IHS boys endure, emerge as SJBL kings
Even with non-stop rain, its intensity fluctuating, leading to Mancos’ 2025 Chicken Creek Challenge being re-routed away from its regular forested course – muddied beyond belief in many spots – and onto nearby Montezuma County Road 40, Ignacio High’s boys’ cross-country team nevertheless ran well Saturday, Oct. 11.
And with the word ‘finish’ becoming almost as important as ‘flood,’ three Bobcats ended up placing top-ten as IHS ended up, at first glance, second in both the meet’s overall standings and amongst 2A/3A San Juan Basin League teams.
Leading the ’Cats (overseen at the event by interim coach Beau Moore; Kent Gillin was out of town) was senior Trace Crane, who clocked a third-place time of 18 minutes, 20.51 seconds. Dolores sophomore Joseph Padilla won in 18:12.42, and Pagosa Springs freshman Rylan Ash earned second in 18:18.20 – or barely 2.3 ticks ahead of Crane, who fortunately out-kicked Monticello, Utah, senior Kooper Nielson (18:21.66) to the almost-invisible finish line.
IHS junior Thunder Windy Boy came in fifth, posting an 18:48.41, and roughly ten ticks later, senior James Martin (18:58.57) placed sixth. Junior Judah Ashley was the next ’Cat in, taking 25th in 21:04.49, with freshmen Matthew Maestas (35th, 23:01.26) and Kanoa Thompson (50th, 26:58.06) finishing further back in the pack.
Paced by the SJBL’s individual champ, DHS ended up with an adjusted score-5 total of 59 points and won both the league title and the Challenge overall. Ignacio tallied 68 points and ranked second in both categories, and Monticello (69) finished third overall, ahead of PSHS (96) and SJBL third-place Telluride (132).
In score-4 mathematics, however, the standings read differently; Monticello rocketed up to first overall with just 33 points and Ignacio ascended to second – but to first amongst SJBL squads – with 37. Dolores (39) dipped to third overall and thus to second in league, while PSHS (70) and THS (94) remained unchanged.
On the girls’ side only three teams were, in score-5 terms, title-eligible at the Challenge and, to nobody’s surprise, SJBL force Ridgway – led by sophomores Natasha Hessler (19:58.13, 2nd), Ariel Hessler (20:18.25, 3rd) and Emery Cornell (21:36.95, 4th) – totaled a meet-low 22 points.
Led by senior Austin Cook’s winning 19:08.91, Telluride (40) left as the league runner-up and placed second overall, with Montezuma Creek, Utah, Whitehorse (61) taking third. But in score-4 figures RHS’ total improved to 15 points and THS’ to 33, while Pagosa Springs (45) popped into the standings and swiped third away from WHS (56).
Individually, Ignacio freshman Ireland Cates clocked a 38th-place 38:19.99.
Bayfield had been scheduled to compete but chose, as did at least three other teams, to withdraw (Bayfield Middle’s runners, however, did participate – as did Ignacio Middle’s – and splashed their way along the original course).
Looking ahead, both IHS and BHS are scheduled to run next Friday, Oct. 17, at the Sargent-hosted Eric Wolff Invitational, with its high-school girls’ feature at the Monte Vista Golf Club slated for 10:15 a.m. and the boys’ following at 11.
Ignacio will then begin final preparations to both host and compete on the 24th at the Class 2A-Region IV Championships. Start time that day at Jack-a-lope Acres is presently scheduled for 10 a.m.