Warnaar Race 25

Saturday cooked us like hotdogs left too long on the grill…mostly because Coach Ryan was up at Marji and apparently he’s the only one who knows how to flip the dawgs without burning them. It wasn’t just warm, it was “whose genius idea was navy blue jerseys in full sun” warm. Parents were melting into their camp chairs, huddled under team tents like extras in a mob movie, clutching Gatorades like contraband and whispering, “is it socially acceptable to bust out popsicles before noon?”

By evening, the weather had clearly heard us complaining and said, “oh, you want drama?” Cue the thunderstorm. Lightning cracked, car racks rattled, and every parent had the same thought: “does my insurance cover hail damage to bikes…or just the SUV?” Most families were safe at home, scrolling weather apps like stock tickers, but the two brave camping crews got the full IMAX experience. Kids in sleeping bags passed out to thunder like it was white noise, while parents lay awake staring at the camper ceiling, calculating whether they’d set up in a swamp and wondering how Coach Jeffy planned to wheel his portable bike wash SUV through mud deep enough to swallow a Yeti cooler.

Then Sunday morning came. Light rain. A drizzle, just enough to tease us with mud dreams. Coaches were pacing around like it was Christmas morning, hoping for a sloppy, gritty, wheel-sucking mess. But Warnaar had jokes…instead of mud, the rain turned the trail into Velcro. Faster, smoother, stickier than a kid’s hands after a fruit snack binge. If you wanted carnage, you were disappointed (I absolutely was). If you wanted chaos? Well, the Coyotes brought plenty.

Warnaar Trail in Three Rivers…a brand-new venue that instantly earned a spot on the highlight reel. Flow like Dragon or Mosquito Creek, wide-open Wahlfield-style fields and just enough punch to make every rider forget about chores. Ten out of ten. Would’ve been eleven if Verizon hadn’t decided to cosplay as a potato the second we parked. At this point I half expect a parent to pull a Starlink dish out of the trunk and strap it to the team tent for us to stream from race venues. Kidding…probably?

Speaking of chaos, Coyotes delivered. Titus pulled the “pro move of the weekend” by flatting right before the start, grabbing Jeremiah’s bike like it was a bike-share rental and still hammering into second. Parents on the sidelines were half screaming, half Googling “can you win on someone else’s bike?” And Easton. Oh, Easton. He’s now personally responsible for 37% of Canyon’s derailleur hanger sales. Another one snapped in preride…the preride, people. At this point, his hangers don’t break, they just see him coming and quit. So he borrows a bike, shrugs and goes out to win the whole dang thing. Parents were yelling like it was the Kentucky Derby, coaches were high-fiving like we had a clue what was happening, and Easton just rolled back into the tent like, “anyone got extra snacks?”

The ADV MS girls? They crashed in the first corner. From the outside: disaster. From the inside: it looked exactly like a dive for the last donut on the snack table. Dirt on their jerseys, sprinkles in their eyes, they got back up and sent it anyway. Ray also gave us drama…derailleur issues mid-race, followed by the full WWE performance: bike down, derailleur kicked, race continued. Sawtooth (our mascot, for those just joining the conversation here) was in the woods calling play-by-play like, “In this corner: Ray. In the other corner: a UDH SRAM derailleur. Place your bets.”

And while most of the Coyotes were throwing down at Warnaar, a couple of our crew were way up north doing something far more unhinged…Marji Gesick. For the uninitiated, Marji isn’t just a bike race, it’s a sufferfest people put on their bucket list right next to “climb Everest” and “eat a Carolina Reaper without crying.” Folks literally get the logo tattooed on their calves as a badge of survival. And yes, there’s a Mini Marji…but “mini” is a cruel joke…it’s still harder than most adult races you’ll ever enter.

Ocean lined up and absolutely went beast mode…2nd overall woman. Not just her age group, not a fluke, but overall. Parents on the sidelines were stunned into silence, coaches were fumbling for snacks to stress-eat and Sawtooth was somewhere in the woods holding up a sign that said “respect.” Owen backed it up with a gritty finish of his own, hammering like the course had personally offended him. And together? Ocean and Owen went full Marji mode, landing themselves in sixth and seventh. And no, not that “6–7” slang the kids keep joking about in the pits…we’re talking real deal, official finish line, numbers-on-the-paper results. Proof. Not vibes.

Meanwhile, Reese was the lone madwoman pulling the double-header…Gravel Nationals podium on Saturday, Varsity podium at Warnaar on Sunday. The rest of us were still trying to find our rain jackets and keep the snack table upright and Reese was out here defying the laws of recovery.

Let’s talk about Rainey. Oh, Rainey. Her mom threw away her bike shoes because a bird pooped on them. Straight into the garbage. Gone. No backup plan. So Rainey lines up in blazing pink Nikes and turns it into a runway moment. Somewhere between the start line and the finish chute, those shoes became iconic. Half the parents were Googling “cycling cleats that look like Jordans” before the race even ended.

Oh, and because we keep getting asked…Sawtooth. He’s not just a name. He’s the Coyotes’ mascot. No, he’s not a real coyote (MiSCA killed that dream fast). He’s a snack-devouring, chaos-commentating legend who shows up when the course tape rattles, when the snack table’s empty, when a parent screams just a little too loud. He’s the voice whispering “take another Cosmic Brownie” when mom says no. Sawtooth is every broken derailleur, every empty fruit snack box, every dad yelling “line choice” without knowing what it means. Sawtooth is us.

So yeah…Warnaar had everything. Heat that cooked us, storms that soaked us, drizzle that teased us, a course that laughed at us, bikes that betrayed us, pink shoes that stole the show, and Coyotes that still found podiums in the middle of it all. Snacks? Gone before lap two. Parents? Louder than the thunder the night before. Coaches? Probably aging in dog years. Sawtooth? He wouldn’t have it any other way.

