Martin, Crane 1-2 at Ignatius Invitational
Even in what became essentially a cross-country ‘dual,’ the 2024 Ignatius Invitational’s conclusion was just as competitive as one might see at any larger meet. And as he approached the finish line Friday morning, Aug. 23, James Martin knew he wasn’t alone … and didn’t even need fans’ cheers to indicate the pursuers’ proximity.
He could sense his lead decreasing and knew Ignacio teammate Trace Crane was gaining ground.
“I could feel him breathing down my neck the whole time,” Martin said afterwards. “I could hear his footsteps, and that’s what really kept me going.”
And despite the previous days’ rains ultimately necessitating race-day alterations to the difficult Jack-a-lope Acres course, the two Bobcats not only managed to break 20 minutes for the five kilometers but finished within two seconds of each other – a sight definitely pleasing to new head coach Kent Gillin, given predecessor Karri McCarter’s reins.
Completing a more or less wire-to-wire run, Martin – now essentially IHS’ No. 1 with 2023 standout Cayson Burcham giving football a try as a sophomore – clocked a winning time of 19 minutes, 22.40 seconds. Fellow junior Crane finished in 19:23.99, while sophomores Thunder Windy Boy (21:20.83) and Judah Ashley (21:30.07) placed fifth and sixth. And in the Invitational’s score-4 system, IHS’ meet-low 14 points bettered Montezuma-Cortez’s 22.
“It’s a great opportunity,” said Crane, asked about what Burcham’s decision means for Ignacio’s returning harriers this fall. “But I was in a weird mindset … getting used to one course, then changing the morning of. It was pretty hot out today … but it was alright.”
“We’ve definitely got a very small team, but I think we’ll do great,” Martin added.
Sophomore Cruz Plewe paced M-CHS with his third-place 19:50.98, and senior Corbin Myers took fourth in 21:19.81. Senior William Blair finished seventh in 22:37.42, junior Roberto Sauzameda was eighth in 25:52.35 and junior Kenai Cotonuts ninth in 27:48.60.
In the high-school girls’ division, only one individual was present to accept the challenge. Sent out onto the course 30 seconds after the boys’ start, Ignacio junior Alyssa Atencio clocked 31 minutes, 57.67 seconds.
The Bobcats were scheduled to run Saturday, Aug. 31, at the Durango Invitational, then the following Saturday, Sept. 7, at the Miyamura Invitational in Gallup, N.M.
MID-SCHOOLERS IN THE MIX
With a 1-2-3-4 sweep pulled off by Scarlett Maxwell (12:54.39), Rose Edelen (13:23.79), Faith Crowder (14:46.54) and Indie Howe (15:06.96), Del Norte easily captured the Invitational’s middle-school girls’ team title with a perfect low score of 10 points. Pagosa Springs earned second with 38 points and Mancos ended up third with 40.
Lone Ignacio entrant Shelby Bliss clocked 17:40.92 for the three kilometers and placed 12th.
In the boys’ 3K, Ignacio’s Tommy Seibel posted a fifth-place 14:14.19 and Matthew Maestas a seventh-place 14:24.69 as the team totaled 28 points and finished ahead of Mancos (55) but trailing Pagosa Springs (11). Solomon Ashley was IMS’ third top-ten finisher, taking ninth in 15:10.48, and Liam Moore placed 13th in 15:43.52. Kanoa Thompson (15:53.11) was 15th overall and Forrest Vega (17:54.56) 21st.
Pagosa Springs’ Rylan Ash (11:46.64) was the individual winner, finishing almost two minutes ahead of second-place Timothy Yoder (13:23.51) of Del Norte. Pagosa Springs’ Liam McKnight (13:42.36) came in third.