Siuslaw senior Jack Pickell landed his first cross-country victory as a Viking on Thursday, and now he has bigger fish to fry.

Like the Far West League championships next Thursday at Tugman State Park and the Oregon School Activities Association Class 4A championships Nov. 5 at Lane Community College in Eugene.

"I know for a fact that we can place at state, top four or top three," Pickell said, after winning the annual The Run for The Brownies 3,000-meter race at Sandpines Golf Links.

"At district, when push comes to shove, I think we're going to do great. Great things are going to happen."

Pickell completed the 3,000 meters in a personal-record 10 minutes, 11 seconds. Siuslaw junior Isaac Griffes was second in 10:15 and freshman Kiger Johnson third in 10:17.

Pickell's senior year in the sport has been one of redemption despite several twists and turns, including a rare open date on the Vikings' schedule and a meet that was canceled because of weather.

"It's just a little weird senior year," he said. "But (Siuslaw coach Chris) Johnson knows how to figure this stuff out. I have complete faith in Johnson.

"His training plan, even with an extra week and missing a couple meets, he always figures it out in the end."

Pickell is coming off an injury-plagued junior season that was something of a downer after a sterling sophomore season when he finished 30th in state, running a personal-record 17:18 for the 5,000 meters.

"Last year I came into the season with an injury, and it hurt me physically and mentally," he said. "It kinda brought me down a bit.

"I feel I'm coming back. I've got a fresh team, a fresh start, and it's looking up."

Pickell and Griffes are the Vikings' two big guns, with Johnson and freshman Brendon Jensen coming along strong as the Nos. 3 and 4 Vikings. Junior Jordan Northop has the fifth-best 5,000 meters on the team.

Pickell tries to be a leader on the team by example and as a mentor.

"It's definitely a lot more stressful, knowing that these freshmen might be looking up to me," he said. "I have to help them out, no matter what, and I'll always be on their side. I have to teach them how to do this."

So far, Pickell is pleased with the young Vikings.

"It's not the easiest thing for them. They didn't have a chance to be a freshman," he said. "They had to grow up, right away, and they did. They're doing great.

"They're doing exactly like I want them to do. They're doing perfect. If we all just run like that, at district, all of us together, great things can happen."

NOTES

Siuslaw senior Celie Mans was the top girls finisher for the fourth time, clocking 11:02. Vikings filled the first five spots among the girls, with sophomore Kaeli Ramos followed by freshmen Hannah Rannow, Anne Wartnik and Chloe Madden. ...

Complete results are available online at http://www.athletic.net/CrossCountry/Results/Meet.aspx?Meet=118679#/183.

Jack Pickell hopes to go to state in cross country (fall), symphonic band (winter) and track and field (spring) his senior year. He has been accepted at Montana State (Billings), and hopes to join its cross-country team as either a walk-on or a red-shirt. ...

The Vikings will finish second in both the boys and girls races at next week' Far West League championships, based on hypothetical results from Athletic.net. ... The web site has Marshfield winning the boys with 46 points, followed by Siuslaw with 53 and North Bend with 61. ... For the girls, it has North Bend winning with 38, Siuslaw second with 60 and South Umpqua third with 65. ...

Siuslaw eighth-grader Brea Blankenship was Vikings' top runner, boy or girl, in the 3,000-meter middle-school race, finishing seventh overall in 12 minutes, 38.3 seconds, followed by seventh-grader Rylee Colton in 12:42.5. ... Sixth-grader Sam Ulrich had the top Vikings' boys time of 12:54.4. ... Glide eighth-grader Brandon Byrd won in 11:24.9. ...