March 16, 2004 – At the Junior Olympic Championships in Lake Placid, NY, the Wood River High School won its third National Cross-Country Ski Education Foundation High School Championship in the past six years. The Wood River boys won the title like they have in the past, with their amazing depth. They built a thirteen-point lead over Service after the first day's classic race. Jackson Harris and Luke Pletcher paced the team in the classic race with an 11th and 6th place finish in their age classes. Wood River then held off a hard charge by Service and Truckee in the skate race, this time paced by David Vanderpool, Reid Pletcher and Alex Hamlin. All three boys placed in the top ten in their age groups in the skate race. Defending champion Stratton Mountain School got strong skiing out of national champion Brett Bedard, but they did not have enough members to score in the meet.

The Girls National High School trophy has never travelled out of Alaska in its six years of existence. Last year Traverse City almost played David, leading after the skate race and coming close to unseating Alaskan Goliath Service, but couldn't quite do it. This season Service and Traverse City came in as favorites, but they were shocked by California's Truckee High School. Truckee was not on anyone's radar before the Junior Olympics, but led my Maisha Goodpaster's second place in the classic race they built up a commanding lead after day one. Whitney Prosor and Kara Lapoint also skied into the top fifteen in their age classes for Truckee. Traverse City made a hard charge in the skate race, as Cassidy Edwards and twins Julia and Anna Coulter placed in the top ten. But Truckee's trio all skied into the top fifteen again to win their first National title by a scant six points.

National High School Championship
1. Wood River H.S. Hailey, ID 281 274 555
2. Service H.S. Anchorage, AK 277 261 538
3. Truckee H.S. Truckee, CA 268 249 517
4. Durango H.s. Durango, CO 252 260 512
5. Boulder H.S. Boulder, CO 242 251 493
6. Chugiak H.S. Chugiak, AK 255 211 466
7. Keen Valley H.S. Kenn Valley, NY 211 243 454
8. St. Louis Park H.S. St. Louis Park, MN 205 211 416
9. Summit H.S. Summit County, CO 206 209 415
10. Steamboat Springs H.S. Steamboat Springs, CO 228 181 409
11. Traverse City H.S. Traverse City, MI 152 198 350
12. Hayward H.S. Hayward, WI 156 171 327
13. Lander H.S. Lander, WY 152 169 321
14. Casper H.S. Casper, WY 161 154 315
15. Marquette H.S. Marquette, MI 166 139 305
16 Fairport H.S. Fairport, NY 99 133 232

National High School Championship – Girls

1. Truckee H.S. Truckee, CA 269 279 548
2. Traverse City H.S. Traverse City, MI 282 260,2
3. Stratton Mtn School Stratton, VT 244 255 499
4. Community School Sun Valley, ID 255 233 488
5. Summit High H.S. Summit County, CO 262 214 476
6. West Valley H.S. Fairbanks, AK 245 216 461
7. Service H.S. Anchorage, AK 221 238 459
8. Wood River H.S. Hailey, ID 213 225 438
9. Durango H.S. Durango, CO 193 236 429
10. Mesabi East H.S. Aurora, MN 178 207 385
11. East H.S. Anchorage, AK 181 195 376
12. Bozeman H.S. Bozeman, MY 182 183 365
13. Pinedale H.S. Pinedale, WY 168 179 347
14. Lander H.S. Lander, WY 160 147 307
15. Hopkins H.S. Hopkins, MN 169 125 294
16. Casper H.S. Casper, WY 81 68 149