CROSS COUNTRY
Seaside boys set to repeat as state champs
fun the way it came togeth-
er, and all the cooperation.
“The important thing is
that we have kids out here
who were part of that team
last year, 37 kids who ran at
district … and we’re going
to take care of everybody
and have fun. I do not get
lost or wrapped up in the
state meet.
“If we take care of kids,
treat’ em right, train them
proper … everybody is go-
ing to improve, and then
what comes from that,
comes from that.”
By Gary Henley
EO Media Group
“Perfect and gettin’ bet-
ter,” is a favorite phrase
of Seaside cross country
coach Neil Branson.
It’s also the perfect it
for the Seaside boys’ cross
country team.
The Gulls were cer-
tainly perfect in 2015 —
enough to win the Class
4A state championship in
Eugene. And they were
also “gettin’ better,” since
six of their seven runners
who competed at state
were non-seniors.
As it turns out, their top
six inishers in the meet at
Lane Community College
were the non-seniors. All
of which spells one thing,
as the Gulls enter the 2016
season: R-E-P-E-A-T.
Led by individual state
champion Bradley Rze-
wnicki, Branson’s crew is
the best in Oregon as they
enter a new year, in search
of another state title.
The Seaside boys in-
ished with 49 points to top
the 14 boys’ programs who
competed with full teams
in the state meet. The next
closest was Phoenix, with
65.
Rzewnicki — who had
actually inished second in
the Cowapa League meet
just 10 days earlier — ran
the 5,000-meter course
at LCC in 16 minutes, 13
seconds, inishing well
ahead of Tony Hooks, a
senior at Sisters.
And Rzewnicki did
not have to wait around
long for his teammates,
as Hunter Thompson
crossed the inished line
in 16:34 for ifth place;
Jackson Januik took ninth
in 16:40; and Rai Sibony
placed 12th in 16:59.
Colton Carter was 31st
The Cowapa
THE DAILY ASTORIAN/FILE PHOTO
Seaside’s Bradley Rzewnicki is the returning individual state champion in Class 4A, for the
defending state team champion Gulls.
and Juneau Meyer 33rd,
with senior Jack Whittle
placing 89th.
The theme for Class 4A
boys’ cross country in Or-
egon this year? “Chasing
Seaside.”
That’s what everybody
will be doing this year,
as Rzewnicki, Thompson,
Januik, Sibony, Carter and
Meyer all return. Rze-
wnicki, Thompson, Januik
and Meyer are seniors,
while Sibony and Carter
are juniors.
This year’s senior class
could turn out to be one of
the most decorated in Sea-
side school history.
In addition to their state
championship in cross
country, Carter, Januik,
Meyer and Thompson
6 • Seaside Signal/Cannon Beach Gazette • Fall 2016 • Seagull Pride
played for Seaside’s league
champion soccer team,
while Januik and Thomp-
son played key roles in
leading the Gulls all the
way to the state title game
in basketball last March.
In the spring, Januik was
the 800-meter state champi-
on in track.
“That was great last
year,” Branson said. “It was
Before the Seaside boys
can win another state ti-
tle, they have to get out of
their own league irst — the
toughest at the 4A level.
The rankings going into
the state meet had Seaside
irst, Tillamook second and
Valley Catholic third.
Because only two teams
advance
from
district
meets, only the Gulls and
Cheesemakers took teams
to state.
“We had the top three
teams in the state, and Val-
ley Catholic drew the short
straw,” Branson said. State-
wide, “Who knows what
other school has popped
up? In our own league, all
we can do is take care of
our own business and have
fun with it.
“Tillamook will be com-
petitive,” he said. “And
Valley Catholic has huge
numbers. The Scappoose
girls always have numbers,
and they’re a well-orga-
nized team.
“October 27 (league
championships) is when
you lay it on the line.”
The Gulls
In addition to the above,
“we’ve added one (senior
Will Garvin) who was here
his freshman year, and
wants to give it another
go,” Branson said.
“And you can’t be
a
300-meter
hurdler
without having a few
strings of toughness in
you.
“The biggest thing with
these guys coming back
— certainly they’re tal-
ented — but they’re just
plain tough. They know
how to compete,” he said.
“And not necessarily for
the first half-mile. I don’t
know much about soccer,
but they know how to at-
tack and defend. It’s the
same way they play bas-
ketball. You can’t coach
that. They just innately
know how to compete
in everything they do,
even in the classroom.
I just sit back for the
ride.”
And “we’ve got some
others coming in,” in-
cluding freshman Beau
Johnson. “We have nine
kids working for seven
spots. Having that inter-
nal competition is good.”
The Seaside girls fin-
ished fourth out of six
in the team standings
in the Cowapa League
meet last year, but there’s
plenty to look forward
to for the Lady Gulls in
2016.
Their top two runners
in the league meet were
freshman Katie Zagata
and junior Josie Smith,
who finished fourth and
fifth, respectively, out of
42 runners. (Smith would
finish 16th at state, out of
108 runner).
The Seaside girls are
hoping to add a little depth
this season, to climb the
Cowapa ladder and make
a run at traditional league
powers Tillamook and
Scappoose.