PASCO — As Conner Hill sat behind the awards tent on Saturday, Nov. 7, sixth-place state medal around his neck, he reflected on the past two trips to the 2B state meet in Pasco.
Nearly one year previous, 364 days in fact, Hill’s state finish put a damper on what was otherwise a dominant sophomore season. After six consecutive first-place races during the campaign, he finished in 36th at state.
“Last year, I had…you can call it a panic attack if you want. I had tunnel vision in my legs. My legs went to crap,” Hill said of his 2025 state run.
This year was all about redemption, and he earned it.
Hill clinched his first trip to the state podium in sixth place with a time of 16 minutes and 52.6 seconds. His brain tossed him conflicting thoughts after stepping down from the podium, from which he nearly vomited.
He wanted to win it all. But, at the same time, last year’s performance was officially behind him.
In the home stretch of Saturday’s 2B boys state race, Hill found himself in a similar position as last year, feeling nothing but lactic acid rushing through his legs and getting that familiar tunnel vision feeling, but he powered through it.
“It obviously wasn’t what I was aiming for, but that was the best I could do today,” he said. “I was feeling good. I got in the group I wanted to be with. I hit the two-mile mark, and that’s when the lactic acid hit. At the 2.5-mile, I started dying. I was fighting with everything I had. I hit the last hill, and my legs were just gone. I started getting tunnel vision going down, too. But I was able to hold on. I never gave up, and I’m proud of it.”
Hill worked on his endurance and strength this offseason to be able to overcome such sensations at the end of the season. He put in plenty of weight training and miles over the summer, but he also worked on adjusting his mindset.
He learned to be happy and thankful for his accomplishments, even if he falls short of his goals. Hill proved to himself on Saturday that his work in both the physical and mental departments has paid off.
“It’s something I knew I could do because mentally, I feel like I’m strong as heck. I refuse to give up,” he said. “That’s the motto I live by. Give everything I’ve got in everything I do. If I give anything less than that, then I’m failing and I’m not doing it right. I’ve learned to be happy, even in hard times when I’m struggling. Cross country has taught me to be thankful for everything.”
Centralia Christian freshman Wyatt Oliver was the next top area finisher in 40th place at 18:05.0 in his state debut. Adna sophomore Raymond Carroll led the Pirates with a 54th-place run at 18:29.9 to help his team finish in 13th. Winlock senior Lucas Kibler paced the 15th-place Cardinals at 18:33.2 to finish in 56th.
Adna junior Colton Rind ranked 76th at 18:50.9 for his best state time and placement yet, and Adna freshman Seth Pearson came in 79th at 18:52.1. Winlock senior Freddy Patching closed out his final season with an 84th-place time of 18:54.6, and Winlock freshman Chance Winder posted a 92nd-place time of 19:08.8. Winlock senior Jacob Trodahl’s time of 19:10.2 was good enough for 95th.
Rainier’s top runner was freshman Brando Gallardo Mendoza, who took 100th at 19:16.5. Adna senior Treven Willis ranked 107th at 19:30.5, Rainier senior Owen Timbers placed 109th at 19:31.4, and Mossyrock freshman Rory Woods was the Vikings’ lone state runner at 19:38.9 for 111th place. Rainier sophomore Shane Parker finished in 122nd place at 20:00.1 to round out the Mountaineers state runners.
