Six pairs of Central Oregon prep track and field teams have been preparing all spring for this weekend, and the wait is nearly over.

For Bend, Redmond and Crook County, this Friday and Saturday’s Intermountain Conference district meet in Pendleton will provide a chance to dethrone the reigning boys and girls champions from Mountain View.

Sisters will travel over the mountains to North Marion for the Capital Conference district meet, and Madras will be on the road as well at Sherwood for the Tri-Valley League district meet.

La Pine has already begun its Thursday-Saturday Sky-Em League district meet in Pleasant Hill, and the Class 2A state meet begins Friday for Culver.

At Pendleton, Mountain View’s teams will have to answer questions about the depth that figured prominently in last year’s run to the top.

This year, both Mountain View head coaches acknowledge that they have the talent to get a number of athletes to the Class 4A state meet. But both are hesitant to say that the Cougars will successfully defend their titles.

”You’ll never know what’s going to happen at the district meet; it could come down to the (final event, the 1,600-meter) relay for the team title, and that will be fun,” said Cougar girls coach Dave Hood.

”There are a lot of really tough, quality kids in the distance events, and all of the throwers will perform. I don’t think we have the depth to win another title, but we’ll be in the mix.”

Mountain View will look to four girls to spearhead the team’s drive to a district title and state berths: Katie Finnigan in the high jump, long jump and triple jump; Emily McMahon, the school record holder in the 800-meter run; Kendall Knowles in the 1,500- and 3,000-meter runs; and Kristin Cahill in the 100 and 200 sprints.

On the boys side, senior Ryan Flaherty leads Mountain View with state-best marks in the 400 (48.99 seconds) and 800 (1:55.28) and anchors the team’s 1,600 relay. With Flaherty, Joel Evanoff, Jeff DeWolf-Wilson and Nick Baron, the Cougars own the state’s best time in the event this season at 3:21.49.

In the field events, a Cougar trio of Tim Kackley, Greg Isham and Ryan Smith will compete in the shot put and discus, and three vaulters Matt Banton, Josh Chartier and Jeredan Bibler will leap into the highly competitive pole vault.

The Bend Lava Bears will rely on their strength in the field events and the middle- and long-distance events in both the girls and boys meets.

Rachelle Miller and Erica Johnson are Bend High’s top middle-distance runners, and Meghann Quinn is entered in the 100-meter hurdles and the high jump for the girls team. Kari Cox, a freshman, is the team’s best hope for a state berth in the shot put, javelin and discus, and Karyn Jones will try to defend her district title in the pole vault.

The Bend boys team has plenty of talent, starting with pole vaulter and high jumper Joel LeLaCheur. LeLaCheur, who finished second in the district meet last season, owns the state’s second-best mark at 16-2 this season.

Bend senior Bo Lockhart defeated Mountain View’s three shot putters and discus throwers in last week’s dual meet with the state’s second-best shot put throw of 56-8 and a 155-6 fling in the discus. Nate LiaBraaten is the Lava Bears’ best title hope in the javelin.

On the track, Loren Westmoreland, in the 400 run and 300 hurdles, and Cody Loy, in the 1,500, are expected to lead the Bears.

Redmond brings to the district meet plenty of talent in most events. But the Panther girls have the best chance of landing state berths.

Krystal Lonien in the 100, the 400, and the 300-meter hurdles; Ginny Johnson in the 800 and 1,500; and Cydney Johnston in the 200 and 400 figure to lead the Panthers on the track. In the field, Nicki Carter will throw in the shot put and the javelin, and Tiffany Parret will represent Redmond in the pole vault.

On the boys side, Redmond’s best bets include Matt Tompkins in the sprints and triple jump, Steve Housden in the sprints, and Tyler York in the jumps.

The Crook County teams will drive into the district meet more experienced than last year and may grab a few state berths.

Senior Erin Clark leads the Cowgirls in the 100, 200 and 400 sprints, and teammate Trinity Welch will join her in the 200 and 400. James Siers in the 800 and 1,500, and field athletes Luke Vinson (discus) and Ryan McCarthy (jumps), have legitimate chances to qualify for state for the Cowboys.

In the Capital Conference district meet, Sisters is aiming to get several girls to the Class 3A state meet and personal-best times from its boys team.

The Outlaws have seven top seeds entering the girls omit meet, including Nicolette Callan in the 100 hurdles (a state 3A-best 15.5), Amy Cretsinger in the long and triple jumps, and the 400 relay team (a state 3A-best 51.5).

Macy Campbell, who owns the Sisters school record in the 300 hurdles (47.3), should be on Callan’s heels in the hurdles events and is part of a group of Outlaws that includes Minique Yost and Krista Gardinier in the short sprints and middle distances.

Madras enters the Tri-Valley League district meet with several contenders for state berths, beginning with Rachel Lofting in the discus and shot put. Lofting has the state’s second-best 3A mark and school record in the discus at 125-11.

Michael Manning will try to defend his district title in the boys 1,500 and is poised to earn state berths in the 1,500 and 3,000 for the White Buffaloes. The three-man Madras throwing crew of Jason Zarate, Maurice Strickland and Cam Vibbert are aiming for district titles in the discus, javelin and shot put.