And now that you’ve got the story, let’s get into the results…

The big dogs rolled into Warnaar with the full snack tent behind them, and they did not disappoint. In Varsity Male, Ray came out swinging and locked down 10th. Every lap he looked like he was fueled by Hot Cheetos and pure spite. Easton…Varsity Easton, (the calm one) kept it steady in 13th. No hanger drama, no broken bikes, just smooth racing like he was pacing himself straight to the snack tent. Then Camden in 17th, who somehow made it look like Sunday cruise miles. Parents were cheering, but Camden had the “yeah, I got this” vibe like he’d happily take one more lap just to beat the rush on Cosmic Brownies.

Over in Varsity Female, Reese pulled off one of the wildest doubles we’ve ever seen. Gravel Nationals podium on Saturday, Varsity MiSCA podium on Sunday. Third place, fresh legs or not. That’s not racing, that’s science defying snack alchemy. Parents were still screaming when Sadie came through for 11th, riding the drizzle like it was a highlight reel moment. If Sawtooth had a vote, both of them are already locked for “Most Likely to Out-Snack the Course.”

The JV 11–12th Male duo gave us a masterclass in grit. Kellen hammered into 8th like he was dragging a Costco cart behind him, parents yelling every corner like he was sprinting for the last Gatorade on the shelf. Sam held it down in 14th, a quiet but snack filled ride. You know the type: doesn’t look like he’s working hard, but halfway through the race you realize he’s already doing the math on how many snacks he’s earned.

Then came the JV 9–10th Male invasion…and yes, it was an invasion. Tristan didn’t just win, he straight up claimed the course like it was Coyotes property. Luke backed it up with 3rd, Will slotted into 5th and Tyler came through in 11th. That’s four Coyotes in the top eleven, all charging like the timing tent had hidden the fruit snacks behind the finish chute. Honestly, the officials could’ve just printed “Coyotes” across the leaderboard and called it a day. Parents were hoarse from screaming, and coaches were pretending they knew which kid was flying by at 20mph.

And because freshmen deserve their flowers too, Novice 9th Male had Robbie quietly stacking a 9th-place finish. No drama, no chaos…just sneaky strong. He might not have had the full snack spotlight this time, but make no mistake: Robbie’s already cooking something for the next one.

Let’s not forget the lone Coyote repping JV Female: Kaitlyn in 6th, pink helmet blazing and legs turning like she was powered by Capri Suns alone. She hit the line already eyeing the snack tent like it was the true podium. Honestly, if MiSCA awarded medals for snack strategy, she’d have a gold hanging next to her bike right now.

When the dust settled, High School Coyotes were still on top overall. Yip yip! The tent cheered, the snacks evaporated and Sawtooth scribbled “HS: still leading” on the back of a Little Debbie box as proof.

But High School wasn’t the only show in town. Middle School rolled up with its own blend of chaos, grit, and donuts…sometimes all at once. In ADV MS Male, Cruz (3rd) threw elbows with the front, Sawyer (6th) and Jakob (7th) stacked top-tens like they were grabbing seconds at the snack table, with Max (19th) and James (21st) grinding it out behind. ADV MS Female brought the heat too: Laila (2nd) on the box, Sammy (4th) knocking on it, Landree (7th) and Harper (9th) locking down the top ten like it was reserved seating. The Intermediate 7–8th Male crew was relentless…Calvin (5th) and Ryland (6th) back-to-back, Michael (13th) refusing to let off. In Intermediate 6–8th Female, Hadley (6th) led the snack-powered charge, with Ellie (12th) and Alida (17th) chewing up miles like fruit snacks. And yes, that hanger-slayer story lives here: Intermediate 6th Male Easton (1st) nuked a hanger in preride, borrowed a bike, and still took the W; Michael (2nd) made it a Coyotes 1-2… pretend we planned it. For the send-it starters in Novice 7–8th Male, Tyler (2nd) made the podium look easy, Leo (25th) and Spencer (27th) brought the grit and the cheers.

We’re only 36 points back in MS….absolutely strike range. Snacks packed. Teeth bared.

And then came the little wheels with big energy. In ADV Elementary Male, Camden (3rd), Ryder (4th), and Raylan (6th) all threw down like the front row was handing out Capri Suns. ADV Elementary Female had Lola (5th) riding like the course owed her interest. Over in Elementary 5th, Simon (22nd) played the long game, while Anneke (3rd) stood tall on the box and Fiona (12th) churned through drizzle like it was nothing. The Elementary 4th Male crew wrote their own saga…Sawyer (1st) with the win, Jeremiah (12th), Miles (23rd), and Emmett (29th) stacking it behind. Elementary 4th Female kept the vibes rolling: Aspen (4th) with fire in her legs, Rainey (12th) in those now-legendary pink Nikes (thanks, bird). Elementary 3rd Male gave us William (4th), Caleb (13th), and Henry (DNF) who’ll be back to collect next time. Elementary 2nd–3rd Female sparkled Coyote style — Gracelyn (1st), Lucy (3rd), Winnie (7th). Elementary 2nd Male piled on podiums with Titus (2nd) and Wyatt (5th). And the tiniest shredders in PreK–1st? Ashton (5th) and Rory (6th) kept the boys’ side spicy, while Emalyn (2nd) and Mia (11th) made the girls’ sprint the cutest finish line battle of the day.

High School still on top. Middle School and Elementary both within chomping distance….36 and 75 points back, two races to pounce. Coyotes, it’s time to empty the snack bins and the tanks. Yip yip!

Full results under the pics!