Cottage Grove High School

Top Moments of 2025

CGHS Track and Field and Cross Country

Top Moments of 2025

2025 was another year of highlights for Cottage Grove High School track and field and cross country. Distance runners dominated the headlines during the last 12 months. Carter set school and state meet records on the track while the cross country program completed the best season in school history. Thank you to everyone that contributed to make 2025 another roaring success for the Lions. Enjoy a look back at another one of the best calendar years for CGHS track and field and cross country. Moments are not listed in any particular order.

Some Things Don't Belong in the Record Books

While the majority of athletic moments can be measured with a clock, measuring tape, or scoreboard, there are others that are more difficult to quantify. Most of what follows on this page will be etched in the CGHS and state record books, but much of what happened during the 2025 cross country season will be carried in the hearts and memories of those who were privileged enough to experience it. Words can't do those moments justice, but if you were there then you know. Together they were stronger.

Carter Puts Exclamation Point on Career

After a second place finish in the 3000m at the state meet in 2024 and coming up just two seconds short of the school record Carter entered his senior track season on a mission. The transition from wrestling season always presented challenges, but Carter was patient knowing that his fitness would improve and that the best races would come during the second half of the season. Regular matchups with Clayton Wilson from Siuslaw, one of the best 3A runners in state history, would ensure that Carter was battle tested by the time he entered the championship part of the season. It was a race at the Marist Track Classic with Clayton where Carter pushed the pace and broke the school 3k record by one second (Clayton won the race in a 3A new state record of 8:28.89). Two weeks later Carter broke the Sky-Em District Meet record to win the district title. Carter entered the state meet with a state meet record in his sights, but the race would not be drama free. Jaxson Stovall of Marshfield, with his typical unorthodox style, surged to the lead and shoved Carter off of the track and onto the infield. Carter raced back to the front and accelerated to a pace that nobody else could handle. His time of 8:26.40 was a new state meet record and he finished nearly 20 seconds ahead of second place finisher Conor Thompson from Marist. Stovall from Marshfield ended up disqualified due to his early race antics. Carter cemented himself as the best 4A runner to EVER compete in the 3k at the state championship. Carter's time also ranks him #2 all-time in the 4A classification.

Best XC Program Finish in CGHS History

For the first time in CGHS track and field and cross country history BOTH boys and girls teams stood on the podium with a state trophy. There is nothing better than accomplishing great things together. Cottage Grove High School established itself as one of the best overall 4A programs in Oregon in 2025, and only one other 4A program in the state took home two trophies. Prior to this season the best combined finish for the program was 2023 when the boys took 7th and the girls took 6th.

The Girls XC Team Brings Home First Ever State Trophy

In 2023 the girls team won the first ever cross country district championship in school history and a state trophy was the next goal on the list. The girls team had been plagued with injuries and illness at the state meet over the last few seasons, but not this year. The team entered the meet healthy, fit and hungry for an upset. Ella, Carly and Hailey were strong returning veterans, but the addition of Rowyn, Dave and Kaliyah this season was exactly what was needed to bolster the strength and depth of the team. They entered the state meet ranked 5th and upset 4th ranked Molalla by five points to secure the 4th place trophy. THE BEST GIRLS XC TEAM IN SCHOOL HISTORY!

The Boys Team Captures Third State Trophy in Five Years

This group of "nobodies" was determined to show that one athlete doesn't decide what a team is capable of. Only 50% of 4A teams that graduated the state champion over the last 25 years managed to even qualify for the state meet the following season. In addition to Carter, the team also graduated all-state runner Easton Hutchins from last year's fourth place team. These guys locked in all summer, dominated the district championship for the fourth year in a row, and then upset three teams on their way to a third place team finish at state by packing all five scoring runners in a 42 second window. This group epitomized what a true cross country team looks like this season. After a 45 year drought with no state trophy the CG boys have collected three top four trophies in the last five years.

Four the Win!

