SEE GAME PHOTOS

Photo: Blackfoot's Owen Gregory leads early in the boys race at last week's 5A District 5-6 championships at Portneuf Wellness Complex (Courtesy of Marlowe Hereford)

All roads have led to Pocatello this season, and state championship weekend has at last arrived.

Every summer running camp, offseason workout, early morning alarm, team dinner, bus ride and circled date on the calendar since late spring has led to this.

Hundreds of runners from across the Gem State will take to Pocatello's Portneuf Wellness Complex on Saturday in pursuit of hardware, records and, above all, championship banners and trophies.

Here is a look at the storylines surrounding Idaho's five classifications going into state meet weekend.


CLASS 6A

The state's largest classification has provided many historic moments in recent seasons and this weekend is shaping up to be no different.

The three-time defending state champion Coeur d'Alene boys, ranked No. 11 in DyeStat's Oct. 29 U.S. boys team rankings and No. 2 in DyeStat's Oct. 22 Northwest Regional boys team rankings, are coming off a dominant 6A District 1-2 meet. The Vikings won with 16 points--one point past a perfect score--and placed nine runners in the top 10. Senior Gabriel Heule won the individual title in 15:42.6 with fellow senior Wyatt Carr and junior Rowan Henry fractions of a second behind him with identical times of 15:42.8 and respective finishes of second and third. Junior Wyatt Morgenstern followed in 15:42.9 for fourth place to complete the 1-2-3-4 Viking finish.

Coeur d'Alene's girls also won the district title with 22 points to complete the team title sweep. Junior Anna Christman won the individual title in 19:05.6 with teammates Jordyn Coy and Victoria Howard following in identical times of 19:05.6 for second and third place. Rounding out the Viking 1-2-3-4 finish was Brooklyn Caywood in 19:19.4 for fourth place.

In southern Idaho, Boise completed a sweep of its own in the always competitive 6A District 3 championships. The Brave won the boys team title 67-82 over Eagle, getting a 1-2 finish from junior Austin Johnston (personal best 15:06.6) and senior Luke Bruce (personal best 15:10.8) on Oct. 23 at Vallivue. The girls' team title was tighter. Boise prevailed 86-90 over Eagle, getting top-15 finishes from sophomore Isla Remington (fourth place, 18:12.4), freshman Mary Meyer (ninth place, personal best 18:31.9) and junior Maddi Tookey (12th place, personal best 18:41.2). Eagle freshman Adalyn Bello won her fourth meet this season, this time for the individual district title in 17:32.6 and led an Eagle 1-2 finish with senior Betsy Reeder finishing in second in 17:51.9.

Another sweep occurred in eastern Idaho on Oct. 22 at the state course at Portneuf Wellness Complex. For the first time since 2013 in the 4A classification and the second time in program history, Rigby swept district cross country team titles. The Trojans won the 6A District 4-5-6 boys team title for the first time since 2022, prevailing 27-56 over Highland with five runners finishing in the top 10: repeat individual district champion Jonas Porter (15:48.1), sophomore James Chandler (third place, 16:06.1), junior Riley Brower (fifth place, 16:54.4), sophomore Ezra Lawrence (eighth place, 17:06.8) and sophomore Layton Nelson (10th place,17:12). Rigby's girls won their first title since 2018 with a 36-53 victory over Highland and eight runners finishing in the top 14: senior Payson Maiers (second place, 19:21), junior Lorilie Toone (fourth, 19:57.70) and sophomore Zoey Price, freshman Nizhoni Faires, freshman Addie Jaynes, senior Abby Hepworth, junior Bailee Jensen and freshman Zevi Hammer finishing ninth, 10th, 11th, 12th, 13th and 14th, respectively, crossing the line between 20:58.1 and 21:15.2

Highland senior Makenzie Tucker won the girls race in 18:53.8 to extend her win streak to six consecutive meets.

"I'm really hoping to win (state)," Tucker said following her 6A District 4-5-6 win. "It's been a really amazing season. I'm hoping to go to some big meets at the end of the season (Brooks Nationals)."

