IHS boys place 11th against stocked field
Facing opposition from all Four Corners states at the 2023 Shiprock, N.M., Chieftain Invitational on Saturday morning, Sept. 16, Ignacio High School Cross-Country received a wake-up call with roughly a month remaining in its 2023 season.
Freshman Cayson Burcham clocked a solid team-best 18 minutes, 21.43 seconds but still ended up outside the top-20 in the well-attended event’s boys’ feature as he crossed the finish line 21st overall. Sophomore James Martin ended up IHS’ No. 2, placing 48th in 19:41.97, and senior Phillip Quintana finished 62nd in 20:18.47.
With the meet a score-5 competition, sophomore Dillon Brann (75th, 20:47.25) and freshman Judah Ashley (84th, 21:24.15) gave the Bobcats an adjusted total of 275 (21-45-58-71-80) points, which ultimately ranked 11th out of 16 title-eligible squads. Reigning New Mexico Activities Association Class 3A State Champion Zuni posted a meet-low 69 points to win, with 4A Kirtland, N.M., Central (84) a close second. Chinle, Ariz., scored 98 points and finished third ahead of Ganado, Ariz. (100), and Farmington, N.M., Navajo Prep (133).
Out of 113 finishers, Ganado senior Jayden Smith was first. His winning 16:42.31, however, bettered KCHS junior Dathan Esson (16:44.11) by fewer than two seconds and was barely three faster than Zuni sophomore Deron Lastyano (16:45.34). Window Rock, Ariz., senior Ryan Kee (16:54.08) and Navajo Prep’s Elijah England (17:03.08) filled out the standings’ top five.
Kee placed fourth and Smith 20th at last season’s AIA Division III State Championships in Phoenix; Lastyano took seventh in the NMAA Class 3A State Championships in Albuquerque while Esson ended up tenth in 4A.
Recording a time of 21:59.40, senior Corey Gomez placed 90th as IHS’ other varsity entrant.
Senior Lauren deKay ran a 26:53.38 to earn 94th in the girls’ race, but Ignacio as a team didn’t factor into the title chase. Classmate Moriah Ashley managed a 28:23.08 and came in 103rd, and sophomore Alyssa Atencio took 117th with her 32:55.76.
Skilled Montezuma Creek, Utah, Whitehorse freshman Keiarra Martin grabbed first – she’d previously won at Monticello, Utah’s Loyds Lake Classic back on Sept. 1 and then at Price, Utah, Pinnacle Canyon Academy’s Stewart Foster Invitational held on the 11th in nearby Huntington, Utah – by clocking 20:00.18. Farmington, N.M., Piedra Vista senior Nicole Pierce (20:23.83) came in second, followed by Zuni junior Maleah Lalio (20:25.69), Navajo Prep senior Nicole Tsosie (20:38.52) and Ganado sophomore Damira Allen (21:01.84).
12th place individually at last season’s AIA Division III State Championships, she and the Lady Hornets tallied a race-low 83 points. Farmington, N.M., amassed 116 and settled for second, with the hosting Lady Chieftains (127) ending up third. Zuni (160) and PVHS (175) rounded out the top five.
Lady Panther Pierce had placed fifth at the 2022 NMAA Class 5A State Championships, while Tsosie was sixth in 3A. Recently, Lalio and Tsosie had finished 1-2 at the Sept. 9 Miyamura Invitational in Gallup, N.M.,
In junior-varsity action, Ignacio freshman Thunder Windy Boy finished 23rd in the boys’ race, posting a 22:13.71. Greg Walker took 49th – out of 95 runners – in 23:46.79, but IHS had no entrants in the JV girls’ feature.
Up next, Ignacio will travel to Pagosa Springs on Saturday, Sept. 23, for the Pirates’ McGinn Cross-Country Challenge. The crew will then take on Mancos’ Chicken Creek Challenge on the 30th.