Sierra Potter, Mikaela Siegel and Tyler Williams have much in common, as bright 17-year-old seniors at Siuslaw High School with the goal of one day entering a medical field.

Saturday, they will share one last run in the annual Lake Woahink Cross Country Invitational at Honeyman State Park.

"There's nothing better than running with a bunch of people cheering for you," Vikings coach Chris Johnson said. "We've normally had some good performances every year. The kids get excited about running in front of their home folks."

It will be the third Woahink for Potter, fifth for Williams and sixth for Siegel, who have each run it at least once at the 3,000-meter middle-school level and the 5,000-meter high-school standard.

"It's fun to run in front of everyone, and it's a nice course," Siegel said. "I've run Woahink a million times. You know the course, and it's really familiar to your body."

Johnson, meet director as well as coach, believes the course is among the finest in the state.

"From a cross-country runner's perspective, it has some open field, it has some single-track trail, even a bale of hay or two," he said. "It's the variety. The lakes. The peninsulas. It's beautiful."

Williams loves the course, too, but doesn't seem to share his coach's enthusiasm for the trail and the hay.

"Some parts it's super narrow," he said. "It's kind of annoying when you try to pass someone. And there are the five or six hay bales you have to jump."

And then there are the fierce competitors.

"I remember running down the hill and this girl like pushing me off the course," Potter said. "But it's fun. Woahink is a really good course, and they put a lot into it."

Forecast for Saturday is sunny weather, temperatures in the upper 60s and a big crowd.

"Normally the weather is really good the weekend of the Woahink," Johnson said. "It brings a lot of people. The park is packed. It's pretty awesome."

Schools entered include Siuslaw's Far West League rivals North Bend and Brookings-Harbor.

Other schools: Bandon, Churchill, Coquille, Elmira, Mohawk, Monroe, Newport, Oakland, Pacific, Philomath, Reedsport, Roseburg, South Eugene, Sutherlin, Toledo, West Linn, Willamette and Yoncalla.

Girls defending champion Sailor Hutton is expected to resume her rivalry with good friend Celie Mans, a junior at Siuslaw. Hutton won last year as a freshman at Bandon in 19 minutes, 49.04 seconds, while Mans was second in 20:19.53.

Hutton and Mans met earlier this season at the North Bend Tugman Invitational, again finishing 1-2.

Other Siuslaw entries include Morgan Bingham, Lainey Goss, Kaeli Ramos, Trinity Ramos and Destinie Tatum.

The top three boys finishers last year were seniors, including champion Seth Campbell of Siuslaw.

Siuslaw's varsity entries include Murray Bingham, Sean Burns, Isaac Griffes, Kyle King, Jack Pickell and Williams. Pickell is running his first race of the season after recovering from an injury.

THE SENIORS

Note: Threat of high winds forced officials to cancel the 2013 Woahink race, which would have been the sophomore season for Potter, Siegel and Williams.

Sierra Potter

Ran Woahink in Grades 6 and 11. Finished 20th in 22:29.69 in 2014.

Other sports at SHS: basketball, track and field

Sierra says:

On Woahink: "I'm in good shape but I could always be better. I'm just going to run. I'm looking more toward the end of the season."

On Johnson: "He inspires me to work as hard as I can every day at practice."

Johnson says:

"Sierra's a super-talented distance runner. She has just fought whether or not she wants to run. She's been the kind of kid that, at the end of the season and in the biggest races, she comes through for us."

Mikaela Siegel

Ran Woahink in Grades 6, 7, 8, 9, 11. Finished 47th in 25:01.77 in 2014.

Other sports at SHS: basketball, track and field (defending state 4A champion in 100-meter hurdles)

Mikaela says:

On Woahink: "My strategy is to run fast. I just give my best in all the races."

On Johnson: "He's been (coaching) awhile. He's a smart guy, and he's got it figured out."

Johnson says:

"Mikaela's a hurdler and a jumper and a (future) heptathlete maybe in track and field. She can do it all. She's just the consummate hard-working team kind of kid."

Tyler Williams

Ran Woahink in Grades 7, 8, 9, 11. Finished 20th in 21:10.55 in 2014 in junior varsity race.

Other sports: track and field

Tyler says:

On Woahink: "There's something about it that's really neat. It's kind of special. My strategy is to not start off too fast. I've been trying to stay with Isaac Griffes and Kyle King, because they're some of our faster runners."

On Johnson: "Johnson is crazy about running. He wants us to do well. He's really motivational."

Johnson says:

"Tyler had some success on the track last spring, and he's been able to take some of that momentum into cross country. He's started to look better in workouts, and starting to get some confidence. He's fighting for a varsity spot, one of the top seven. That's his challenge, and I'm looking forward to seeing him grow."