our all-time track and field list linked above will be valuable resources when looking for answers. We will post the answer and weekly winner in next week's update.  Let's learn more about the rich history of track and field at CGHS!

This Week's Question: Who was the last male CGHS track and field athlete to qualify for the state championships four years in a row?

Last Week's Question: Who was the last female CGHS track and field athlete to qualify for the state championships four years in a row?

Answer:  Hudson Weybright (2014 - 800m, 2015 - 800m/3000m, 2016 - 4x400/3000m, 2017 - 4x400m/800)

Last Week's Winner: Congratulations to Micah Hanke!

Meet the 2024 Squads

Week 4 (March 18 - March 23)

Our week culminated with a kick off of our season long squad competition.  Captains drafted squads on Tuesday, and on Friday the athletes competed in a modified version of a track meet.  It was a perfect afternoon of sunshine and fun competition!  Enjoy some of the pictures from the squad meet by using the track and field pictures link in the quick links section above.  Results of the squad meet will be shared at practice on Monday and squads will continue to compete throughout the season to have their squad name on the championship plaque.  It's going to be another busy week as we host our first official meet of the season.  There is a massive amount of information below, but we truly appreciate you taking a moment to make sure you're aware of what's happening this week.  It's always more fun when everyone is on the same page!

Academic Reminder:  Teachers issued trimester grades on Friday.  Fortunately, academic issues are not typically a problem with most of our track and field athletes, but we still want to make sure expectations are clear.  Athletes that have passed at least five classes and have above a 2.0 GPA will be clear to compete.  If an athlete did not pass five classes then they are deemed ineligible by the OSAA and will not be able to continue the season.  If an athlete passed five classes, but does NOT have the 2.0 GPA then they are still allowed to continue the season.  However, they will not be able to compete until they show they have above a 2.0 at the first grade check (approximately three weeks into the trimester).

Athletic Fee Reminder:  We still have athletes that need to take care of the athletic fee.  After March 20th there will be a $25 late fee added.  Please contact Mrs. Twyman in the main office if you need a waiver, would like to pay by card, or if you have questions.  Thanks for helping us wrap up this process.

Apparel Order Update:  For anyone that ordered apparel, the order was placed last Monday.  The apparel usually shows up during spring break at the latest.  We will distribute items once we receive them.

This Week:

Monday (3/18):  Athletes will be issued a team uniform that will consist of at least a jacket and jersey.  Athletes may choose to check out shorts and pants if they wish, or they may use their own if they have items that are solid black (no stripes or other decor).  Pants that have the CG logo such as the ones ordered through the program may also be used.   Team uniforms are for meets only and should not be worn to school, at practice, or in any other situations outside of competition.  Athletes will also be signing up for events that they will compete in on Wednesday.  It is the responsibility of each athlete to get signed up for events with the head coach.  If athletes don't check in to get signed up then they will not compete on Wednesday.  Team picture forms will also be available for athletes.

Tuesday (3/19):  Athletes that have not turned in their signed team handbook form by the end of practice on Tuesday will not be entered in the Wednesday meet.  All athletes that were missing this form were reminded last week.  Entries for the Wednesday meet will be posted for athletes to verify, and we can still make additions or corrections if necessary.  This is the last opportunity for corrections prior to the meet on Wednesday.

Wednesday (3/20:  Athletes should be in full uniform and at the starting line ready for warm ups at 3:10.  Field events start at 4pm and track events start at 4:30.  Just a reminder of one of our team policies that athletes must stay for the entire meet to support their teammates.  We know that this can make for a later evening, but thank you for understanding that this is a critical component of developing a positive team culture.  Here are a couple of reminders for spectators:

Thursday (3/21):  Team pictures during practice.  We know that this is a quick turnaround with potentially dirty uniforms.  Even if you don't have the opportunity to wash it, please be in full uniform at the start of practice.  Athletes should still bring clothing to practice in following team pictures.  Picture information may be found in the quick link section above.

Friday (3:22): Team potluck and squad competitions in the school cafeteria following practice.  We do not require team activities outside of practice or competition, but athletes usually like to attend these.  The potluck only works if we have a team effort and last year was amazing.  If you are able to bring something to the potluck please click THIS LINK and let us know what that might be.  We're just trying to avoid 20 crock pots of baked beans :)  The activities should conclude around 8pm.    

