RANGELY | The Rangely cross country team kicked off their season on Saturday, Aug. 24, at the Longhorn Invitational, held at Crown Mountain Park in El Jebel. This meet, a tradition for the team, features a course that winds through grass, side tracks, and some pavement, with the unique twist of a water crossing. However, this year, due to heavy rain, the water crossing was bridged, making for a slightly different challenge.
The middle school team started the day with a combined race. Alyxis Boren represented the girls, while Alec Gillard, the lone boy on the team this year, competed as well. Several of the girls couldn’t attend due to volleyball commitments. Alyxis and Alec ran together for most of the race, with Alyxis finishing 14th for the girls with a time of 12:03.37, and Alec placing 15th for the boys with a time of 12:03.47. Coach Scoggins commented, “Both of them worked hard during the race and improved their times from last year. It will be fun to see them continue to progress throughout the season.”
Next up were the high school girls, with Taya Wren, Courtney Casto, and Faith Prieto representing Rangely. Taya, a sophomore, led the team with a strong start and never looked back, securing first place with a new personal best and school record time of 19:45. Courtney, also a sophomore, had an impressive race, shaving six minutes off her time from last year, finishing in 25:40 and taking 27th place. Freshman Faith Prieto, in her first 5k race, showed determination by staying with Courtney for the first two miles before fatigue set in. She finished with a time of 26:52, earning 33rd place. “I am super proud of the girls,” said Coach Scoggins. “They’ve been working hard, and it’s showing early in the season. They’re strong and will continue to improve each week.”
The boys’ team, although missing a couple of members, also performed admirably. Kellen LeFevre, in his first 5K race, led the team with a steady pace, finishing 17th with a time of 20:06. Freshmen Tavan Morgan and Titus Friedrich followed, with times of 23:44 and 24:00, respectively. Gage Nielsen improved his time from last year, finishing in 25:46, while Matthew Morgan also saw improvement, crossing the line at 26:04. “We missed having James Talbot and Joseph Valdez at the meet, but the team did a great job working hard through the race, especially with three of them having never run a 5k before,” said Coach Scoggins. “We have some work to do, but there’s potential for this to be a strong team.”
The team will take Labor Day weekend off, with many participating in the Free, Fast, Flat 5K run organized by the rec center. Their next race will be on Saturday, Sept. 7, 2024, at the Eagle Valley Invitational.
