Robles, Myers fuel Mountaineers to another district championship

The 1-2 punch of Komaire Robles and Alexis Myers proved to be exactly what the Rainier High School girls cross country team needed on Saturday afternoon.

On their home course and in a dogfight with Toledo, Robles’ victory and Myers’ third place finish allowed Rainier to squeak by the Riverhawks 50-51 to win the Class 1B/2B District 4 team title. It was the closest margin the two programs finished between each other all season.

Robles’ prep career has featured two victories and a runner-up; her time on Saturday was 20:45. Myers has only raced five 5,000-meter meets this fall, but picked the right time to have her best finish in districts.

Ruby King and Kinsley Barlow both were inside the top-25 for Rainier.

Toledo was paced by Katie Hill, fourth in 22:31, and Braelyn Nyberg crossing the finish line in seventh place. Mossyrock’s top-three all were inside the top-25, led by Ella Nolan’s 18th play performance while Leah Wedam and Alice Wedam finished 20th and 24th, respectively.

Adna had three individual qualifiers and two of them recorded new lifetime bests. Sophomore Iris Ballif ran 22:14 to place fourth while Aleece Ballif ran 23:28 to take 13th. Chloe Gelvin was sixth overall.

Onalaska’s Tia Henderson also qualified for the state meet, placing eighth with a new PR of 22:50.

On the boys side, Winlock and Adna qualified as teams to the state meet in Pasco while Conner Hill secured his second straight district title in 16:31. Centralia Christian’s Wyatt Oliver, a freshman, broke out with a PR of 17:58 to place third.

The Cardinals saw four of their scoring five runners in the top-15. Lucas Kibler led the pack with a fifth place finish in 18:09 while Chance Winder and Freddy Patching took seventh and 11th. That trio all ran new lifetime bests. Senior Jacob Trodahl registered a 13th place finish.

Adna saw four in the top-20, paced by Raymond Carroll’s sixth place day and Seth Pearson’s PR of 18:26 to take eighth. Treven Willis and Colton Rind were 15th and 17th, respectively.

Rainier’s Owen Timbers (16th), Shane Parker (18th) and Brando Gallardo Mendoza (21st) all qualified individually with Timbers running a PR and Mendoza nabbing the final individual spot. Mossyrock freshman Rory Woods will make his state meet debut after coming in 20th.