PASCO – Bedridden with pneumonia before the three biggest races of the season, Eliisa Marshall feared her Camas High School cross country career would end in disappointment.

Three weeks later, Marshall was beaming after a sixth-place finish in the Class 4A race at the state championships.

Marshall’s time of 18 minutes, 18.10 seconds was the fastest of any Clark County girl Saturday on the 5,000-yard course at Sun Willows Golf Course.

After finishing third at the District 4 championships on Oct. 23, Marshall started to feel better when she finished second at the Westside Classic bi-district competition.

Saturday’s time was Marshall’s second-fastest of the season and a 43-second improvement from his 14th-place finish at last year’s state meet.

Marshall’s excitement at finishing was matched only by his sense of relief.

“It hit me hard,” Marshall said of his illness. “I was afraid my season would end after that. I’m so relieved that I was able to run to my full potential today.

Marshall ran side-by-side with District 4 champion Daphne Evenson. The Skyview senior finished seventh, a half-second behind Marshall.

“Daphne is always a big help because we’re always on the same pace,” Marshall said. “We’ve been running together for a while.”

Evenson was also happy with her race on Saturday. She ran nearly 50 seconds faster than her 15th place finish last year.

“Going into the race, I didn’t want to do what I did at regionals and go out too fast,” Evenson said. “I feel like I executed the strategy. …I wanted to have another gear to find halfway through the race. I found it. I think it was my best last mile of the season, which is a good way to end.

Cohen Butler of Camas places fifth

Cohen Butler also overcame a mid-season setback to finish strong in the Class 4A boys race. The Camas junior put a nagging injury behind him to finish fifth in 15:36, the fastest time of any Clark County boy on Saturday.

It’s a marked improvement for Butler, who shaved 1:10 off her time last year when placing 41st.

“I’m very happy,” Butler said. “I was trying to come here and do what I could to race well. Before the race I didn’t feel well. But after a mile I felt good and knew I could get something out today.

Battle Ground sophomore Lord King Nana-Badu-Weah was the second-fastest 4A local, finishing 17th in 15:48.

Union senior Bradley Harris, the District 4 champion, finished 45th in 16:16.

Columbia River’s McManus places fifth

A year after finishing second in the 2A boys race, Columbia River senior Jacob McManus was hoping for a state title.

That seemed like a possibility for most of the race as McManus found himself with a tight lead pack. But the back-to-back District 4 champion couldn’t compete in the final mile and finished fifth.

McManus crossed the finish line in 15:44. Dylan Rowell of Anacortes won in 15:26 and Nick Gargano of Sehome was second in 15:29.

“Nick Gargano made a move and I didn’t follow it,” McManus said. “If I’m honest, I’m pretty disappointed in myself.”

Still, McManus was heartened by the River team’s sixth-place finish after the Rapids placed fourth last year.

“I love all my teammates so much that I understand this is bigger than any individual performance I could ever have,” McManus said. “I just hope I showed them that no matter what happens, you don’t remember the races but the people, the teammates and the memories with them.”

Ridgefield Sen. Davis Sullivan placed 11th for his best finish at the state competition. This propelled the Spudders to a fifth place team finish.

RA Long junior Andres Orozco-Stansberry had an outstanding race and finished ninth. Her time of 16:01 was a personal best by 28 seconds and was a marked improvement from last year’s 74th place state finish.

Hockinson sixth in 2A Girls

District 4 champion Hockinson placed his top three runners in the top 33 to earn sixth place in the Class 2A race.

Scarlett Sanders led Hockinson in 29th place. Graysen Aldridge finished 32nd, one place ahead of Lyla Taylor.

Columbia River’s Ainsley Morrisey and Journey Yokum placed 42nd and 43rd, respectively, while the Rapids finished 10th.

District runner-up Danica Allen of Ridgefield finished 63rd to lead the Spudders to 14th place.

La Center boys fifth in 1A

Led by Carter Sherry in 43rd and Lance Cole in 44th, La Center placed all five of its scoring runners in the top 75 to finish fifth in the Class 1A boys race.

Columbia-White Salmon’s Noah Slayton was the Trico League’s top runner in 30th place, followed by Seton Catholic senior Sam Soto in 34th.

Castle Rock senior Casie Klein finished 10th for the Trico League’s top finish in the 1A girls race.

Shasha Pash finished 25th to lead La Center, which finished 13th in the team competition.