RANGELY | After taking a week off, the Rangely Harriers return to racing on Saturday, Sept. 7, at the Eagle Valley Invite. The meet is held at the Siena Valley Golf Course in Gypsum. The runners faced strong competition as they navigated the rolling hills of the course.
The middle school runners were the first to compete. Rangely was represented by two girls: Alexis Boren, a 7th grader, and Klyee Caldwell, an 8th grader. Boren placed 14th overall with a time of 14:04, while Caldwell finished her first cross-country race with a time of 17:34. Two 8th-grade boys also competed: Alec Gillard and Tex Bird. Gillard recorded a time of 13:43, and Bird finished with a time of 15:10. “It is always fun watching the middle school runners and seeing how they improve each meet,” Coach Scoggins said.
The girls’ team had a full lineup this week with the addition of two new runners. Rachel Elder and Addison Thayn made their cross-country debuts. Sophomore Taya Wren took off from the start and did not look back, finishing 2nd overall with a time of 20:19. Freshman Faith Prieto was the second Rangely runner to cross the finish line with a time of 27:19. Sophomore Courtney Casto followed with a time of 28:56, Elder came in at 29:36, and Thayn finished with a time of 30:17. “I am super proud of the girls. They ran hard and worked well during the race. We have a young team and are still learning at every meet,” Coach Scoggins said.
The boys’ team is growing, and it is exciting to see them push each other to improve. Two new boys ran their first cross-country meets this weekend. Kellen Lefevre led the boys’ team with a time of 20:35. Joseph Valdez finished his first race of the season with a time of 21:49, while Dylan Moran, running his first-ever meet, recorded a time of 22:38. Tavan Morgan finished with a time of 23:48, Titus Freich at 23:31, Kyler Fouts in his debut race with a time of 26:19, Matthew Morgan at 26:58, and Gage Nielsen with a time of 28:07.
The Rangely runners will race again on Friday, Sept. 20, at the Coal Ridge Meet.