Saturday (3/23):  Harvey Lewellen Throws Invitational.  This event is only for some of our throwers.  Our throws coaches will communicate this week with the athletes that have an opportunity to attend this meet.  Throwing coaches will be arranging transportation to the event and there may be some simple paperwork involved.

Upcoming Dates:

March 25th - 28th: Spring break practices from 9am to 11am.  Practices are required and absences will be treated the same way that we do with any other missed practice (two spins of the fitness wheel for each day missed).  We understand that some families may leave for spring break, but we maintain the same standard for all athletes.  There is no need to notify coaches of absences this week; athletes are either at practice or they aren't.

March 29th: NO PRACTICE

April 2nd: JV Meet at Marist.  This meet is designed for JV and/or newer athletes.  Athletes that competed at the varsity district meet last season will most likely not attend this meet.  FOR SAFETY REASONS, ONLY ATHLETES THAT ATTEND PRACTICE DURING SPRING BREAK WILL BE ELIGIBLE TO ATTEND THIS MEET.  Again, this is not a consequence, it is to protect athletes that will not be prepared to compete after missing a week of workouts.

April 6th: Prefontaine Rotary Invite.  We are only allowed two entries per event at this meet, and then we will be informed which entries make the cut.


Weekly CGHS Track and Field Trivia:  

We will have a new CGHS track and field trivia question every Sunday for athletes that are checking the website each week.  The first correct answer each week will be our winner, and each weekly winner will be entered in a drawing for an end of the season prize!  Athletes will only be eligible to win two weeks this season to ensure maximum participation.  Please submit answers using the form linked HERE.   Athletic.net and our all-time track and field list linked above will be valuable resources when looking for answers. We will post the answer and weekly winner in next week's update.  Let's learn more about the rich history of track and field at CGHS!

This Week's Question (Some good guesses last week, but no correct answer.  We are keeping the same question this week):  Who was the last female CGHS track and field athlete to qualify for the state championships four years in a row?

Hint:  Due to COVID there were several athletes that didn't get four track seasons.  The last CGHS female to achieve this graduated prior to 2020.

Last Week's Winner: No correct answer

Week 3 (March 11 - March 16)

Week two of practice concluded with some sunshine, and Saturday was an opportunity to watch some of our former athletes compete at the Lane Community College Open.  It was exciting to see six of our former Lions representing three different collegiate programs as they continue their education while also pursuing their love of track and field.  Thank you for taking a moment to check out what's coming up this week and beyond!

This Week:

Tuesday (3/12):  Captains only will meet in room 109 after practice to participate in the squad draft and pizza will be provided.  Captains were introduced on Friday at practice, but congratulations again to the following athletes who have been voted captains by their teammates:  Tayler Bentley,  Maddison France, Zoey Knutson, Allison Palluck, Carter Bengtson, Clayton Dewitt, Raf Fields, and Eli Williams.

Wednesday/Thursday (3/13 - 3/14):  Athletes will meet as squads during the last part of practice to organize and plan for the Friday squad meet.  Thursday is also the last day of the trimester, so please be sure school work has been taken care of.  Athletes that don't pass at least five classes will not be eligible to continue the season.  Athletes that pass at least five classes but do not have AT LEAST a 2.0 GPA will be ineligible until they show they have met the minimum 2.0 standard at the first grade check of trimester three (approximately three weeks into the trimester).

Friday (3/15): Squad Meet 3pm (NO SCHOOL).  The four squads will compete in multiple versions of track and field events in the first step toward earning the right to have their squad name on the coveted squad plaque at the end of the season.  The event is essentially a scrimmage with a few twists.  Spectators are welcome, but it is a pretty low key and fun event. Bring your sunscreen!

Upcoming Dates:

March 20th:  First home track meet.  Athletes must have the last sheet of team handbook signed and turned in prior to the entry deadline (March 19th). 

March 21st: Team pictures.  Please see quick link above for details.

March 22nd: Team potluck and squad competition night following practice.  Team events outside of practice or meets are never required, although athletes usually don't want to miss events like this.  Last year this event concluded about 8pm.  Please watch for a potluck sign up in next week's update.

March 25th - 28th: Spring break practices from 9am to 11am.  Practices are required and absences will be treated the same way that we do with any other missed practice (two spins of the fitness wheel for each day missed).  

