Cross-Country beginning final-month push
Southwestern Colorado, for a welcome change, had been the epicenter for desperately-needed rainfall in the days leading up to Pagosa Springs’ 2026 McGinn Memorial Cross-Country Challenge.
And the Pirates took to the water like, well, pirates. Navigating not-so-high – and less-congested – seas, of course.
Running upon softened ground Saturday morning, Sept. 26, PSHS ended up with two entrants in the top five of the meet’s high-school boys’ feature and ended up with a winning score-5 low of 42 points. La Jara-based Centauri came in second with 51, Del Norte took third with 61 and Durango was fourth with 62.
With only one gent entered, Ignacio was not part of the title chase. Senior Matrim Jones clocked a time of 28 minutes, 54 seconds and finished 44th overall behind champion Rylan Ash, a Pagosa Springs sophomore, who ran a 16:35. CHS junior Lincoln Bagwell placed second in 16:53 and DNHS senior Mads Kreutzer took third in 17:10.
PSHS junior Weston Sweet (17:38) and Del Norte senior Cruz Matta (17:51) filled out the standings’ top five.
Sophomore Ireland Cates was Ignacio’s lone representative in the girls’ 5K and finished 32nd in 29 minutes, 15 seconds. Centauri freshman Avery Duran won in 20:21, with Durango senior Olivia Glover (20:46) settling for second place and CHS sophomore Genesi Morris (21:02) third. DNHS senior Madeline Mitchell (21:21) came in fourth and DHS junior Mena Cerwin (21:24) fifth.
Durango won the Challenge’s girls’ title with 42 points, and Centauri was close behind with 46. PSHS’ Lady Pirates and DNHS’ Lady Tigers actually tallied 61 points apiece, but Pagosa Springs’ tiebreaking No. 6 runner finished one spot – but 34 seconds – ahead of Del Norte’s.
Looking ahead, IHS will next see action Saturday afternoon, October 3, in Salida, and SHS’ 2026 Mountain Desert Twilight – to be held at the Salida Golf Club, this year celebrating its 100th birthday – will begin at 5:30 p.m. with the meet’s middle-school girls’ race. The mid-school boys will then go at 6, with the high-school girls’ feature set for 6:30 and the high-school boys’ at 7:05.
The ’Cats will then head to Mancos on the 10th for MHS’ Chicken Creek Challenge, which will double as the San Juan Basin League Championships.