The Mancos boys cross-country team won its second consecutive regional championship on Friday at Delta, knocking off fourth-ranked Telluride and fifth-ranked Ouray for the win.
The finish qualified the team for the state championship on Saturday in Colorado Springs.
“Almost every one of our runners ran a personal best time today,” said head coach Brady Archer. “And every one of them ran a season best time. Our boys went out and beat two of the best teams in the state.”
The Blue Jays were led by Ro Paschal, who finished second, with a time of 16 minutes and 7 seconds. Simon Kearns (16:27) also finished in the first 10, coming in eighth, and Nic Archuleta (17:14) placed 11th.
Jake McKie (17:37) and Asa Kearns (17:54) completed the race in 17th and 23rd, and Caleb Yoder (18:30), Teslin Stecher (18:31) and Vincent Grego (19:01) finished out the group in 31st, 32nd and 36th.
The girls squad didn’t qualify as a team, but Emma Most’s 15th-place finish in a time of 21:18 cemented her spot for the state race.
She was followed by Brittney Peacock (21:56) and Kaylee Rose (22:01) in 19th and 20th place, and Jessalyn Bay-Voit (22:55) was close behind in 25th. Rounding out the team was Mimi Archuleta in 36th and a time of 25:46.
“Our girls had a tough region to run against,” Archer said. “We knew going in that it was going to be a good race. They ran so well.”
“It is tough to go out run the best race that you can and come up just short of making state,” he continued. “But I think they should be proud of the effort and work that they put into the season.”
Next Saturday, Emma Most and the boys team will compete at the Colorado State Cross Country Championships in Colorado Springs. The girls run at 9:20; the boys, at 11:30.