Earlier this month, Coeur d'Alene and Rigby completed a rare Idaho 1-2 by taking first and second in the boys elite division at the 43rd annual Nike Hole in the Wall Invitational in Arlington, Wash. The win was the fourth consecutive at the meet for the Vikings, while the Trojans made a big jump from placing 11th there last season.

Porter, who has competed through illness and dealt with a hamstring injury this season, has high hopes for his final state cross country meet.

"Top three (individually) would be ideal," Porter said about the state meet after winning the 6A District 4-5-6 championships. "I'm just gonna stay in it and run smart. We're hoping that we can get second (as a team)."

Coeur d'Alene is heavily favored to win a fourth consecutive state title, but expect Rigby and Boise to give chase to the Vikings. Rigby has won four meets this season while Boise has won five meets.

Both 6A individual state titles are up for grabs this season as last year's champions, Rocky Mountain teammates Hyrum Tuft and Hallie Heemeyer, graduated.

The four Idaho boys to break the 15-minute barrier so far this season are all in 6A: Morgenstern (14:30.4), Porter (14:49), Carr (14:51.1) and Henry (14:53.5). Any of them could claim the 6A individual state title. Carr is the top returning boy from last year's 6A state meet (second place in personal best 14:31.3). Don't count out Boise's Johnston and Bruce either, or Eagle senior Johnny Culpepper (personal best 14:53.4, season best 15:24.9, third place at 6A District 3). Coeur d'Alene's lone previous individual boys cross country state champion is Michael Armon (2004), Rigby and Eagle have never had a boys individual cross country state champion and Boise's last individual boys state champion is Eric Fitzpatrick (2007, 2008, 2009).

Of the seven Idaho girls to break the 18-minute barrier so far this season, six are in 6A: Bello (17:23), Capital senior Sage Powell (17:47), Timberline junior Nadia Kouskov (17:47.3), Reeder (17:51.9), Christman (17:58.2) and Remington (17:59.4). Bello placed second in the girls elite race at Nike Hole in the Wall, which featured 136 runners from around the Northwest. On the cusp of sub-18 is Mountain View junior Jeweliet Pence (season best 18:00.3). Centennial senior Annie Herd is also a runner to watch, as she is the top returning girl from last year's 6A state meet (third place in personal best 17:21.9).

The last Eagle runner to win a girls cross country individual state title was Lizzie Dildine in 2019, Timberline's last champion was Ruby Ihmels in 2023, Coeur d'Alene's last champion was Kinsey Gomez (2007, 2009, 2010), Boise's last champion was Allie Bruce (2021), Mountain View's last state champion was Lexy Halladay (2016, 2017, 2018), Centennial's last state champion was Jane Chi (1990) and Capital has never had a girls individual champion.

In addition to the Coeur d'Alene boys, two-time defending 6A girls state champion Rocky Mountain is returning to state. The Grizzlies placed fifth at the 6A District 3 championships. A District 3 team has won the last 11 girls cross country team state championships in Idaho's largest classification. Expect that streak to continue Saturday. Boise's varsity has won five meets this season and Rocky Mountain has won two.


CLASS 5A

The 5A classification had numerous underclassmen put together top performances at last year's state meet and several of those familiar faces have qualified for this weekend's championships.

The two-time defending 5A state champion Skyline boys won a third consecutive district title last week on the state course at Portneuf Wellness Complex, prevailing 54-75 over Century.

The Grizz are well aware that the rest of 5A is gunning for them, including teams from within their own district.

"The Century kids said (today), 'Coach Schmidt, we're gonna beat you guys at state,'" Schmidt said Oct. 22 after the 5A District 5-6 championships. "Sandpoint looks good. Bishop Kelly is getting better every week. Blackfoot wants to beat us."

Sandpoint, which placed fifth at last year's state meet, could be in position to add a cross country state championship to the trophy case almost six months after winning 5A boys state track. The Bulldogs' only cross country state championship in school history was the 2002 4A girls title.

As head coach Schmidt observed, Skyline's district competitors Blackfoot and Century should not be counted out, nor should Bishop Kelly, which won last week's 5A District 3 championship by a 46-point margin over Vallivue. The Knights placed five in the top 10 in their win: junior Ace King (fourth place, 16:12.6), senior Jack Haney (fifth place, 16:17), junior Will Guzman (seventh place, 16:38.3), junior Ellis Brown (eighth place, 16:43.4) and senior Crossen Dukes (ninth place, 16:44.8).