March 29th: NO PRACTICE

April 2nd: JV Meet at Marist.  This meet is designed for JV and/or newer athletes.  Athletes that competed at the varsity district meet last season will most likely not attend this meet.  FOR SAFETY REASONS, ONLY ATHLETES THAT ATTEND PRACTICE DURING SPRING BREAK WILL BE ELIGIBLE TO ATTEND THIS MEET.  Again, this is not a consequence, it is to protect athletes that will not be prepared to compete after missing a week of workouts.

April 6th: Prefontaine Rotary Invite.  We are only allowed two entries per event at this meet, and then we will be informed which entries make the cut.


Weekly CGHS Track and Field Trivia:  

We will have a new CGHS track and field trivia question every Sunday for athletes that are checking the website each week.  The first correct answer each week will be our winner, and each weekly winner will be entered in a drawing for an end of the season prize!  Athletes will only be eligible to win two weeks this season to ensure maximum participation.  Please submit answers using the form linked HERE.   Athletic.net and our all-time track and field list linked above will be valuable resources when looking for answers. We will post the answer and weekly winner in next week's update.  Let's learn more about the rich history of track and field at CGHS!

Last Week's Question:  Who was the last CGHS track and field athlete to WIN multiple state championships in the same event?

Answer: Jordan Brunetti was the javelin state champion in 2007, 2009 and 2010 (injured in 2008, but still placed 14th).

Last Week's Winner: Congratulations to Terran Stewart!

This Week's Question:  Who was the last female CGHS track and field athlete to qualify for the state championships four years in a row?


Week 2  (March 4 - March 9)

It was a fantastic first week as we worked to build the foundation for another successful season!  Thank you to everyone that showed up to the meeting on Friday.  If you were not able to make it please be sure to familiarize yourself with the information from our week 1 update below if you have not already.  Here are some reminders for the week as well as some upcoming dates to make note of.

Question:  Who was the last CGHS track and field athlete to WIN multiple state championships in the same event?

Thank you for all the support! GO LIONS!

Week 1 - Season Information and Links

Welcome to Cottage Grove Track and Field 2024

We are excited to get rolling with another season!  Last year was one of the best track and field seasons in school history and we can't wait to build on that success.  Our goal is to provide a positive experience while developing skills to become successful athletes, students and people.  Each year we have 80-100 student athletes with a wide range of experience and skills.  We do not cut any student athletes from the program and expect each athlete to show up every day ready to put in the work required to improve.  While many perceive track and field to be an individual sport, we place an enormous emphasis on the team aspect.  We are excited for what each individual will be bringing to our team this year!  Here is a bit of information that will get us started. 

Please be sure to share this information with other family members.  If you have additional questions after reading this please communicate with your student athlete first, and encourage them to talk with the coaches.  One of our goals is to help develop responsible young adults by promoting communication between coaches, athletes and parents.  By including the student athletes in this process it helps to develop responsibility, and also cuts down on excessive texts, phone calls, and emails.  Also, please feel free to have questions ready for the parent meeting on Friday, March 1st.

On our first day of practice athletes will be given hard copies of a few items, but we want to make sure and keep parents/guardians in the loop.  Below is some information as well as links to some resources that will help you through the season. 

1.  This website will be updated weekly on Sunday afternoons.  Thank you for bookmarking this site and making it a habit to check here for weekly updates!

2. We push out more time sensitive information using several methods in addition to the website, so please be sure to follow us where it is most convenient for you.

3.   A link to a copy/printable version of our detailed schedule is here. TIMES/DATES ARE SUBJECT TO CHANGE.  The most up to date schedule is always online at athletic.net (see #5 below). Please note the key at the bottom of the printable schedule as not all athletes will be competing at every meet. 

4.   There will be a parent meeting on Friday, March 1st at 6:15pm in the gym.  All spring sports will meet briefly and then we will have a track and field meeting.  Please make every effort to attend as we have some new information for this season.

5.   Athletic.net is the website that hosts all high school track and field meet results.  Sometimes meets have live results and other times they are posted shortly after the meet ends.

6.  Our team expectations are handed out to athletes on the first day of practice, but here is the link as well.  This document is loaded with information and includes a Q and A section.  Athletes are required to return the signed sheet before competing in the first meet.

