EUGENE – It’s been an emotional rollercoaster for the Cottage Grove boys and girls cross country teams the past two weeks. They’ve experienced tremendous highs in athletic competition while processing the personal yet shared tragedy of losing a fellow athlete, a friend, a loved one.
The Lions cross country teams, already having reached first-time milestones in the program’s storied history, continued to reach new heights at the 2025 OSAA Class 4A Cross Country State Championships at Lane Community College on Saturday.
Both teams earned podium placement – the boys finishing third and the girls taking fourth. It was a one-spot improvement for the boys from last year and a seven-spot improvement for the girls from 2024.
“What we have for our team I think is so special and my feelings are everywhere right now,” said senior Ella Cardwell. “I’m happy because this was our first state trophy in school history and I’m just so happy in that area, but I’m so sad that I have to leave home. What we have here, like I said, it’s super special, and so it’s sad to leave, but I know that they’re gonna accomplish great things.”
Both Lions teams made a point of “finishing in packs” this season, something head coach Ricky Knutson said represented the spirit of teamwork and togetherness. In fact, before the state race, David Culbert made bracelets for each member of the boys’ and girls’ teams. They had a fellow runner’s name and the name of their classmate and friend, Darby Ladd, who passed away Oct. 29. A celebration of life for Ladd took place in Cottage Grove during the meet.
“(David) just, he doesn’t care if he’s our number one runner, you know, just whatever’s best for the team. And, yeah, I can’t, I can’t put into words what he’s meant to the team and the program. Just like, those guys just love each other. It’s hard to put into words,” Knutson said, overcome with emotion.
Culbert, who finished 16th at 17:00.71 on Saturday, told the crowd he would keep his statement brief in respect to Ladd’s family. “There was a service today and we all wanted to be there but we were unable to. So, just having him in our spirits and just having him with us at the end of the day, it helped us.”
Saturday’s results were never guaranteed for the Lions. In fact, it would have been understandable if Knutson was concerned about the immediate future of the cross country and track teams after Carter Bengtson – a multi-year state champion – graduated last June.
Now, it’s safe to say he had nothing to worry about.
“To lose the state champion and another all-state runner (Easton Hutchins) and come back the following year and place one spot higher as a team, I don’t think anybody would have guessed that,” Knutson said. “To do what they did today is not super common. They worked really hard all summer. There couldn’t be a nicer group of kids.”
The girls were led by Cardwell’s 11th-place finish (19:36.18) and the 26th-place spot by sophomore Carly Knutson (20:31.01).
Other Lions finishers: Remington Sharkey (17:23.62), Frank Garcia (17:25.87), Jennings Albrecht (17:31.31), Micah Hanke (17:42.75), Jackson Gifford (17:44.77), Braeden Bomar (18:23.58); Hailey Fergason (21:08.50), Rowyn Earl (21:17.03), Dave Rowan (22:02.68), Kaliyah Ortiz (22:03.31), and Zoey Knutson (23:51.43).