Defending 5A boys individual state champion, Century senior Ethan Hansen, returns to state. He finished second to teammate, fellow senior and best friend Ammon Bitton at last week's 5A District 5-6 championships, making it seven of nine meets that Bitton and Hansen have gone 1-2 this season.

The two are training partners and have said they hope to go 1-2 at state on a familiar course they have competed on twice this season.

The last time Century won back-to-back boys individual state championships was in 2006 and 2007 when Chio Lopez and Aaron Jenkins did so.

"At the end of the day, we never feel bad for getting second to each other," Hansen said earlier this month. "We're doing like 20 hours a week running, like a part time job. We're friends. We're teammates. We're happy for the other person."

"We care so much about each other," Bitton added. "We both see exactly what the other person is doing. Through my training, we've gone so much faster working together. All it took was to believe in ourselves."

Also in contention for the 5A boys individual title will be Sandpoint junior Kai Budensiek (5A District 1-2 champion, personal best 15:22.5), Skyline senior William McCombs (personal best 15:31), Blackfoot junior Owen Gregory (5A District 5-6 third-place finisher, season best 15:35.1, personal best 15:29), Caldwell junior Alan Navarro (5A District 3 champion, season best 15:36.5, personal best 15:19.8) and Skyline senior Davis Roberts (season best 15:39.8, personal best 15:06.4).

The 5A girls team title will be anyone's for the taking Saturday, as defending state champion Idaho Falls qualified individuals for the state meet but not a full team upon conclusion of the 5A District 5-6 championships. Defending state runner-up Twin Falls has been solid this fall, returning five state qualifiers from last season. The Bruins won the 5A District 4 title by seven points over Jerome, placing nine runners in the top 14: senior Raelee Richardson won her third consecutive individual district title (19:15.2), sophomore Jane Frampton (fourth place, 20:46.2), senior Kezia Olsen (eighth place, 21:30.7), junior Brynnley Berrett (ninth place, 21:32.5), senior Lauran Garling (10th place, 21:53), freshman Gracie Nay (11th place, 21:59.2), junior Bricelyn Allen (12th place, 21:59.4), senior Elizabeth Frampton (13th place, 22:01.4) and sophomore Lynette Smith (14th place, 22:16.1). Richardson is two-time defending 5A state champion and brings with her a season best 18:07.5 and personal best 17:24 to state. 

She is the first back-to-back girls individual state champion from Twin Falls since three-time state champion Mattalyn Gettes (2017, 2018, 2019).

Also in the mix for the individual title are Bishop Kelly sophomore Clare Murphy (two-time 5A District 3 champion, season best 18:31.9, personal best 18:09.8), Idaho Falls junior Eliza Peck (5A District 5-6 champion, season best 18:44.6, personal best 18:32.1) and Century freshman Ivana Vasquez (5A District 5-6 runner-up, personal best 19:10.4). Richardson has beaten Murphy in three of four head-to-head meetings this fall, with Richardson finishing one spot ahead of Murphy at the Caldwell Twilight, Murphy winning the Tiger-Grizz varsity A title over Richardson the next week, Richardson finishing one spot ahead of Murphy in the Bob Conley varsity A race to begin October and one spot ahead of Murphy two weeks later at the Bugtown Open.

Expect Bishop Kelly to also be team title contenders. Murphy is one of six returning runners from Bishop Kelly's team which placed third at state last year. Beyond Murphy's repeat individual title, junior Evelyn Quilici (sixth place, 20:32.8), junior Mia Laing (seventh place, 20:33.7), senior Sierra Loescher (eighth place, 20:45), senior Ella Klekas (11th place, 21:06.3), junior Emma Allan (12th place, 21:27.8) and freshman Addie Schmit (13th place, 21:39) placed in the top 15 for the Knights en route to winning the 5A District 3 championship on Oct. 22 at Vallivue.

