Three crack 20 mins. at Metro mega-meet
Making his 2025 debut after not competing Saturday morning, Aug. 23, with his teammates at Dolores’ Boggy Draw Bear Chase, Ignacio senior Trace Crane not only paced the Bobcats in the top division of a super-sized meet not even a week later, but managed a top-100 result.
Clocking a time of 18 minutes, 24.8 seconds, Crane ended up 93rd overall in the ‘Varsity Boys’ race at 5A Arapahoe’s Warrior Invitational, held Friday evening, Aug. 29, in Centennial. Hampered by a nasty side cramp at the season-opening Chase, junior Thunder Windy Boy was more or less back to his regular self and crossed the finish line in a 139th-place 19:29.9. Senior James Martin took 149th in 19:47.7, junior Judah Ashley placed 163rd in 20:25.6 and freshman Matthew Maestas (186th, 22:05.9) completed IHS’ score-5 squad.
All told, 210 individuals finished as more than 1,300 harriers took part in the multi-race spectacle, first held back in 1966, and heading up the Varsity Boys division were Colorado Springs Coronado teammates Oliver Horton and Xzavier Campos. Horton, a junior, completed the deKoevend Park course in a blistering 14:47.8 and the senior Campos crossed the finish line in 15:23.5. Monument Lewis-Palmer senior Noah Thompson (15:53.2) came in third, followed by Highlands Ranch ThunderRidge senior Ryder Jay (16:02.5) and Golden sophomore Jackson Ferguson (16:03.5).
Earlier in the afternoon, IHS freshman Ireland Cates ran in the Warrior’s ‘Freshman/Sophomore Girls’ open race and, by finishing in 35:34.1, placed 250th out of 261 individuals.
Winning in a time – which would have ranked fourth in the Varsity Girls event – of 18 minutes, 31.7 seconds was Aurora Cherokee Trail freshman Madison Lange, and Littleton Heritage sophomore Scout DeStefano followed in 18:47.7 as the only other entrant breaking 19 minutes (only 11 even broke 21 minutes).
Next for Ignacio will be the historic Joe I. Vigil Open, hosted by Adams State University on Saturday, Sept. 6, at Cattails Golf Course in Alamosa. The meet’s high-school girls’ race is scheduled to start at 9:40 a.m., and the high-school boys’ at 10:15. The ’Cats will then compete on the 13th at the Bayfield Invitational.