Port Angeles cross-country runner Lauren Larson, left and Roughriders’ soccer forward Millie Long, right.

Port Angeles cross-country runner Lauren Larson, left and Roughriders’ soccer forward Millie Long, right.

ATHLETES OF THE WEEK: Port Angeles’ Lauren Larson and Millie Long

Both of our Athletes of the Week are previous winners, but they are off to such spectacular starts to their 2019 seasons that they deserve yet more accolades.

The Roughriders’ Millie Long and Lauren Larson might be the two best prep athletes on the entire Olympic Peninsula. They are on record-shattering paces so far this fall.

Long had a hat trick in helping the Riders’ soccer team knock off North Kitsap for the first time since 2000. That came after a four-goal game a week earlier in a match against Ferndale.

Long already has 17 goals in just seven matches for the undefeated Riders. How good of an athlete is she? She is also an Olympic League 2A Division basketball MVP and a state track and field champion in the 300 hurdles.

Larson has started off her 2019 cross-country season with a bang, winning her first four races by huge margins. She won the 42nd annual Salt Creek Invitational for the second straight year in

17 minutes, 31 seconds, breaking her first-place time from 2018 by a full minute.

Two of her wins this season have been by 56 seconds or more.

Larsen also ran a time of 18:32 this weekend at the Bellevue Invitational, the No. 1 time in the state among 2A girls.

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Left, Gus Halberg, Port Angeles soccer. Right, Evan Cisneros, Sequim soccer.
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KEITH THORPE/PENINSULA DAILY NEWS
Port Angeles' Grant Butterworth, front, tries to steer an incoming corner kick as Olympic's Jackson Wyall and goalkeeper Mariano Pena defend the net during Saturday's playoff game at Peninsula College.
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