For the first time ever, the Mancos High School boys cross-country team has captured a regional championship.
Mancos accomplished the feat in Delta on Oct. 17, when, running in the Class 2A Region 4 Championship, the Bluejays finished at the top of a talented 10-team field.
Telluride High School finished second overall, and Hotchkiss finished third.
Leading the charge for the Bluejays was Ro Paschal, who, after challenging meet champion Jack Plantz, settled for a second-place finish (16:16).
Next across the line for Mancos were Simon Kearns and Nic Archuleta, who finished eighth (16:59) and ninth (17:05), respectively.
Rounding out the team's varsity finishers, Asa Kearns placed 14th (17:59), Jake McKie finished 20th (18:25), Zane Goodell finished 27th (19:11), Vincent Grego finished 35th (19:59), and Caleb Yoder finished 43rd (20:51).
The win qualifies the Mancos team for the state meet.
"The boys ran an excellent race," wrote Mancos head coach Brady Archer in an email to the Mancos Times. "They really earned it against some really good times. Almost every one of our boys ran a personal record time."
Among the girls, Mancos finished third in a five-team field. Telluride won the meet, and Hotchkiss finished second.
First across the line for the Bluejays girls was Hannah Skinner, who finished 10th overall (21:41). Next across the line for Mancos were Emma Most and Jessalyn Bay-Voit, who finished 13th (21:56) and 23rd (25:07), respectively.
Although the girls team did not qualify for state, Skinner and Most qualified individually by virtue of their top 15 finishes.
"The girls worked hard all season overcoming injuries and sickness," wrote Archer. "They should feel good about the way they ran and know that if they continue to work, they will be back next year and qualify as a team."
Next up for the Bluejays state qualifiers will be the Colorado state championships, which will take place at the Norris Penrose Event Center in Colorado Springs on Oct. 25.
The girls race will begin at 9:20 a.m., and the boys race will begin at 11:30 a.m.