Don't let a state trophy overshadow the district championship streak that is now stretched to four. The boys put all seven runners in the top 12 to finish 30 points ahead of second place Marshfield. In 2020, the CGHS boys were ranked 26th in the state out of 28 4A teams and they finished last in the Sky-Em (38 points behind the second to last team from Junction City). Since then they have secured a school record five consecutive top 8 finishes at state including three top four finishes. This squad also won two other events for the first time ever this season, the Paul Mariman Invitational and the Country Fair Classic. Four of the top seven will return next season in an effort to keep the streak alive!

District Champs

With the addition or Rowyn this summer it was clear that the girls team could contend if a fifth runner emerged. As Dave and Kaliyah continued to gain strength and confidence the girls team entered the district meet as five point favorites. By the time the race was over the girls team had stretched the five point predicted win margin to a 15 point win over North Bend. All seven girls earned all-league honors for the first time in school history. They captured their second district title in the last three years and punched a team ticket to the state championship. The girls team also extended their school record state qualifying streak to four. From 2000 to 2020 only 16 girls from CGHS competed at the state meet and the team only quaiified one time. From 2021 to 2025 CGHS has had 28 athletes race at the state championship and the team has qualified four times. It is a new era in CGHS girls distance running. The girls team also won the Woahink Invitational for the first time ever this season. The girls return four of their top five and five of the top seven to defend the title next season!

Record Number of All-State XC Athletes

Each of the last four years the CGHS cross country team has had three athletes earn all-state honors. This season five athletes earned all-state honors which eclipsed the school record of four set in 2008. Ella Cardwell, David Culbert, Carly Knutson, Remington Sharkey and Frank Garcia all placed in the top 28. There have only been eight girls in CGHS history that have earned all-state honors in cross country, some of them multiple times. Ella became one of only three CGHS girl runners to earn all-state honors in three consecutive years. David turned an impressive summer of training into the best race of his life at the state meet. Carly was sick last year at the state meet and finished 86th, but bounced back this year to run over three and a half minutes faster for a 26th place finish. Remington had one of the most remarkable jumps in improvement on the entire team. He was the #3 runner on the JV team as a freshman running 19 minutes and this season he ran an impressive 16:52. Frank finished his high school career with a lifetime best to grab the last all-state spot. Specific times, places and honors are listed on the graphics below.

First District Meet Sweep in School History

The sweep was the goal that was set in August at team camp, but what made it possible was all the miles that athletes put in starting back in June. Not only did both varsity teams get the wins, but for the first time in school history the JV teams completed the sweep. Four teams and four wins! Lucas, Peyton, Elhanan, Desmond, and Ethan earned a perfect score of 15 for the JV boys team win. Scarlett, Rumer and Jacqueline led the JV girls with a 1, 2, 3 finish and a 29 point victory over Marist. Scarlett became the first CGHS girl runner to win the JV race in the last 20+ years.

Rogelio Goes Big at State

Roger showed up big when it mattered most. After clinching 7th place and a podium finish in the discus Roger had momentum heading into the shot put. Roger got off to a solid start with a put of 46-5.5 and then threw a personal best by nearly one foot on his second attempt. Nobody could guess what would come next. In his third attempt Roger uncorked a monster throw of 50-8.25. He shattered his personal best that he had just set one week prior by over three feet! It is also the longest throw by a CGHS athlete in 20+ years.

Carter Runs Sub 15 - Third Fastest 4A 5k of All-Time

The 15 minute barrier had eluded Carter last year, but he had one more shot at it at Nike Outdoor Nationals. Carter ended up in the championship heat and it was HOT with two athletes running 14:05 or faster. As Carter crossed the line he had raced to a school record time of 14:55.14 and became the third fastest runner at the 5k distance in 4A state history.

