The Mancos Cross Country team competed in the John Thornton Invitational in Blanding on Wednesday and the Montezuma-Cortez Ancient Trails 5K on Saturday.
On Wednesday, the second place boys team was led by Ro Paschal who finished in 18 minutes and 3 seconds which was good for eighth place. He was followed by Brandon McKie in 18:36 and 12th place and Asa Kearns in 18:56 and 15th place. Next to the line was Nic Archuleta in 19:50 and 19th place. The team score was rounded out by Vincent Grego in 25th place and a time of 21:03. The individual champion was Dillon Wells of Montezuma-Cortez in a time of 17:23. The team champion was San Juan High School. The girls were led by Kristin Adams who finished in seventh place and a time of 22:35. She was followed by Kia Baikie in 12th place and a time of 22:52. The JV girls were led by Maya Bonde in eighth and a time of 26:40 and Andie Paschal in 26:52 and a time of 26:52. The individual champion for the varsity race was Rachel Demby of Montezuma-Cortez in a time of 20:23.
On Saturday, Mancos made the short trip to the Montezuma County Fairgrounds to compete against seven other schools. The boys were once again led by Ro Paschal who finished in seventh place and a time of 19:27. He was followed by Brandon McKie (17th) and Asa Kearns (20th) who finished in 20:04 and 20:09 respectively. They were followed by Nic Archuleta in 29th place and a time of 22:00. In the JV race, Vincent Grego finished in 13th and a time of 22:47 and Zane Goodell finished in a time of 24:18 which was good for 18th place. The individual champion was Trevor Gabbard from Bayfield in a time of 18:02. The boys finished in fourth place behind team champion Monticello. The girls were led by both Kristin Adams and Kia Baikie finishing in a time of 24:42 for 11th and 12th respectively. Maya Bonde finished in 10th in the JV race in a time of 29:48. The girls individual champion was Eva Lou Edwards from Bayfield in a time of 19:09. The team champion was Bayfield.
We ran well in these races on the boys side considering a usual number one runner has been sick and injured this week, said coach Brady Archer. Brandon McKie and the rest of the team, which is all freshmen, have really had to step up and meet the challenge of being without Justin Burton. They have done a good job of getting better every race and that is great to see as we head into these last few weeks of the season. The girls continue to learn and get better each week. It is nice to have Kia and Kristin racing together now. I think they both push each other to get better.
This week, Mancos will travel over to the Eric Wolff Invitational in Monte Vista for their last regular season meet before the Regional Meet in Delta.