Cross country preview: Franklin boys prep for title defense

When it comes to Oregon cross country, no team fits the “small, but mighty” description better than Franklin High School.

The boys team enters 2024 as the reigning state champions, the Lightning’s second title in program history after winning its first in 2019.

Head coach Jacob Michaels estimates that he has around 20 runners on the boys team, yet, the champs are expected to be right up at the top once again among the likes of Jesuit and Central Catholic.

For Michaels, who is entering his 23rd year coaching the boys team, building the program has been a true neighborhood effort and he’s seen many athletes come through the program who came to high school not knowing cross country would be their sport.

That’s just the Franklin way, as Michaels likes to put it.

“What I’m loving is there is great pride in the kids who show up, but it’s a small group,” Michaels said. “I take everyone who comes, and all of the incoming freshmen this year … none of them knew we were defending state champions.”

Needless to say, the continued success of the Franklin program has been a great underdog story to follow in the sport over the years.

After winning state last year, the Lightning took 14th at the Nike Cross Country Nationals to cement themselves as one of the best in the country.

Adding into the impressive run is the fact Franklin’s two state titles are only two of five big-school state titles won by public schools in the 21st century. The last PIL school to win the boys title before the 2019 Franklin was Ida B. Wells (then Wilson) in 1983.

“As far as predictions, I don’t really like to predict,” Michaels said of the upcoming season. “I think a lot of people think we’re not going to be as good because we graduated a handful of people, but the Franklin way is always finding the next person up.”

A perfect example of that motto is the Lightning’s top returner in senior Zafer Courcelle, who finished third at the state meet last year with a time of 15 minutes, 42.8 seconds.

Michaels said that Courcelle took third place in the JV district meet the year prior as a sophomore, but committed to the sport and has turned himself into a Division I talent.

“I have to hold Zafer back because he is a training monster, he’s just naturally strong at cross country,” Michaels said. “He didn’t run at all in middle school … He went out for the JV2 soccer team and cross country at the same time. Then he realized halfway through the season that he’s actually a runner.”

Courcelle will have strong competition in his own backyard as the next best returning finisher from state is his senior teammate in Brennan McEwen, who took fifth at state last year with a time of 15:54.0.

Franklin did lose its next two best finishers in graduated seniors Emil Nelson (sixth at state) and Rowan Haywood-O’Neill (14th at state). But Leaf McQuillen is another senior this year ready to do some damage after taking 19th at state in 2023.

Michaels is confident those holes can be replaced with the likes of freshman Max Gallagher, junior Izaak Mardon and junior Jasper Buskirk.

That group of six will have serious competition in league as the PIL has proven to be the deepest collection of talent in the sport over the years.

In the preseason OSAAToday coaches polls for boys cross country, No. 2 Grant and No. 4 Ida B. Wells were picked ahead of No. 5 Franklin with Lincoln right behind at No. 6. No other 6A league has more than two teams in the top 10. Central Catholic is sitting at No. 3.

On the girls side, Lincoln enters the season at No. 1, besting Jesuit in the poll by a single point. Franklin, who has finished in the top 10 for five consecutive years on the girls side, is sitting at No. 7. Central Catholic is receiving votes in the poll but didn’t crack the top 10.

Here’s a look at some of the notable names to keep an eye on for the 2024 cross country season:

Girls

Ellery Lincoln, sophomore, Lincoln (18:17.0, second at state)

Sophia Malinoski, senior, Lincoln (18:43.1, 10th at state)

Elyse Henriksen, junior, Lincoln (19:05.6, 14th at state)

Amelia Campbell, senior, Grant (19:24.9, 23rd at state)

Sam Reid, senior, Lincoln (19:37.8, 32nd at state)

Mira Danish, senior, Central Catholic (19:41.0, 33rd at state)

Emily Robertson, senior, Franklin (19:44.5, 36th at state)

Marilyn Phelps, junior, Central Catholic (19:56.7, 44th at state)

Hailie Robertson, senior, Franklin (20:18.1, 55th at state)

Alison Fajardo, sophomore, Franklin (20:29.6, 61st at state)

Jane Coffey-Read, junior, Ida B. Wells (21:16.0, 87th at state)

Teia Gipp, senior, Ida B. Wells (21:16.9, 89th at state)

Boys

Zafer Courcelle, senior, Franklin (15:42.8, third at state)

Brennan McEwen, senior, Franklin (15:54.0, fifth at state)

Finn Briscoe, senior, Central Catholic (16:14.5, 10th at state)

Kai Jensen, junior, Cleveland (16:22.5, 13th at state)

Leaf McQuillen, senior, Franklin (16:24.7, 19th at state)

Roman Radecki, senior, Jefferson (16:26.8, 20th at state)

Finn Lee, senior, Lincoln (16:34.8, 28th at state)

Joshua Hepner, senior, McDaniel (16:46.9, 39th at state)

Mason Hawkins, senior, Central Catholic (16:49.1, 44th at state)

Chase Berkaw, senior, Ida B. Wells (16:49.2, 45th at state)

Grady Gilkey, junior, Grant (16:53.5, 51st at state)

Greer Shorr, junior, Central Catholic (16:54.1, 52nd at state)

Jack Canaday, senior, Central Catholic (16:55.9, 54th at state)

Noah DuVivier, senior, Grant (17:06.2, 64th at state)

Liam Miller, senior, Central Catholic (17:06.9, 65th at state)

Noah Zeitzer, senior, Ida B. Wells (17:09.8, 72nd at state)

Leo Aslakson, senior, Grant (17:11.9, 73rd at state)

Henry O’Neal, senior, Jefferson (17:13.8, 74th at state)

Jack Harpster, senior, Central Catholic (17:14.2, 76th at state)

Max Borgmeier, senior, Ida B. Wells (17:15.5, 78th at state)

Nathaniel Rumberger, senior, Grant (17:26.6, 95th at state)

Wynton Martinez-Plachta, sophomore, Grant (17:27.4, 97th state)