RAINIER — No one knows the history of the Rainier High School boys cross country program better than its head coach Rob Henry, who has coached the program since its inception in 2001.
That’s why when he predicted at the start of the 2025 season that this year’s boys squad could be the best he’d ever seen, no one could possibly doubt his judgment.
Through two months of the season, Henry’s prediction has aged like fine wine.
The Rainier boys notched their first district title in program history with a dominant performance at the District 4 2B/1B Championships at Rainier Elementary School on a rainy Saturday afternoon. Five Mountaineers finished in the top 13, including four in the top 10.
“It’s a fantastic accomplishment for the boys. They’ve been working hard all season for this and definitely earned it,” Henry said. “I thought they ran really well.”
A key piece of the Rainier roster this year has been River Ridge transfer James Morrison, who missed a chunk of the start of the season due to transfer rules. The senior put forth his best race of his career on Saturday, coming in second with a new lifetime best time of 17 minutes and 44.18 seconds.
Only one runner crossed the finish line before Morrison, and that was Toledo sophomore Conner Hill. He picked up his first district title by finishing in 17:16.84 and continued his hot stretch with his sixth consecutive first-place run. Hill is the second straight Toledo runner to win an individual district title as Treyton Marty cruised to a victory last fall.
Morton-White Pass senior Vanson Armstrong led a second-place Timberwolves team with a third-place mark at 18:07.43, earning his second straight top-three finish at districts. Rainier senior Zach Hamilton, who was battling an injury, came in fourth at 18:33.01, and Rainier freshman Shane Parker placed sixth at 18:48.77 to make a strong districts debut.
MPW junior Owen Loucks recorded his fastest time yet at 18:53.14 to come in seventh. Rainier freshman Ty Beckman (eighth, 18:54.74), Adna sophomore Colton Rind (ninth, 19:05.66) and MWP senior Noah Gilstrap (10th, 19:07.59) rounded out the top 10.
Adna qualified for state as a team behind Rind and freshman Raymond Carrol, who came in 14th at 19:17.62. Other area state qualifiers include Onalaska senior Austin Sturza (11th, 19:08.13), Winlock junior Jacob Trodahl (20th, 19:29.88), Winlock junior Lucas Kibler (21st, 19:30.62), Onalaska senior Logan Sturza (24th, PR of 19:33.14), and Onalaska freshman Bradley Poppe (28th, PR of 19:45.73).
State championships are scheduled to take place on Saturday, Nov. 8 at Sun Willows Golf Course in Pasco.
