Sports

Area cross-country teams gathered under clear skies on Saturday for the Mancos-hosted Chicken Creek Challenge.


 


And Mancos junior Simon Kearns took home first place to win his second consecutive race as the Blue Jays finished second as a team.


 


Kearns (17:49.60) was followed by teammate Teslin Stecher (18:56.26) in ninth place and Jake McKie (19:33.95) finished 14^th. Caleb Yoder (19:56.11) finished 21^st, Ryoya Shima (20:08) was 24^th, Zane Wilson (21:21.65) finished 36^th and Alex Fleitz (23:19.68) was 46^th.


 


Brandon Sehnert (24:44.92) and Griff Huver (27:40.53) finished 17^th and 24^th, respectively, in the junior varsity race.


 


The Montezuma-Cortez Panthers finished in fifth in the team standings, with senior Josh Ramos (18:47.51) leading the way with his seventh-place finish.


 


Reid Littlefield (19:24.77) crossed the finish line in 13^th place, Sonny Boren (20:21.20) finished 25^th and Will Brown (21:42.13) placed 40^th for the Panthers. And then Blair Rice (23:25.73), Marcus Amrine (23:27.36) and Noah Peterson (24:35.67) rounded out the group in 47^th, 48^th and 50^th.


 


The two Dolores runners, Brennan Hite and Phillip Hufman, stuck together until around the final half mile of the race when Hite pulled away. Hite (19:46.48) finished 16^th and Hufman (20:06.04) was 23^rd.


 


The Montezuma-Cortez Lady Panthers were the highest placing area team in the girls race, finishing in fifth.


 


Caisey Duran (23:10.52) was their top placer, finishing sixth, and Emma Thissen (23:52.24) was close behind in 15^th. Then Sam Bagge (25:22.87) finished 26^th, Regina Schuster (26:08.36) was 33^rd, Maya LaMunyon (31:20.94) finished 37^th and Corinne Damore (31:51.19) was 38^th.


 


The Mancos Lady Blue Jays were just behind in the team standings in sixth.


 


Emma Most (23:21) was the top finisher in 10^th place, and Kaylee Rose (24:34.69) and Hannah Skinner (25:31.62) followed in 21^st and 28^th respectively. Then Jessalyn-Bay Voit (26:02.22) took 32^nd and Mimi Archuleta (28:49.39) finished 36^th.


 


The Lady Jays had three top-15 finishers in the junior varsity race.


 


Maggie Delaney (26:01.17) finished sixth, Olivia Coppinger (27:17.82) was 11^th and Hakayla Snow (28:55.91) finished 15^th.


 


Mancos is back in action on Tuesday at the Del Norte Invitational, and then all three schools will race at the John Thornton Invitational in Blanding on Wednesday.