Mavericks cross country team ready to take the next step
· Yahoo Sports
Sep. 1—MOSES LAKE — The Moses Lake Mavericks cross country team are gearing up for another successful season, as they look to build off a strong 2025 season. From Head Coach Larry Dagnons perspective, this year's squad looks ready to take the next step.
"They're better than last year," Dagnon said. "We lost three scorers, so two from the boys team (and) one from the girls team, but they're mostly intact. Our girls are going to be very strong, (and) the boys are going to be very strong."
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Last season, the Mavs sent multiple runners to the state meet in Pasco from the boys and girls squad. The boys team placed 16th while the girls finished in 15th place. Liam O'Shea, Colton Lucero, Lane Christensen and Max Jolley all placed in the top 100 for the boys. Meanwhile, Aspen Hoenes, Rachel Nofziger, Kaytlyn Russell, Natalie Vehrs, Emily Bong and Emma Wallace placed in the top 100 for the girls race.
"We wished we had run faster, obviously, but you could just tell when it was all said and done — that was a fast group of people they were racing with," Dagnon said.
The girls cross country team is exceptionally deep and faster than last year, with 14 girls running under 14:28 in the recent timed trial, Dagnon said. They are led by returners Hoenes, senior standout Nofziger, recent time-trial winner Vehrs, as well as dependable contributors like Russell, Bong, Sarah Humphries and veteran leader Wallace, who has been part of every state trip while a Maverick.
Rising athletes such as Amelia 'Millie' Olascon — now running with their top group — and Khloe Helm further strengthen the roster, the coach said. A strong freshman class featuring Charlotte Chesley, Aleyah Loera and Adelyn Chamberlain are already pushing into the top 10, while surprise camp performer Jocelyn Anderson, along with her sister Genesis, adds even more competition for varsity spots. Dagnon believes the girls are so deep he could take 12 to state and still field a highly competitive "second varsity" group.
"We just have depth for days," he said.
On the boys side, the roster mirrors the girls both in quality and depth. The team is fronted by returner varsity runners like Lucero, Christensen and Jolley — the latter two attended a camp at Brigham Young University over the summer as part of their offseason training.
"They did really well down there and came back really fired up, even more so. Those two breathe cross country," Dagnon said.
They are supported by key contributors like Noah Demchuk, Liam Roseburg, Gabe Cabiao and Jonathan Sandoval. Another standout runner for the Mavs this season will likely be Keenan Russell, who shave roughly two minutes off his time from last season.
"He's had a dialed in summer," the coach said.
Additional depth comes from runners such as Ben Bishop, returning athlete Duane Zamora and Gillis Ward-Guthrie. Altogether, the coach describes the boys as having extensive depth with all of the top runners under 11:30, positioning both the boys and girls to contend at the league and state levels, Dagnon said.
What will play a key role in the teams success this season is who the runners rally around in 2026. It was Liam O'Shea and Lexi Feller in 2025 who were key leaders for the Mavericks, but they have since graduated. Dagnon has observed Lucero stepping into that role for the boys team almost effortlessly.
"Colton has been such a leader," Dagnon said. "He has seamlessly stepped in, tried to lead, and he's been a really good leader. The kids listen to him because he walks the walk, talks the talk, and people know a phony when they see it."
On the girls side, Wallace has emerged as a new leader for the Mavs this season.
"Emma's been a great leader. She is really good at getting the girls out, and they listen to her," the coach said. "They have all benefited from captains of year's past. When our culture really turned the corner and we started having a lot of success is when our captains were exceptional, and these guys have all taken that next step, and they've been at least at par with these great captains we had."
As they look ahead to this season, Dagnon and the Mavs are eager to see how many steps forward they can take.
Coming into last season, the Mavs were riding the high of a historical season prior that saw the boys qualify for the state meet for the second time in school history. Meanwhile, the girls qualified for the state meet for the first time in 40 years. This season, Dagnon wants to see his athletes standing on the podium by the end of the state meet.
"It's never happened," he said. "I don't know if it'll happen because you get there and it's just the fastest of the fast, and it just has to be your day. Sometimes things align and we are faster than we were last year. It's a very fine line between getting 15th and getting fourth at state, and you can't hang your head if you were last place at state. Along the way we wouldn't mind winning league championships."
Last season the boys team earned co-champions for the league title with Eisenhower and the girls were runner up. This season their focus becomes winning both titles outright. Though they aim high, Dagnon and the Mavericks are not overlooking the competition.
"West Valley girls are going to be very tough," he said. "They're going to be a challenge along the way, and our entire league will be a challenge. There are good teams; the Big Nine is great. You've got AC Davis (which) is improving, Sunnyside is always tough, Ike is Ike, and then you've got West Valley and Eastmont. We have a really competitive league, so I mean, that's a challenge."
The Mavs season begins Sept. 4 at the Hanford Jamboree at Leslie Grove Park.