Your guide to the Oregon 5A boys track and field championships: Favorite, contenders, darkhorse for every event

Here’s an event-by-event look at the 5A boys meet.

By René Ferrán 

The OSAA track and field state championships take place this weekend at Hayward Field in Eugene. Here’s an event-by-event look at the 5A boys meet. 

Photo (2022) by Leon Neuschwander 

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100

Favorite: James Bauman, Jr., Putnam

Contenders: Cohen Hall, Jr., Canby; Steeley Mucken, Sr., Silverton; Tadhg Brown, Jr., Summit; Jeremiah Schwartz, Sr., Ridgeview

Darkhorse: Jordan Vega Ramos, Jr., Central

Hall is the 5A leader in the event, but Bauman beat him head-to-head last week in the NWOC district final.

200

Favorite: Omar Villanueva, Sr., Canby

Contenders: Cohen Hall, Jr., Canby; Steeley Mucken, Sr., Silverton; Jordan VEga Ramos, Jr., Central; Nathan Wachs, Sr., Redmond

Darkhorse: Jack Burgett, Sr., Central

Villanueva took over the 5A lead by outdueling Hall and Bauman to win the NWOC district title in 22.26.

400

Favorite: Jeremiah Schwartz, Sr., Ridgeview

Contenders: Treyden Lucas, Jr., Bend; Jack Burgett, Sr., Central; Myles Crandall, Sr., Central; Abdoulie Jallow, Jr., McKay

Darkhorse: Aidan Chenoweth, Sr., Crater

The two Central Oregon standouts raced to a virtual tie in the IMC district final, with Schwartz eking out the victory by thousandths of a second. Burgett shaved almost a full second off his personal best to win the Mid-Willamette district title and will be a formidable challenger.

800

Favorite: Carter Cutting, Sr., Wilsonville

Contenders: Caleb Doddington, Jr., Crater; Nathan Stein, Sr., Ashland; Jeffrey Hellmann, Jr., Crater; Dane Giessler, So., Caldera

Darkhorse: Zander Campbell, So., South Albany

Cutting, a BYU commit, sits No. 5 on the all-time state list in the event and returns to the scene where he ran that 1:50.07 at last month’s Oregon Relays. Hellmann, the defending champion, finished third behind Doddington and Stein at the Midwestern district meet.

1,500

Favorite: Tyrone Gorze, Sr., Crater

Contenders: Carter Cutting, Sr., Wilsonville; Logan Law, Sr., Wilsonville; Kanoa Blake, Sr., Crescent Valley; Elliot Hawley, Sr., Hood River Valley

Darkhorse: Noah Laughlin-Hall, Jr., Summit

It’s a meeting in the middle between Cutting, a middle-distance specialist, and University of Washington signee Gorze, the national indoor record-holder at 5,000 meters — with Law capable of squeezing between the two if the race plays out just right.

3,000

Favorite: Tyrone Gorze, Sr., Crater

Contenders: Logan Law, Sr., Milwaukie; Josiah Tostenson, So., Crater; Mason Weisgerber, Sr., Wilsonville; Hayden Boaz, So., Summit

Darkhorse: Nathan Stein, Sr., Ashland

Gorze’s career best in the event is 8:11.60, No. 5 on the all-time state list and eight seconds off Galen Rupp’s state record. Could this be the weekend he takes down the mark?

110 Hurdles

Favorite: Garrett Lee, Sr., West Albany

Contenders: Benjamin Strang, Sr., Summit; Logan Robertson, Sr., Redmond; Ryder Minisce, Jr., Mountain View; Cooper Hiday, Sr., Wilsonville

Darkhorse: Rowan Finlay, Fr., Corvallis

The state leaders list is littered with red — meaning all the marks are wind-aided, many coming at district meets statewide. Lee has a faster mark than the Central Oregon hurdlers who will stalk him this weekend.

300 Hurdles

Favorite: Benjamin Strang, Sr., Summit

Contenders: Truman Brasfield, So., Corvallis; Cooper Hiday, Sr., Wilsonville; Cooper Seguin, Sr., Summit; Khen San, So., Centennial

Darkhorse: Sean Craven, Sr., Bend

Strang ran a state-leading 40.21 to win the Intermountain district title, but Brasfield and Hiday — who also won district championships — will push him to the final hurdle.

