RANGELY I Sophomore Patrick Scoggins was the lone runner to represent Rangely High School at the Colorado State Cross- Country 2A Championship Meet on Saturday in Colorado Springs, finishing in the top 10 in the state.
The state championship meet was held in Colorado Springs at the Norris Penrose Event Center, where the athletes ran along trails, through horse barns and finished in a horse arena.
One hundred and twelve boys qualified for the state competition, and, when the dust settled, the Panthers’ Scoggins finished in ninth place with a time of 17:14.
“I was hoping to do better, but I feel good having had the experience to represent Rangely and run with some of the best cross-country runners in the history of Colorado.” Scoggins said after the race.
The winner of the 2A race was Paul Roberts, who ran the fastest time of the day for all divisions, beating the best that Colorado could offer by more than 20 seconds, Rangely head coach Beth Scoggins said.
This year was Scoggins’ second time at the state cross-country meet, having also qualified as a freshman, and he improved two places over last year’s 11th place finish.
Staying injury free, he will have a good chance of placing higher next year as six of the top 10 finishers in this year’s race.
“Patrick has a lot of potential in his running; he works hard and hates to lose,” coach Beth Scoggins said.