Carter Bengtson wasn’t born to run, it was just something he chose to pursue.
And when Carter Bengtson puts his mind to something … well, let’s just say you don’t want to be part of the opposition.
After dominating the Class 4A state cross country competition for his final two seasons at Cottage Grove High School, Bengtson is embarking on a new journey, beginning his freshman season running for the Amherst College Mammoths in Amherst, Mass.
“Amherst is a D-III program, kind of like a D-III Ivy league school,” Cottage Grove coach Ricky Knutson said. “It’s a great school. He visited last year, and he really likes the community there.”
Bengtson didn’t arrive at CGHS as a budding superstar. Nobody saw what was about to transpire.
Knuston
Bengtson didn’t arrive at CGHS as a budding superstar. Nobody saw what was about to transpire.
“I would say during his freshman and sophomore years, he was the No. 2 guy on the team behind Jaden Owens, Carter took his training to the next level to get better,” Knutson said. “People forget how much he invested, and how much work he put in to get better. Also, the other kids liked being around him, he was such a nice guy and such a great teammate.
“He showed the other kids what’s possible, and removed that barrier so kids can push their own limits.”
Having that kind of generational talent – along with impeccable character and great leadership skills – was a gift that Knutson never took for granted. He cherished the opportunity to coach Carter, who earned 16 varsity letters, playing at the varsity level for all four years in cross country, track, soccer, and wrestling.
“I’ve been doing this long enough to know that doesn’t happen very often,” Knutson said. “Years ago, I had a couple of kids who ran track for me who were very special, too.”
Now, the current crop of Lions gets their chance to carry on a long-standing Cottage Grove legacy that extends back to the days of Dyrol Burleson, who won the Oregon State Cross Country Championship in 1957 before going on to Olympic fame.
“It’s been one of our best summers ever, actually,” Knutson said. “We usually average about 19 kids (boys and girls), and we had 23 kids this summer.”
Just another sign that the program is on the right track.
PHOTO PROVIDED / CGHS YEARBOOK
“Kids are getting up early during summer vacation to run, so something must be going OK,” Knutson said. “We have good team culture, and that has taken an extra jump this summer.
“You don’t replace a Carter Bengtson. And Easton Hutchins also graduated,” the coach continued. “But we had an exceptionally strong JV team. And five of the top 10 finishers in the district meet return. One of those guys – Remington Sharkey, had a tremendous spring. He went from being No. 9 last year, and will be one of our top three guys now as a sophomore. He’s been running 30-40-mile weeks every week since last winter.
“Our top kid, David Culbert, a senior, has always been talented, but he’s more motivated this year than ever before.
“Overall, people don’t realize how talented we are. They think we are just Carter Bengtson and a bunch of nobodies. But these kids are motivated, they want to win their fourth straight district title. I’m excited to see them race.”
Knutson is equally excited about his girls team, saying the top four runners are “the most solid top four we’ve ever had.”
That quartet is led by Ella Cardwell, who ran the fastest time ever by a Cottage Grove girl at the state meet last year. But that meet was a haunting memory for many of Cardwell’s teammates, as most of the team was sick for that meet.
The battle for the No. 2 spot is between Hailey Fergason and sophomore Carly Knutson, Ricky’s daughter.
“Both are light years ahead of last year,” Knutson said.
The coach’s eldest daughter, Zoey, a senior who also plays soccer, is competing to run somewhere in the 5-7 slots.
“The biggest surprise is freshman Rowyn Earl – she’s been running all summer. She’s pretty green, but it’s been really fun seeing her emerge the way she has,” Knudson said. “Junction City and North Bend are very competitive. North Bend has everybody back. We have strong frontrunners, but not as much depth. If a strong No. 5 can emerge, we have a chance to place at state if we get a little luck and have a few things fall into place.”
For now, Knutson will continue to enjoy the heck out of coaching his two teams.
“I hope we can keep surprising some people,” he said. “We have a good group of runners. But more than anything else, it’s an awesome group of human beings.”
Other area schools
■ Thurston: It’s unlikely that we’ll see another Carter Bengtson anytime soon, but Thurston has a big star of its own in senior Carson Buergey. In last month’s challenging Steens Mountain Running Camp Jan Yriarte Uphill 5K, Buergey finished second. He was third in the 5A Midwestern League Championships last season. Meanwhile, the Colts girls finished fourth at the district meet, placing three runners in the top 25. Genevieve Woodward finished 19th, Nyah M. Marchant was right behind her in 21st, and Nathalie Parker placed 25th
■ Pleasant Hill: The Billies girls went to state last year after placing second in the 3A-2A-1A Special District 4 Championships. Nellie Smith finished 10th and Annaleigh Epperson, running as a freshman, was 16th. P-Hill’s Gage Roper went to state as an individual after his third-place district finish.
