Jefferson County’s high school cross country programs launched their 2026 fall seasons this past weekend, with runners from Madras High School and Culver High School competing at two different invitationals across Oregon — an early taste of the competitive season ahead.
Bulldogs Head to Eugene
The Madras Bulldogs made the trip south to compete at the Northwest Classic, hosted by Marist Catholic High School at Lane Community College in Eugene. The meet draws competitors from across the state and gives teams an early-season baseline before Intermountain Conference competition heats up.
The Northwest Classic is considered one of the more competitive early-season invitationals in Oregon, and the Bulldogs’ willingness to travel and test themselves against strong programs from the Willamette Valley speaks to the team’s competitive ambition heading into the fall.
Eagles at the Ultimook
Meanwhile, the Culver Eagles made their annual trip to the Oregon Coast for the Ultimook Running Camp Race — one of the most prestigious early-season invitationals in the Pacific Northwest. Hosted in Tillamook, the Ultimook draws top programs from across the region and is widely regarded as an early marker for which athletes and teams will contend at the state level come November.
Culver enters the 2026 season with significant expectations. Junior Thad Blankenship — last year’s Intermountain Conference cross country champion and runner-up at the OSAA state championship — is back and widely considered one of the top distance runners in Class 3A. Blankenship also competed in track this spring and has set his sights on a state cross country title in his junior campaign.
A County with Running Roots
Cross country in Jefferson County has a strong tradition. Both Madras and Culver compete in the Intermountain Conference, which spans schools across Central and Eastern Oregon. The IMC championship and the OSAA district qualifying meet are the key milestones before the state meet, typically held in Eugene in late October or early November.
Volleyball fans also had reason to follow the action this weekend — the Madras varsity volleyball squad competed at the Sisters Tournament at Sisters High School on Saturday.
Full results from the weekend invitationals can be found on the OSAA website at osaa.org. The fall athletic season runs through November.