Anticipate Sandpoint, which won the 5A District 1-2 title with 20 points on Oct. 22, and eastern Idaho's Century (5A District 5-6 champion with 35 points) and Skyline (5A District 5-6 runner-up) to also be in the trophy hunt. Sandpoint freshman Olivia Betz won the 5A District 1-2 individual title in a personal best 19:47.2 while junior Ruthie Laughridge (third place, 20:11.6), freshman Charli Hall (fourth place, personal best 20:24.5) and junior Delaney Barron (fifth place, 20:25.5) also placed in the top five. Century was led by freshman Ivana Vasquez (second place, 20:02.7), junior Adyson DeClark (third place, 20:08.3), senior Kit Hansen (fourth place, 20:37) and freshman Kia Hansen (seventh place, personal best 20:48.6) with top-eight finishes in its first team district championship in 11 years.


CLASS 4A

Three of the fastest individuals in Idaho currently for any classification represent 4A schools, and all three won state championships last season.

Defending 4A boys individual state champion Charlie Speirs, a McCall-Donnelly senior, ran a season best 15:03.7 to win a third consecutive individual district title last week, giving him his fourth win in five meets this season, the No. 1 time in 4A thus far this season and the No. 5 time this season for any classification. In eastern Idaho last week, defending 4A state runner-up and Sugar-Salem junior Darrel Dickson won a second consecutive 4A District 6 individual title for his sixth win this season. Dickson's season best 15:04.5 from the Nike Bob Firman Invitational boys elite race on Sept. 26 in Spokane is No. 2 in 4A this season and No. 6 for any classification in Idaho. Speirs and Dickson are the only 4A boys to have broken 15:20 thus far this season, and they both led their teams to district championships, Speirs as one of five top-15 finishers for the Vandals and Dickson as one of six top-seven finishers for the Diggers.

On the girls side, the 4A individual title is anyone's for the taking upon the graduation of two-time champion Annabelle Carr of Coeur d'Alene Charter, Idaho's all-time record holder in the 800 meters now at the University of Oregon. Timberlake senior Lola Eggleston is one of seven Idaho girls to break 18 minutes this season and the only 4A girl to do so. She won last week's 4A District 1 individual title in a personal best 17:43.3, her fourth time breaking 18 minutes this season and her fifth win in a 5k as a senior. She finished third at state last year.

Expect Speirs, Dickson and Eggleston to be top contenders for Saturday's 4A individual state titles. Timberlake has no previous girls individual state champion while Sugar-Salem's last individual boys state champion was Kooper Williams in 2018.

Beyond Eggleston, four other 4A girls have broken 19 minutes this fall: Fruitland senior, three-time District 3 champion and defending state runner-up Ella Smith (season best 18:22.8), McCall-Donnelly sophomore Teagan Mascheroni (personal best 18:39), McCall-Donnelly senior Seneca Augustinsky (personal best 18:43.6) and Snake River senior and three-time District 5 champion Paetyn Polatis (season best 18:53).

Timberlake senior and three-time District 1 individual champion Caleb Royce and Fruitland senior Landon Hillam have also broken 15:50 along with Speirs and Dickson.

In the preseason, Sugar-Salem head coach Brett Hill shared his predictions for 4A state title favorites: the Snake River girls with Sugar-Salem and defending state champion Timberlake giving chase and the defending Sugar-Salem boys with McCall-Donnelly and Timberlake giving chase. He also added that powerhouse Preston, which moved from 5A to 4A this season, would make an immediate impact and also join the state trophy hunt.