■ Creswell: The Bulldogs’ young runners made their presence felt in last year’s Bramble Scramble in Cottage Grove. A pair of freshmen – Hans Lewis (45th) and Ben Shaw (52nd) – led the boys, while junior Kylie Leonard placed 40th for the girls. Sophomore teammate Sophie Bonn was 73rd.
■ Springfield: The Springfield girls went to state last season, finishing second at districts as Ellen Auxier, Audrey Sommerville, and Bella Wells ran in a group and finished 10th, 11th, and 12th, respectively. Auxier and Wells return, as the Millers look to make a return trip to state. On the boys side, sophomore Adrian Estes – the team’s top finisher (12th) in the 5A-2 Midwestern League Championships – returns to lead a potentially powerful Millers team. Junior Brylen Sanders and senior Brytan Kelly are other keys to Springfield’s success.
CROSS COUNTRY 2025
COTTAGE GROVE
HEAD COACH
■ Ricky Knutson in his fifth year at Cottage Grove
2024 SEASON
■ Recap: Boys 1st in Sky-Em League; 4th at 4A state championships … Girls 2nd in Sky-Em League; 11th at 4A state championships
TEAM BREAKDOWN
■ Total runners: 31
■ Returning runners: 17
TOP RETURNING BOYS
■ David Culbert, PR 17:23, Sr.
Notes: Sixth in the Sky-Em League meet.
■ Frank Garcia, PR 17:46, Sr.
Notes: Seventh in the Sky-Em League meet.
■ Jackson Gifford, PR 17:51, Sr.
Notes: Eighth in the Sky-Em League meet.
■ Jennings Albrecht, PR 17:55, So.
Notes: Ninth in the Sky-Em League meet.
■ Micah Hanke, PR 18:00, Jr.
Notes: 10th in the Sky-Em League meet.
■ Remington Sharkey, So.
Notes: Sharkey is expected to be in the top three on the team this season. He was the No. 10 runner on the team last year as a freshman, but has put in a tremendous amount of work last winter and this summer. He also comes off an outstanding track season as one of the Lions’ top 1500-meter runners.
TOP RETURNING GIRLS
■ Ella Cardwell, PR 19:26, Sr.
Notes: Third in the Sky-Em League meet and 9th in the 4A state meet (the fastest time ever by a CGHS girl at the state meet).
■ Hailey Fergason, PR 21:35, Jr.
Notes: Eighth in the Sky-Em League meet.
■ Carly Knutson, PR 21:41, So,
Notes: Ninth in the Sky-Em League meet.
■ Zoey Knutson, PR 23:27, Sr.
Notes: A key runner on the varsity team. She is also a dual athlete who plays on the soccer team.
NOTABLE NEWCOMER
■ Rowyn Earl, Fr.
Notes: Earl has emerged as one of the top runners on the girls’ team during summer training. She is talented and tough.
■ Olivia Gray, Sr.
Notes: Gray is a transfer from Virginia who trained with the team all summer. She will contend for a varsity spot while also playing on the soccer team.
TEAM STRENGTHS
Boys
■The boys’ team returns five runners who finished in the top 10 at districts last year.
■Depth will be the strength again this season as the boys team will have JV runners that will be capable of earning all-league varsity honors if the team is allowed more than seven runners on the varsity team.
Girls
■Cardwell is one of the top returners in the state and will be the low stick for the girls. Fergason, Carly Knutson and Earl will round out a very competitive top four for the girls team.
■The girls will have a shot at having three all-state runners in the same year for the first time in school history.
■ Coach Knutson says: “This has been one of the best summers of training that we have ever had. The team practiced four days a week all summer and we averaged 23 athletes per practice compared to 19 last summer. In addition, the athletes regularly gathered to run on days when we didn’t have official workouts. This team is full of motivated athletes and leaders who have built a solid foundation this summer. It is going to be exciting to see all of the hard work pay off when they get to start racing.”
CRESWELL
HEAD COACH
■ Jeff Cardwell in his second year at Creswell
2024 SEASON
■ Recap: A select few boys and girls competed at the Special District 4 Championships…Missed state.
TEAM BREAKDOWN
■ Total number of runners: 13 (10 boys, 3 girls)
■ Returning runners: 6
TOP RETURNING BOYS
■ Hans Lewis, PR 18:49, So.
■ Ben Shaw, PR 19:28, So.
TOP RETURNING GIRLS
■ Kylie Leonard, PR 22:26, Sr.
Notes: Leonard was a 300-meter hurdle state champ in 2024 and a part of the Girls 3A State championship team.
NOTABLE NEWCOMERS
■ Javier Batista, Jr.
■ Axel Dietrich, Fr.
■ Grant Schartz, Sr.
■ Elizabeth Lewis, Sr.
■ Chloe Colletii, Fr.