Ella and Zoey Become First Girl 4 x State Qualifiers in CGHS XC History

This one is less about individual accomplishments and more about the power of doing things together. Over the years CGHS has had some exceptional girl distance runners, but qualifying for state all four years is a formidable task. As freshmen, Ella and Zoey were not contenders to fight for individual state qualifying spots. However, they were part of a CGHS team that was attempting to qualify for state for the first time in 14 years. Ella was only in year two of her running career, and Zoey agreed to give cross country a try for the first time in addition to playing soccer as her primary sport. Ella and Zoey finished the district meet as the #4 and #5 runners on the team, but it took all five CG girls to edge North Bend for second place by only five points. Allison Palluck, Bella Keating, Jordynn Owens, Ella Cardwell and Zoey Knutson got it done and CG qualified together as a team for the first time since 2008. Over the next three seasons Ella would be an individual qualifier and Zoey had to continue to work hard to make the CGHS state qualifying squads that just kept getting better. They were part of the two district championship teams, including the first in school history, in addition to the being on the first team to place top four at the state championship. Ella and Zoey leave CGHS as the first and only girls to be on four consecutive state qualifying teams. Hailey Fergason has an opportunity to join them as a four time state qualifier next season.

Ella Keeps Climbing

Ella wasn't particularly fast in middle school, she was new to the sport and had a lot to learn. Over the last several years she has become a student of the sport and has dedicated an immeasurable amount of time and work to her training. Her ability to apply what she has learned to her racing and training has propelled her to new heights as she has become one of the toughest and most consistent 4A runners in the state. Last spring Ella continued her rise on the track as she ran a 15 second personal best (10:33) in the 3000m at the state meet to take 5th place. Ella now ranks #4 all-time on the CGHS 3000m list and #6 on the 1500m list. She followed up her strong track performances with another fantastic cross season. Ella won her first cross country meet at the Woahink Invite and she finished in the top three at the district championship for the third year in a row. In her fourth consecutive XC state championship she earned second-team all-state honors for the second year. Ella ends her XC career as a four time state qualifier, four time all-league recipient, three time all-state recipient, and she owns the two fastest times by a CGHS runner on the state meet course. She is one of the best to ever don a CG cross country uniform.

All-State Track and Field Athletes

In addition to winning the state title in the 3000m, Carter also picked up a 2nd place finish in the 1500m Ella grabbed a podium finish in the 3000m and also ran the 1500m. Roger took 7th place in the discus in addition to his 5th place finish in the shot put. Makya earned all-state honors for the second year in a row with her 7th place finish in the javelin.

Cross Country Team Reclaims Meet the Lions Trophy

In 1916 Georgia Tech defeated Cumberland 220-0 in the most lopsided score in football history. While it wasn't a quite a shutout, the cross country team dominated the speed cornhole round at Meet the Lions in much of the same way to bring the trophy back home. While some may dismiss the competition as silly, if there is hardware involved then the cross country team is coming for it.

Challenge Accepted

In August at training camp the athletes were shown this chart and were challenged to think about how they were going to contribute to the most recent era of CGHS cross country. The current success is what had been established, now how would they carry the torch? They went on to deliver the best overall season is school history. Over the last five years the cross country athletes have been committed to developing a culture that is dedicated to the process and supporting each other along the way. While the chart shows some pretty stunning recent numbers, what can't be measured are the experiences that the athletes have had as a result of committing to each other, putting in the work, and doing hard things. What a tremendous group of young people that have built something special together.

Brennen Murphy and Carter Bengtson Earn Collegiate Honors

Brennen (CGHS class of 2023) continued to climb the school record lists at Western Oregon this year and stands alone on the top in several events. He broke the school records in the indoor and outdoor 400m and also the indoor 600m. Brennen was also a member of the school record setting team in the indoor 4x400m relay. Carter (CGHS class of 2025) made an instant splash at Amherst by winning the NESCAC Rookie of the Year award and then went on to finish 57th at the DIII National Championship. However, he finished behind 30 seniors and was the third fastest freshman in the race. We are excited to see what 2026 has in store for Brennen and Carter.

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