7.  We will check out uniforms to each athlete for the season, but they also have the option to purchase additional apparel.  Order forms will be available for athletes to purchase personal apparel, but it is not required.  Money and the order forms should be returned to Lena Twyman in the main office by Friday, March 8thForms may also be accessed and printed HERE.  After the deadline on March 8th, the items will be printed and shipped to the high school for pickup within 3-4 weeks. 

8.  There will be no practice on Friday, March 29th, but we will have practice on the first four days of spring break and practice time will be at 9am. Please see team expectations if you will not be able to attend. Any questions or concerns regarding this will be addressed at the parent meeting.

Important upcoming dates in addition to meets:

March 1st: Parent meeting at 6:15pm in the gym.

March 21st: Team pictures at 3:45pm (packets will be handed out at practice prior to this day).

March 22nd: Team potluck and Squad Competition following practice.

That should be a good start for now.  We're also looking forward to addressing any other questions or concerns at our parent meeting on the 1st.  Thank you for all you do to support the student athletes as well as the Cottage Grove Track and Field program.

Go Lions!

Ricky Knutson

Head Track and Field Coach

ricky.knutson@slane.k12.or.us

Top 10 Moments of 2023

(Select arrow on bottom of each picture for caption)

#1:  STATE CHAMPION!  Carter goes undefeated and wins the state championship in cross country.  The XC state championship is unique. No weight classes, top athletes are not spread out in multiple events, no favorable tournament matchups after a top seed was eliminated by another team, no home field advantage, and no rankings that determine matchups. Carter stepped to the starting line against EVERY top 4A runner in the state and won. Carter became the first CGHS cross country runner since Dyrol Burleson in 1957 to accomplish this feat.  His time of 15:49 is the fastest time ever by a CGHS runner at the state championship (The 5k distance has been contested at state starting in 1975). 

#2:  ALL IN. The CG boys track team takes third and wins a state meet trophy for the first time since 1977.  Although Brennen managed to score 21 points by himself, all eight CG athletes that qualified for state scored points and earned all state honors.  Eli, Hayes, Brennen and Jaden all scored in multiple events, while Tyler, Brycen, Carter and Wyatt all stood on the podium as well. It was a special moment after finishing outside of the trophies by one point in 2022.   

#3: JACK OF ALL TRADES. Brennen Murphy scored 21 points in three events at the state track and field meet.  Brennen also qualified for the state in the high jump, but withdrew so that he could focus on his strongest events.  Brennen’s 21 points is the most  scored by a CGHS athlete since Jacob Woods scored 28 in 2018.  Brennen is one of the top track and field athletes of all time at CGHS.  He ranks #2 in the 200m and 400m, #12 in the triple jump, and is also on the list for the 100m and high jump.  Brennen has continued his track and field career and is competing at Western Oregon University.  

#4:  CG SCORES 14 POINTS IN THE 3K AT STATE! Jaden Owens and Carter Bengtson placed second and third in the 3000m at the state championship.  While it is not uncommon to have multiple athletes from the same school in the final of an event at the state meet, it is not typical to have two of this caliber at the same time.  A 2-3 finish at state is rare and it may be the only time it has happened in CGHS history. Jaden and Carter finished the season ranked #4 and #5 on the all time CGHS 3000m list.  Carter looks to keep moving up the list this spring.  

#5:  MAKING HERSTORY. For the first time in school history the girls cross country team won the district championship.  The Sky-Em was the toughest 4A league in 2023 with three of the top eight teams in the state. The CG girls entered the meet ranked third in the league behind Junction City and North Bend, but they erased a 15 point deficit after the first mile to overcome both teams for the win.  The girls followed up the next week by taking 6th place at state which equals the best finish ever by a CGHS girls cross country team.  The team accomplished this despite never being at full strength this season.  All the girls return next fall along with some strong additions joining from Lincoln Middle School.  

#6:  GIANT KILLERS. The boys track and field team repeated as district champions by defeating the heavy favorite AGAIN. Although Marsfield was the favorite with North Bend not far behind, the Lions knew a team effort would give them a shot.  As usual, the Cottage Grove athletes showed up when it mattered most, avoided major mistakes, and put together a nearly flawless performance over two days.  Top athletes held form while many others moved up to grab unexpected points in order to earn the win.  It’s the second time in school history that the boys have won back to back district titles.  The most recent district titles for the boys include 2011, 2016, 2017, 2018, 2022, and 2023.