So far, those predictions appear to be holding up. At the end of August, the Snake River girls won the annual Terry Jones Invitational by four points over defending 3A girls state champion Malad, with Preston placing third by four points. In September, Snake River won the Valley Invite by one point over Sugar-Salem, the Tiger-Grizz Invitational varsity B title by nine points over Sugar-Salem and Malad, the varsity girls title at Dani Bates by three points over 6A Highland and the Burley Hope Run by 18 points over 5A Jerome. Preston won the varsity girls title at the Cache Box meet in Utah on Sept. 15. In October, Preston won the varsity B girls title by six points over Snake River at the annual Bob Conley Invitational on the state course at Portneuf Wellness Complex and the Blake Stephens Invitational by 10 points over Snake River a week later. On Oct. 15, Snake River won the Firth Invitational by 53 points over Sugar-Salem and Preston won the Preston Invitational by 16 points over Malad. Snake River won the 4A District 5 title on Oct. 22 by  a nine-point margin over Preston, placing seven in the top 12: senior Paetyn Polatis (third consecutive individual district title in 19:41, Savaya Christensen (third place, 20:08), Sorella High (fourth place, 20:16.1), Gwen Jones (sixth place, 20:44.8), Brinlee Hadley (ninth place, 21:23.5), Olivia Carlson (11th place, 21:43.4) and Madilynn Perkes (12th place, 22:25.4). Sugar-Salem won the 4A District 6 team title on Oct. 21 with a score of 21 points, getting an individual champion in junior Hannah Dalling (20:00.8) and top-five finishes from junior Sarah Galbraith (third, 20:01.6), senior Janyja Jackson (fourth, 20:17.4) and freshman Evelyn Green (fifth, personal best 20:19.2). Saturday will decide all.

As for the two-time defending state champion Sugar-Salem boys, the Diggers won the Valley Invite with a score of 19 points, the Tiger-Grizz varsity B title by 31 points over defending 3A state champion Malad, placed fourth in varsity boys at the Mountain West Classic in Missoula to lead Idaho teams, placed third in division II at the Nike Bob Firman Invitational in Spokane, placed third at the Dr. Thad Scholes CSI XC Invitational and placed second at the Firth Invitational. Sugar-Salem and Preston won district titles a day apart. On Oct. 21, Sugar-Salem won the 4A District 6 title with a score of 20 points and six top-seven finishers: Dickson (repeat individual champion, 15:21.3), senior Adam Willis (second, 16:13.5), sophomore Bradley Dickson (fourth, 16:54), freshman Kendrick Wilson (sixth, personal best 17:10.3) and junior Spencer Wells (seventh, 17:13.9). On Oct. 22, Preston won the 4A District 5 title with 26 points and a 1-2-3 individual finish: individual champion junior Ryan Burnett (16:38.6), sophomore Alex Scott (second, 16:49.2) and junior Daylin Leffler (third, 17:19.3), with Harley Crosgrove (ninth place, personal best 17:55.5), Will Palmer (11th place, 17:59.7) and Khai Jeppsen (12th place, 18:09.9) finishing in the top 15.


CLASS 3A

Malad completed a milestone sweep of 3A team titles a year ago in Lewiston, winning both the boys and girls state titles at the same state meet for the first time in program history. The Dragons have indeed performed like defending state champions throughout this season, holding their own against other state trophy winning teams from 3A and 4A. In September, Malad took second to two-time defending 4A state champion Sugar-Salem in the varsity B boys race while the Malad girls placed third to defending 4A state runner-up Snake River and defending 4A third-place team Sugar-Salem, then the Dragons swept both the varsity girls and boys team titles at the West Side Pirates Invitational six days later. To begin October, Malad placed second to Nampa Christian and finished two spots ahead of 4A (formerly 5A) Preston in varsity B boys and third (two spots back of Preston, one spot back of Snake River, one spot ahead of Sugar-Salem) in varsity B girls at the Bob Conley Invitational on the state course at Portneuf Wellness Complex. And in their last two regular season meets, the Dragons placed fourth in both the girls and boys varsity divisions (to 4A, 5A and 6A schools) at Blake Stephens Invitational and placed second in girls varsity (to Preston) and won boys varsity at the Preston Invitational.

At last week's 3A District 5 championships at Portneuf Wellness Complex, the girls won with 27 points and seven top-13 finishers--Brielle Nalder (second place, personal best 19:55.7), Aezlyn Summers (fourth place, 20:30.4), Brielle Bastian (fifth place, 21:00.2), Halie Palmer (seventh place, personal best 21:18.5), Ellie Angell (ninth place, 21:28.2), Kaycee Venable (10th place, 21:28.2) and Berklee Burbidge (13th place, personal best 22:12.7)--and the boys won by a four-point margin over Marsh Valley with sophomore Jace Nalder winning the individual title in 16:34.5 while teammates Braun Nalder (fourth place, 17:23.7), Joseph Angell (seventh place, 17:41.5) and Jaxon Blaisdell (11th place, 17:55.8) finished in the top 15.

