Hockinson High School’s Cross Country team no longer asks whether they have a chance to make it to State. Now, it’s “How high can we finish?”
Head Coach Melissa Peterson and Assistant Coaches Nichole Ervin and Kyle Peterson, Melissa's son, are the leaders who have engineered the transformation. But it doesn't start and end there. It's a movement that includes HMS Cross Country coaches Janell Morley and James Vettrus. And, of course, the runners themselves.
Speaking of the runners, Peterson points to one particular turning point that fueled a program-wide shift in mindset: In 2023, the HHS Girls Cross Country Team qualified for the State Meet. The Boys Team didn't. Peterson and her coaches provided the Hawks with a very aggressive roadmap that would require each runner to do his best for an outside chance at qualifying. The next year, the boys rose to the occasion at Districts and earned the final State qualifying spot by just one point. The boys team has qualified for State each year since, including finishing 8th place last year—the highest team finish in school history. That same year, Peterson was named Boys and Girls Coach of the Year; she was named Girls Coach of the Year a year later.
The girls' team, meanwhile, hit the ground running. An incredibly talented, hardworking group of athletes won back-to-back district titles and continued to raise the bar for HHS Cross Country, finishing 6th place at the 2024 State Meet. This year, the girls aim to raise that bar even higher.
That momentum shows no sign of slowing. This season, the boys' team entered ranked in the top 10 in the state, and many of the girls who won Districts last year have returned. Both teams spent the first weekend of the school year at a 3-day retreat in Government Camp, putting the school’s “Elevate” motto into practice. In between running around Mt. Hood, Trillium Lake, and up to Timberline Lodge, which boasts a 6,000-foot elevation, the team spent time playing team-bonding games, singing karaoke, and riding the Alpine Slide. “Our goal was to come home feeling like a team, and I think we accomplished that,” said Peterson.
Peterson credits much of the program’s success to her athletes’ dedication and the unwavering support from their families. The Hawks practice year-round and have weekly team events. Their parents’ fundraising efforts make it possible to travel around the Northwest to highly competitive meets, giving the Hawks the chance to compete against some of the best runners in the region and to see that they belong there, too.
Peterson is dedicated to building the HHS XC program so it can continue excelling long after this group graduates. Middle school athletes train with the Hawks each summer. Middle school runners have been inspired by their high school counterparts and both the HMS Cross Country and Track Teams have increased in participation over the past three years. This fall, 52 athletes turned out for Cross Country - an exciting benchmark for that program. The pipeline also extends up to Hockinson Heights Elementary School. After organizing a successful HHES Track Club and 5th Grade Track Meet at HHS last June, Kyle Peterson is leading a cross-country club at Hockinson Heights Elementary School this fall. Next month, runners from all three Hockinson schools will race at the Hockinson Meadows home meet!
While Melissa Peterson views this growth and success as outcomes of a plan put in motion by coaches and athletes years ago, she keeps the focus squarely on the kids and making sure running "fills their bucket" in terms of goal setting, teamwork, friendships, and achievement. "I want them to look back at Hockinson XC as one of the best parts of their high school experience, and I want the younger kids in our community to be excited for their turn,” said Peterson.