#7:  REBUILD? NOPE, RELOADED! The boys cross country team defends their district title.  After losing six of the top seven varsity runners from last season nobody outside of Cottage Grove expected the Lions to be in the hunt.  For the first time in school history Cottage Grove won back to back district titles in cross country.  All seven varsity runners earned all league honors as they battled to overcome a 20 point deficit at the mile mark and defeat Marist.  The seventh place finish at the state meet also marks the third year in a row that the Lions have finished the season in the top 10 in the state.  The last such streak for CGHS occurred from 1957 to 1959.  The entire boys varsity team returns next fall with additional runners looking to break into the lineup.



#8:  DYNAMIC DUO! Maddison France and Ella Cardwell paced the girls cross country program back to the state championship.  After finishing second and third at the district championship Maddison and Ella both earned all state honors at the state championship.  It is the first time in 15 years that two Lady Lions have earned all state recognition at the same state meet.  The last duo to accomplish this was Patricia Guterrez and Rita Krantz in 2008.  Both Maddison and Ella return next fall, and several other returning runners look to potentially add their own names to the list of CGHS all state harriers.  

#9:  TWICE AS NICE!  For the first time in school history the boys and girls cross country programs won the district championship in the same year.  It was the second consecutive year that both programs qualified for the state championship in the same season, which also marked the second time in school history that this occurred.  Cottage Grove High School is one of only four 4A programs in the state with both boys and girls finishing in the top 7 at the 2023 state championship.  Give credit to these athletes for putting in the work. It's not an accident when both programs are finishing the season fighting for top spots. 

#10: COED DISTRICT CHAMPS! The Cottage Grove boys and girls track and field programs defended their title as coed district champions.  For the second time in school history the Lions collected back to back coed district titles.  Since the inception of the Sky-Em coed award in 2013 the Lions have won the award six times (2013, 2016, 2017, 2018, 2022, 2023).  Keep in mind that 2020 was canceled due to COVID and the 2021 season was shortened.  It is always an honor when the boys and girls combine forces to be recognized as the best overall track and field program in the Sky-Em League. 

STATE CHAMPION!

It has been 66 years since a Cottage Grove cross country athlete has been on top of the podium at the state championship.  On Saturday Carter followed in the footsteps of Dyrol Burleson by winning the state championship by over 40 seconds.  If you don't know who Dyrol Burleson is then you should pause here and do a quick Google search to learn more about the two time Olympian.  While it is often easy to write off successful athletes as just talented, that would be a huge disservice to the work that Carter has put in over the last few years.  Carter spent his first two seasons at CGHS learning from and chasing Jaden Owens, who is also one of the all time greats at CGHS.  After finishing in sixth place at the state cross country meet last fall, and third in the 3000m last spring at the state track and field championship, Carter took his training to another level.  His desire to improve and his commitment to doing the actual work it takes to get better has been what sets Carter apart from the rest.  While Carter may have crossed the finish line first at LCC on Saturday, the win was in the works during June, July, and August when Carter was adding up the miles.  Carter understands the importance of not only the running, but all of the ancillary things that make a big difference, such as strength and mobility work.  Even more impressive is that Carter managed to fit in all the training while also being an integral part of the soccer team and excelling in the classroom.  All of those miles resulted in a huge boost in confidence as he stepped up to the starting line in September, and the rest is history.  After nine races during the course of the season where a total of 822 athletes tried to get to the finish line first, Carter stood on top of the podium as a state champion!  Congratulations Carter, we're honored to have you represent our team, school, and community.

Boys and Girls XC Set Foundation for 2024 Trophy Runs

Boys Team Recap:  The boys team entered the state meet ranked #7 and they ended up taking 7th place, a one place improvement on the team finish last year.  While it is the first time the boys team has had a streak of three top 10 finishes at state since 1959 there was a definite feeling that the athletes wanted more.  This is a huge testament to the work that the athletes have put in and how far the bar has been raised in our program.  Most people outside of Cottage Grove did not expect to see the team back at state after having to replace six of the top seven guys on the varsity team, let alone upset Marist to win a district title.  It was a steep learning curve for the boys team as most of them experienced racing at the varsity level for the first time.  Carter, Frank and Easton have established the benchmark for what off season training should look like.  If the rest of the guys follow suit this summer then the team could look to contend for a state trophy next fall.  With some strong JV runners on our team this season and some passionate incoming freshmen next year, the varsity team is going to be a tough team to make next fall.  The 2023 season was a massive success in terms of gaining experience and taking a giant leap toward the future.  Congratulations to all the guys for a successful season!

