COLUMBIA COUNTY, Cross country runners from all five Columbia County high schools race for spots in the state meet this week, and two of the district meets are in the county.
Scappoose High School hosts the 4A Cowapa League meet Thursday, Oct. 29, at The Roots disc golf course in Warren. Rainier High School hosts the 3A Special District 1 meet Friday, Oct. 30. Dates and sites come from the OSAA’s district meet schedule.
| School | District | Date | Site |
|---|---|---|---|
| St. Helens | 5A Northwest Oregon Conference | Wed., Oct. 28 | Blue Lake Park |
| Scappoose | 4A Cowapa League | Thu., Oct. 29 | The Roots disc golf course, Warren |
| Rainier | 3A Special District 1 | Fri., Oct. 30 | Rainier High School |
| Clatskanie, Vernonia | 2A/1A Special District 1 | Fri., Oct. 30 | Fort Stevens Historic Area |
Putnam High School hosts the Northwest Oregon Conference meet at Blue Lake Park, and Knappa High School hosts the 2A/1A Special District 1 meet at Fort Stevens.
How Runners Qualify for State
Each district sends a set number of teams to state, plus individual runners who finish high enough but are not on a qualifying team. Here is what each county school is racing for, per the OSAA’s 2026 cross country plan book:
| Race | Team spots | Individual spots |
|---|---|---|
| 5A Northwest Oregon Conference, boys and girls | 2 | Top 7 not on a qualifying team |
| 4A Cowapa League, boys and girls | 1 | Top 7 not on a qualifying team |
| 3A Special District 1 boys | 3 | Top 7 not on a qualifying team |
| 3A Special District 1 girls | 2 | Top 4 not on a qualifying team |
| 2A/1A Special District 1 boys | 3 | Top 7 not on a qualifying team |
| 2A/1A Special District 1 girls | 1 | Top 4 not on a qualifying team |
After the district meets, an OSAA committee adds at-large teams statewide: two in 5A, six in 4A, one each in 3A boys and girls, two in 2A/1A boys, and three in 2A/1A girls. In the 3A and 2A/1A girls races, a team can run seven athletes, but only its top four score.
State Meet: Nov. 7 in Eugene
All six classifications race Saturday, Nov. 7, at Lane Community College, 4000 E. 30th Ave. in Eugene. Girls run first this year. Start times for the races county schools are in:
- 2A/1A girls: 9:25 a.m.
- 2A/1A boys: 10 a.m.
- 3A girls: 10:35 a.m.
- 3A boys: 11:10 a.m.
- 4A girls: 11:45 a.m.
- 4A boys: 12:20 p.m.
- 5A girls: 1:45 p.m.
- 5A boys: 2:20 p.m.
Tickets are $13 for adults and $7 for students, from age 5 through high school seniors, sold digitally through the OSAA website, according to the association’s state meet information. The top 10 finishers in each race get individual medals.
The Coaches
Hyla Ridenour coaches St. Helens. Corey Hedger coaches Scappoose and directs Thursday’s Cowapa meet. Sydney Stinnett coaches Rainier, Rachel Kujala coaches Clatskanie, and John Roady coaches Vernonia, according to the schools’ OSAA team pages.