MOSES LAKE — The Moses Lake Mavericks cross country teams concluded the 2026 season with a strong performance at the 2026 4A State Cross Country Championships on Saturday. The boys took 15th as a team while the girls placed 9th, putting a nice finish to a successful season. 

"It was absolutely high quality," Head Coach Larry Dagnon said. "The teams were all extremely fast. I think we did very well, actually all things considered. We're 20 seconds faster per mile for the boys than we were last year, and the girls were, I think, 40 seconds faster almost per mile than they were last year. They showed market improvement. The boys didn't show it via their placing, but they sure were better than they were the year prior." 

Leading the way for the boys was Lane Christensen (16:24.50), Colton Lucero (16:42.50), Maxwell Jolley (16:46.90), Liam Roseburg (17:04.50), Jonathan Sandoval (17:09.60), Noah Demchuk (17:21.50) and Gabriel Cabiao (17:48.50). They finished with a team score of 327 and a top five average time of 16:49.60. 

The girls were led by Rachel Nofziger (19:19.40), Amelia Olascon (19:24.70), Aspen Hoenes (19:37.20), Natalie Vehrs (19:46.40), Emily Bong (20:15.20), Kaytlyn Russell (20:25.00) and Sarah Humpherys (21:43.40). Their 201 score and top five average time of 19:40.6 helped the ladies plant themselves inside the top 10, narrowly surpassing Mead which scored 202.  

Though the boys team possibly hoped for a higher finish, Dagnon feels they should still come away proud of what they put into the race.  

"They shouldn't be too disappointed. They came, they ran on a very tough course against very good competition, and they didn't embarrass themselves," said the coach. "The difference between some of those teams and us, is we run as a pack, and a lot of those teams have a top 15 runner that gets on the podium, and it's very hard for a team like us that depends upon our pack numbers to beat some of those teams... it's just really hard when you start stacking those numbers up." 

The girls team put together one of the best performances in program history, Dagnon said. 

"They have the highest finish of any Moses Lake team ever," he said. "That's pretty amazing when you think about all the teams that have ever gone to state for Moses Lake. The highest I believe Moses Lake had done before was 12th, and I think they've done that twice in the 80s, and Rachel (Nofziger) coming through and just running as strong as she did – it was just a really good race for her. She was tough, she put a lot of time into it. She just had a really nice season and she continued that at state." 

Of all the varsity runners competing in the state meet this year, three across both teams were seniors. The rest are made up of sophomores and juniors, which points to a bright future for the Mavericks program that consistently seeks opportunities to improve.  

"It does feel very bright," Dagnon said. "If they put in the kind of work they need to, next year should take care of itself. Things should line up pretty well for them to possibly get back there and maybe get on the podium. You just don't know, we were pretty close, and you just never know once you get to that final run." 

When he looked back on the season, Dagnon pointed to their race in Hawaii at the Iolani Invite as a great example of what this team was this year. Not only did both teams finish inside the top five, but they competed with other top programs from around the country.  

"The only team they lost to was Great Oak, and Great Oak just won their district down in California, and they were extremely fast," he said. "Right then, we kind of thought we probably were on the right track when both teams hit their highest finishing point. Then they followed it up at Bob Firman doing the same type of thing in the elite race. We more than held our own, so I think those moments, were pretty close together, and we realized that we would be pretty tough." 

As for those seniors in Lucero, Demchuk and Nofziger, the Mavericks will have some big spikes to fill. As he reflected on his seniors' contributions to the program, there was no shortage of compliments to what each senior in the Mavs cross country program brought to the table.  

"We're going to be losing two captains, one from the boys' team, one from the girls' team, who are pretty good leaders," Dagnon said. "Rachel's more of a silent leader. She just does all the right things, and kids follow her because she backs up what she expects with her actions. Colton (Lucero) is such a good leader. He talks the talk, walks the walk. It's going to be a huge open hole for us." 

Though he feels they are losing a good amount, he's also confident this team is prepared to reload next season. 

"We'll have kids who step up and fill that gap, we always have," he said. "When we watch how some of these seniors in the past have come through the ranks and how they've learned from the classes ahead of them, I expect nothing less than that from the current group. We have a lot of good leadership, so I think we will be fine." 

    The Mavs' Rachel Nofziger (3902) making a steep climb up the Gorge Amphitheater earlier this season. Nofziger ran a 19:19.40 time to help the girls place 9th as a team in the state meet.