Girls Team Recap:  The girls team entered the state meet ranked #6 and ended up placing 6th, just 10 points out of 4th place and a state trophy.  Although 6th place is a tie for the best finish in CG girls XC history, the girls had hoped for more when the season started.   The girls team faced some different challenges this season with only one girl athlete able to make it through all of the workouts this season without any significant modifications.  There were doubts at times that we would have a full squad on the starting line at the end of the season.  Despite a variety of health and medical obstacles the girls still managed to pull together a near perfect race at districts to upset Junction City for the district title, the FIRST GIRLS XC DISTRICT TITLE IN SCHOOL HISTORY!  Facing a couple of additional hiccups the week of the state meet the girls rallied to a 6th place finish.  The girls will return a veteran squad next season with three seniors that are not planning to leave the state meet empty handed in 2024.  The girls program will also be transitioning from not always fielding a full team on race day to a roster that will be challenging to make with the addition of several incoming freshmen next season.  Congratulations to the girls on another season for the history books!

Cottage Grove is one of four 4A schools that had both boys and girls programs finish in the top seven at the state meet.  These athletes have established a culture of hard work and high expectations for themselves and their teammates.  Congratulations to all athletes for making Cottage Grove one of the strongest 4A programs in the state. 

Cross Country 2023 District Championship Recap

It couldn't have been scripted any better.  From the perfect racing weather to runners executing race plans with surgical precision, it was another historic day for the Lion harriers.  The Lions spent the last month honing their racing tactics on slower and more challenging courses, and they expected some big improvements on Thursday.  However, they also knew that fast times would come as a result of putting themselves in the best positions possible to help their team.  The district championship is all about place rather than time.

Carter is the District Champion:

Carter became the first individual district champion for the CG boys since Jimmy Talley notched a win in 2018.  While the first mile was right on pace for Carter it proved to be too much for the two runners that attempted to try and hang with him.  Carter maintained the grueling pace and powered to the win by over 50 seconds while also claiming a 1 second personal best.  We believe he may have also set a state record for fastest time from the finish line to the porta potty.  Next week Carter will race with the hopes of becoming the first Cottage Grove athlete to win a XC state title since Dyrol Burleson won the 1.8 mile version of the race in 1957.  

Girls Race Recap:

The girls entered the meet ranked #3 in the league behind North Bend and the defending champions from Junction City.  It would be a fight for the two state qualifying team spots.  After the first mile it looked like the race may play out according to form as the ladies trailed North Bend by six points and Junction City by 15 points.  However, the CG runners had paced the first mile exactly as planned and they had positioned themselves to move up.  Maddison waited for the perfect moment to break free of the chase pack, while Ella trailed the pack closely enough so that she would be ready to pick off runners as they dropped.  Maddison powered her way to a second place finish as Ella devoured the four person pack to steal third place.  Allison fought some stomach issues during the race, but still managed a strong hold on her position and finished with a 23 second season best.  Hailey trailed two key North Bend runners by roughly 20 meters at the halfway point, but less than a mile later she had her own 20 meter lead on them.  She built on that lead late in the race to earn a 28 second PR.  Jordynn raced spectacularly after facing some challenges with training during the season.  As she moved up seven places after the mile she clocked a seven second PR, but more impressive was that it was nearly two minutes faster than her best time this season.  After having to take one month off to problem solve an injury issue Bella courageously chose to put herself out there to help her team.  Late in the race she debated stepping off the course due to pain she was experiencing, but chose to continue knowing the score would be close and that a tie breaker would come down to the sixth runner.  Zoey jumped in to help after spending the season with the soccer team.  If something would have happened with our 5th and 6th runner Zoey's place would have been strong enough to still secure the team a state meet birth.  The end result was a four point upset victory over Junction City and the first district championship in school history for the girls cross country team!  