TEAM STRENGTHS
■Youth and grit
■Returners are more experienced
■Larger team than in years past
PLEASANT HILL
Head coach
■ Beth Sprague in her 15th year at Pleasant Hill
2024 SEASON
■ Recap: Boys 3rd Special District 4
Girls 2nd in Special District 4; 7th in 3A state championships
TOP RETURNING BOYS
■ Gage Roper, Jr
■ Dean Scott, Jr.
■ Jack Quinones, So.
TOP RETURNING GIRLS
■ Soleis Jones, Sr.
■ Nellie Smith, So.
SPRINGFIELD
HEAD COACH
■ James March in his 11th year at Springfield
2024 SEASON
■ Recap: Boys 6th in Midwestern League;
girls 2nd in league; 11th in 5A state championships
TEAM BREAKDOWN
■ Total runners: 35
■ Returning runners: 27
TOP RETURNING BOYS
■ Adrian Estes, PR 16:19.7, So.
Notes: Placed 12th at districts last season. He had a solid track season and is looking to build off it this cross country season.
■ Brytan Kelly, PR 17:38.4, Sr.
■ Brylen Sanders, PR, 17.50.7, Jr.
TOP RETURNING GIRLS
■ Bella Wells, PR 19:49.6, So.
Notes: Placed 12th at districts last year. She had a solid summer of training and growth, both physically and mentally. She is excited to put last year behind her and really push her limits this year, both as an individual and with her team.
■ Ellen Auxier, PR 19.50.0, Jr.
Notes: Placed 10th at districts last season. She had a breakout cross country and track season last year, and is looking to continue to build on it. One of many leaders on the team.
Olivia Uehlin, PR 21.41.5, So.
TEAM STRENGTHS
■Team focused
■Not afraid to work hard.
THURSTON
HEAD COACH
■ Devin Vanscoy in his fifth year at Thurston
2024 SEASON
■ Recap: Boys 4th in Midwestern League; girls 4th in Midwestern League
TEAM BREAKDOWN
■ Total number of runners: 20
■ Returning varsity runners: 12
TOP RETURNING BOYS
■ Carson Buergey, PR 15:29, Sr.
Notes: Buergey placed 12th at the 5A State meet. Also, he had a great junior track season, qualifying for state in the 800 meters and 1500 meters, where he placed 6th and 9th, respectively. He is in great shape and should be one of the top distance runners in the state this year.
■ Owen Smith, PR 16:35, Sr.
Notes: Smith placed 13th at the District meet. He had a great track season where he broke 9 minutes in the 3k on the track. He is coming off a great summer of running and will compete as one of the top runners in the district.
■ Noah Rice, PR 17:41, So.
Notes: Rice ran one of the most competitive freshman seasons in Thurston history last year and is considered a No. 3 three-runner for the team. He placed 22nd in the Midwestern League meet. Also, he is coming off a strong track season and is looking to improve on his freshman times from last year.
TOP RETURNING GIRLS
■Nathalie Parker, PR 21:35, Jr.
Notes: Parker had a huge 2024-2025 season, winning the most improved runner award for both cross country and track. She became Thurston’s No. 1 runner last year in cross country and also had a standout track season, where she nearly broke 11 minutes for the 3k. Parker is looking to improve from her sophomore year to become one of the fastest Colt runners in history.
■ Evie Woodward, PR 21:36, Sr.
Notes: Woodward placed 21st at the Midwestern League meet last season. She also had a strong track season, dropping 11 seconds in the 800 meters from her previous PR. Woodward placed 7th at the Midwestern League meet in the 800 meters. She will be looking to show off her excellent leadership skills and have her best cross-country season yet.
■ Lilly Ramirez, PR 22:30, Jr.
Notes: Ramirez had an outstanding first year running cross country, placing 28th at the Midwestern League meet. More impressive was her first track season, where she ran the 18th fastest 3k in Thurston history. Ramirez will be looking forward to helping the Colts have a strong front pack, pushing her teammates and herself to fast times.
■ Nyah Marchant, PR 21:53, So.
Notes: Marchant had an outstanding freshman campaign, running with the Colt top runners every meet. She placed 21st at the Midwestern League meet. Nyah also had a great track season, placing 8th in the 800 meters at the Midwestern League meet. She will be looking forward to improving on her first season.
TEAM STRENGTHS
Boys
■Has one of the best runners in the state
■Strong No. 2 runner
■Hard-working motivated group
Girls
■Possibly will have the smallest one through five gap in the state.
■Team chemistry and leadership
■A close-knit team that all loves one another. They want their teammate to succeed just as badly as they want to succeed.
■ Coach Vanscoy says: “I am so excited for this season. We have been developing a culture at Thurston. Everyone has bought into the program and wants to succeed. This is the strongest group on both sides I have ever coached. It is not because of talent, but because of buy-in and belief in the program. Each runner has dedicated themselves all summer and is excited for the season to start. This team is small but mighty. The lack of numbers they have is made up for by the size of their hearts. It will be a magical season, and I can’t wait to start it.”
