Running in plain view of scenic red rocks at the Moab Golf Club on Aug. 30, several members of the Montezuma-Cortez High School boys and girls cross-country teams turned in season-best times.
Leading the way for the Panthers at the Red Rock Invitational was returning state qualifier Caisey Duran, who competed for the first time this season and finished eighth overall (21:25). Following Duran for the varsity girls team were Ayanna Silas, who finished 15th (22:14); Ridley Dennison, who placed 53rd (22:29); Cassandra McCully, who crossed the line in 53rd (26:48); and Johanna Ruiz, who placed 56th (27:04.50)
The M-CHS girls team finished fifth out of 11 in the team standings. Richfield High School and Grand County High School tied for first place overall.
On the boys team, the Panthers were led by John Whyte, who just missed out on a Top 20 finish and placed 21st overall (18:12). Other scorers for the boys’ team included Ben Castillo-Calvillo, who placed 41st (19:25), Will Brown, who came in 50th (19:50), Trenton Bagge, who crossed the line in 60th (20:15), and Isiah Pena, who placed 92nd (21:32).
As a team, M-CHS placed 10th in the 10-team field. Richfield High School placed first overall.
Next up for both Panthers cross-country teams will be a race at Cattails Golf Course in Alamosa, which will take place on Sept. 9.