4x100

Favorite: Central

Contenders: Bend, Summit, Redmond, Canby

Darkhorse: Springfield

The Panthers held the state lead for almost a month after running 42.24 to win the Jesuit Twilight Relays. Bend ran 42.49 to win the IMC district title.

4x400

Favorite: Central

Contenders: Crater, Wilsonville, Bend, Springfield

Darkhorse: Canby

The Panthers’ only losses this season were to Lincoln at the Sherwood Need for Speed Classic — when they ran their state-leading 3:24.02 — and Westview at the Jesuit Twilight Relays.

Shot Put

Favorite: Spencer Elliott, Sr., Summit

Contenders: Jesse Bass, Sr., South Albany; Sam Schaffers, Sr., Silverton; Emilio Biviano, Jr., Centennial; Nathan Self-Cordova, Sr., Eagle Point

Darkhorse: Daniel Ornelas-Carrillo, Sr., Ridgeview

Elliott, a Portland State football signee, has been a model of consistency and is the only thrower who has gone over 50 feet this spring. The No. 3 and No. 4 throwers among the 5A state leaders failed to advance from district.

Discus

Favorite: Javin Petry, Jr., Churchill

Contenders: Benjamin Hill, Jr., Summit; Cole Seaders, Sr., Corvallis; Will Lannen, Jr., Mountain View; Gabriel Haines, So., Central

Darkhorse: Brodie Wright, Sr., Putnam

We’ll go with consistency — Petry has thrown more than 140 feet eight times this season, including a best of 148-9 to win the Midwestern district title — over recency — Hill threw a 10-foot personal best to win the IMC district title and take over the state lead at 149-4.

Javelin

Favorite: Dakota Wedding, Sr., Redmond

Contenders: Steeley Mucken, Sr., Silverton; Avri Bennett, Sr., Dallas; Raymond Hart, Sr., Ashland; Jaden Echeverria, Sr., Hillsboro

Darkhorse: Maxwell Louber, Sr., South Albany

Wedding’s only loss this season was to Austin Milton of Sherwood at the Jesuit Twilight Relays, and he’s held the state lead since mid-March.

High Jump

Favorite: Collin Moore, Jr., Summit

Contenders: Nathan Wachs, Sr., Redmond; Isaac Knapp, Sr., Summit; Josef Dettwyler, Sr., Silverton; Owen Lahey, Sr., Summit

Darkhorse: Scott Price, Sr., Crater

Moore, last year’s 6A state champion, cleared a personal-best 6-7 to defeat defending 5A champion Wachs at the IMC district meet.

Pole Vault

Favorite: Garrett Lee, Sr., West Albany

Contenders: Tyas Selby, Jr., Ridgeview; Bryce White, Sr., Summit; Joel Rush, Sr., Silverton; Luke Hooker, Sr., Churchill

Darkhorse: Benjamin Sorenson, So., Caldera

Lee finished third at the Jesuit Twilight Relays, cleared a state-leading 14-6 a week later at a league meet, then won the Mid-Willamette district title last week as the only 5A vaulter to go over 14 feet.

Long Jump

Favorite: Shaw Burns, Sr., Hood River Valley

Contenders: Gabriel Grant, Jr., Crater; Evens Peters, Sr., Summit; Treyson Wakefield, Sr., Canby; Steeley Mucken, Sr., Silverton

Darkhorse: Tadhg Brown, Jr., Summit

The top six jumpers in the field are within seven inches of Burns, the state leader at 22-5¾ achieved May 10 at an invitational in Prineville.

Triple Jump

Favorite: Noah Goodrich, Jr., Summit

Contenders: Evens Peters, Sr., Summit; Treyson Wakefield, Sr., Canby; Scott Price, Sr., Crater; Brian Maloney, Jr., Summit

Darkhorse: Jackson Parrish, Sr., Lebanon

Goodrich took over the state lead with his victory at the Jesuit Twilight Relays, when he jumped 46-2, giving him the edge over last year’s 6A champion (Wakefield) and 5A runner-up (Price).

Team

Favorite: Summit

Contenders: Wilsonville, Crater, Central, Silverton

Darkhorse: Springfield 

The Storm will bring 33 entries to Hayward Field this weekend, including one in every event, giving them ample opportunities to rack up enough points to fend off Crater’s deep distance corps and Central’s strong sprinting group.

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