Crater celebrated its fourth consecutive 5A championship last year, outscoring runner-up Summit by 28 points. (Crater HS)

When it comes to boys distance running, no team has been able to match Crater's furious pace in recent seasons.

The Comets not only have won the last four 5A cross country titles, but stars Tyrone Gorze, Josish Tostenson and Tayvon Kitchen left their marks all over the state cross country and track record books.

The question facing Crater heading into this cross country season is whether it can extend its reign now that all three have moved on to college careers – Gorze to Washington in 2023 and Tostenson and Kitchen to Washington and Brigham Young, respectively, this year.

“We're definitely finding our own identity after losing three of the better runners in the nation in the last couple years,” coach Justin Loftus said. “It's kind of fun. There's not a lot of pressure. We get a chance to rebuild in our own way. They're super motivated.”

The Comets clearly don't have the same star power, but the Crater system has repeatedly shown that it can produce elite runners. The Comets have won 12 state titles since 2006, tied for the most in state history with South Eugene.

“I was joking around with the kids the other day, 'Everyone is coming in equally, unless you break the four-minute mile, so good luck with that,'” Loftus said. “Those guys weren't on a pedestal, but they definitely were out there. Now the kids can be their own selves and see how they progress.”

Crater graduated its top three state placers in Kitchen (champion in 2023 and 2024), Tostenson (sixth last year) and Ivar Hokanson (ninth last year). But the Comets have a six-man nucleus that has intriguing potential.

Back from last year's state meet are sophomore Garrett Faught (15th) and juniors Reece Hvall (33rd) and Maxwell Miracle (35th). Senior Preston Schmidt, junior Nathan Goode and freshman Ryder White also look strong.

White clocked 9:03.47 in the 3,000 meters in June, ahead of Tostenson's pace at the same age.

“He's one of the most talented kids I've had,” Loftus said of White. “He's as good as Josiah probably was at the 3,000. The expectations have been pretty high. The markers look good so far.”

Loftus said that Faught, who ran the 3,000 in 8:47.04 as a freshman, “has a ton of talent” and has had an excellent summer. Miracle and Schmidt placed fourth and seventh, respectively, in the 800 at the state track meet, and in June they teamed with Kitchen and Tostenson to win the 4x-mile at New Balance Nationals.

The team is counting on Schmidt's experience to help show the way.

“He's taking on somewhat of a leadership role,” Loftus said.

Loftus said the speedy Miracle is “ready to make that shift and see where it goes” this season. Miracle and fellow juniors Hvall and Goode are looking to build on what they learned as sophomores.

“They were trying to get to a level that maybe they weren't ready for to have some breakouts,” Loftus said. “They're all pretty attached right now.”

Last year, Crater bonded in the summer by training at elevation with other top high school teams at Park City, Utah, for about 10 days. The Comets didn't go to Park City this summer, but Loftus liked the progress he saw in the team's annual visit to Ultimook Running Camp in Tillamook.

“It's a great experience. It's been kind of a staple for the last 10 years,” he said.

The commitment level sustained by Gorze, Tostenson and Kitchen should rub off on the Comets.

“The bar gets set pretty high,” Loftus said. “Even if you do 90 percent of where the bar's at, you're doing pretty well. The kids had something to watch over the last three years. They've learned the system really well.”

Crater kicks off its season Friday in the Night Meet at Wilsonville. The Comets' schedule includes the prestigious Woodbridge Classic in Great Park, Calif., Sept. 19-20.

Crater, which outscored runner-up Summit 46-74 for first place in last year's 5A meet, has a different mindset entering this season.

“We have nothing to lose,” Loftus said. “Playing with house money is always fun. Some of those teams are hungry, like Summit. I think Summit's going to be really good this year.”