Girls Results:

Maddison France: 2nd place, 20:05, PR by 45 seconds

Ella Cardwell: 3rd place, 20:13, PR by 1 minute and 20 seconds

Allison Palluck: 9th place, 21:32, Season Best by 26 seconds

Hailey Fergason: 10th place, 21:45, PR by 28 seconds

Jordynn Owens: 14th place, 22:23, PR by 7 seconds and Season Best by 1 minute and 52 seconds

Bella Keating: 23rd place, 23:17, Remarkable time for coming back after one month and running with discomfort

Zoey Knutson: 24th place, Season Best by 6 seconds

Boys Race Recap:

After watching the girls execute a perfect race plan the boys were ready to match what their female counterparts had just accomplished. Let's not forget that the CG boys were the defending district champs to start the race, but they also replaced six of the seven guys in the "starting lineup" this season. Marist entered the race as the favorite on paper, but after racing Marist early in the season the CG boys knew they had a chance to secure a win.  Carter pulled the race out to a hot start, and several runners from other teams chose to get out fast as well.  At the mile things looked a little scary as Marist held a 20 point lead over CG.  However, the mile splits told a different story as most of the Lions had hit the mile at the perfect pace.  It was time to get to work.  As Carter continued to pull away from the field, David hung with the main chase pack and waited for the right moment to make is move.  Still dealing with some jet lag from a recent trip, David managed to fight off one Marist runner that tried to go with him and he secured the 4th place finish.  Easton and Frank worked together to dial in the first mile and then move up.  Easton managed to reel in nine athletes after the mile and secure a first team all-league 6th place finish and a 39 second PR.  Frank picked off six guys to grab 8th place with a 20 second PR.  Just slightly back in the pack Jackson and Lucas were working to do much of the same.  Jackson moved up five places in the last 1,000 meters while Lucas managed three spots.  In the end, Jackson had a lifetime best by 45 seconds and Lucas saw a nearly 40 second improvement.  Ethan was also busy at work passing five runners in the last 350 meters to secure a top 20 finish and an amazing personal best by nearly 80 seconds! The end result was a 15 point victory and a district championship for the CG boys; the first time in school history that the XC boys have gone back to back.


Boys Results:

Carter Bengtson: District Champion, 15:41, PR by 1 second and currently the #1 4A time in the state.

David Culbert: 4th place, 17:54, The goal was not a fast time, but to minimize risk and secure 4th. Mission accomplished.

Easton Hutchins: 6th place, 18:01, PR by 39 seconds

Frank Garcia: 8th place, PR by 20 seconds

Jackson Gifford: 12th place, PR by 45 seconds

Lucas O'Hara: 14th place, 18:43, PR by 39 seconds

Ethan McClean: 18th place, 19:33, PR by 78 seconds

JV Recap:

It was an amazing day for the JV runners as well!  The JV guys dominated the race by taking seven of the top nine spots, to make it the third team win for Cottage Grove on the day.  Micah and Hayes pulled away from the pack and Micah was able to get the win and break 20 minutes for the first time.  Almost every CG JV athlete ran a personal best with the exception of one athlete only being four seconds off of a PR.  We're hoping for a full girls JV team next season so we can attempt to sweep all four team titles.  Many asked why there were not awards for the JV runners.  Keep in mind that cross country is one of the few (if not only) high school sports where a JV event is held in conjunction with a varsity championship event. In most sports the JV season ends prior to a varsity district championship happening.  We're excited that our JV runners get to compete at the district championship with our varsity athletes, and that our JV athletes get to see what they can work toward next season.   

Cottage Grove Boys Take Home 3rd Place Trophy!

First boys track and field state trophy since 1977!

The CG boys were tired of being on the outside of the top four teams at the conclusion of that last several state meet championships.  Over the last six years the Lion boys finished fifth place twice and sixth place once, missing 4th place by only one point last year. This year they would not be denied a trophy as all eight guys finished on the podium and in scoring position in every event they were entered in for a total of 13 all-state medals.  By the start of day two the Lions were almost a lock for the third place spot and even made a run at Pendleton, falling just short of second place by five points.  GO LIONS!

BACK TO BACK DISTRICT CHAMPIONS!

2023 BOYS DISTRICT CHAMPIONS

2023 COED CHAMPIONS!

Cottage Grove Boys Cross Country Team Places 3rd at the State Championship!

First state trophy since 1975

CG BOYS QUALIFY FOR STATE, GIRLS TAKE 3RD AT DISTRICTS!


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