Special to the HT
RANGELY | The Rangely High School cross-country teams tested themselves against larger schools at the Demon Invite in Arvada, competing against 4A and 5A programs from the eastern slope.
Both the boys’ and girls’ squads turned in strong performances, with several athletes setting personal records.
“It was a good opportunity for our runners to compete against athletes they don’t see every week,” coach Scoggins said. “They didn’t know who they were racing, so they focused on time and place and worked on running as a pack.”
Boys’ results
The boys’ team finished eighth overall.
Senior Jay Valdez led the way, placing 28th with a personal-best time of 18 minutes, 30 seconds. Sophomore Tavan Morgan followed in 38th with a personal record of 19:08, while fellow sophomore Kyler Fouts clocked 19:34 for 44th.
Three runners finished close together: Titus Friedrich (62nd, 22:07), Alec Gillard (63rd, 22:14) and Antonio Prieto (64th, 22:14).
Girls’ results
The girls’ team placed seventh overall.
Junior Taya Wren led the effort, finishing fifth in 19:55. KJ Benson ran a personal best of 23:04, improving her previous mark by more than three minutes.
Despite a broken wrist, Faith Prieto finished 50th in 25:37. Kylee Caldwell ran 28:54, and Courtney Casto rounded out the team in 29:26 for 57th place.
Upcoming
The Panthers are off this week before competing at Loudy-Simpson Park in Craig on Saturday, Sept. 27.
The Rangely middle school cross-country team is scheduled to race this weekend in Meeker.