Nalder has won five meets so far this season and is the top returning individual from last year's 3A boys state championships (third place). Community School senior and District 4 champion John Harris is the only 3A boy thus far this season to break 16 minutes (personal best 15:39.1), and he and Nampa Christian senior Ethan Lee (personal best 16:03.3) join Nalder as the only 3A Idaho boys to break 16:10 this season. The 3A boys individual state title is up for grabs due to the graduation of Nalder's teammate, Boston Burbidge, last year's state champion. Nampa Christian's last individual state champion was Grady Mylander in 2021 and Community School's only individual school state champion was the 2006 2A girls champion, Mali Noyes.

The 3A District 5 girls individual champion, Soda Springs freshman Anna Uskoski, has won six consecutive meets, including two at Portneuf Wellness Complex. She has a personal best 19:14.2, currently the No. 3 fastest 3A girls time in Idaho this season behind Nampa Christian senior and District 3 champion Phoebe Mitchell (personal best 18:14.1) and West Jefferson senior and defending 3A state runner-up Bella Spencer (season best 18:49). Mitchell goes into this weekend having won three consecutive meets. North Fremont junior Eliza Bingham is another 3A girls runner to watch. Bingham has won three meets this season, including last week's 3A District 6 championship, and has a season best 19:27.

Expect the District 3 champion Nampa Christian girls and boys, the District 6 champion North Fremont girls and boys, the District 6 runner-up Ririe boys and Firth girls to give chase to the defending state champion Dragons.


CLASS 2A

Two-time defending 2A girls state champion Victory Charter returns to state having won the 2A District 3 championship with an impressive low score of 19 and five finishers in the top eight: senior and individual champion Libby Stockett (18:33.1), senior Lydia Brewer (third place, 19:47.3), junior Alyssa Lee (fourth place, 19:57.6), sophomore Annika Snyder (seventh place, 20:42.5) and freshman Zoe Lee (eighth place, 20:58.5). Stockett is defending individual state runner-up and the top returning runner for the back-to-back state champion Vipers. She is the only 2A girl to have broken 19 minutes this season (personal best 18:15.4). Victory Charter has held its own against 6A schools this season at meets such as the Vallivue Scramble and 3A and 4A schools at the Winston Tilzey Invitational.

Aside from Stockett's teammates Brewer and Alyssa Lee, the closest times to her personal best this season in Idaho have been run by Liberty Charter sophomore Ava Kelpin (personal best 19:20), who placed second to Stockett at districts, Logos junior and repeat District 1-2 champion Livvia Rench (season best 19:32) and Oakley sophomore and two-time District 4 champion Mia Bowen (season best 19:32.3).

Victory Charter came up shy of a district team title sweep by single digits on the boys side, as Liberty Charter claimed the District 3 title 31-38 over the Vipers. The Patriots placed six in the top 12 to four in the top eight by the Vipers, led by Samuel Cuttlers-Boza (personal best 17:26.6), Logan Dayley (17:41.9) and Carter Johnson (17:44.9) going 3-4-5. Victory Charter junior JD Willey repeated as 2A District 3 champion in 16:37.2, leading a 1-2 finish with teammate, junior Oliver Kunz (personal best 16:50.4). Willey is the top returning athlete from last year's 2A boys state meet and also the top returning runner for the defending state champion Vipers. His season best 16:11.9 is the fastest 2A boys time thus far this season. In addition to Willey's teammates Santiago Pena and Kunz, Deary freshman and District 1-2 champion Ben Forsmann (personal best 16:31) is the only other 2A Idaho boy to have broken 17 minutes this season.

Expect District 1-2 champion and defending state runner-up Logos to be Victory Charter's biggest competition for the 2A girls state title.

On the boys side, anticipate District 3's Liberty Charter and Victory Charter and District 1-2's Troy and Logos, which ended the District 1-2 meet with identical scores of 38, to all battle for the boys team state title.