RANGELY | The Rangely Panther Cross Country team traveled to Gypsum Creek Golf Course for the Eagle Valley Cross Country Invitational on Saturday, running against schools from Denver and Boulder, and with 244 boys and 195 girls. Out of the 20 teams represented Rangely was only one of four 2A schools.
The boys were the first to toe the line. Colton—known for slow starts and strong finishes—decided to go out faster and see if he could still finish strong. He took wo minutes off his fastest time with a time of 21:52.50. Timothy Scoggins finished with a time of 24:47. The girls had five runners this weekend so they were able to compete as a team, they placed 13th. Mary Scoggins was the first across the finish line with a new personal record of 22:07. Raelynn Norman had a great race and finish, not allowing girls to pass her on the home stretch of the race. She finished with a time of 22:55. Aliyah Jackson ran her second cross country meet with a new personal record of 25:52, passing several girls on the last 50 yards as she put her natural speed into use. Chloe Filfred ran a 26:30 and held off a couple other 2A runners. Brooke Filfred completed her first high school race with a time of 40:33. The Panthers will be competing on Friday at the Ramble at the Reservoir in Ridgeway State Park. This will be the first time Rangely has been at this meet and they look forward to running with some of the western slope southern teams.
The middle school Rangely runners also attended the Eagle Valley Invitational. They ran a two mile race which is the longest race so far this year. The boys found themselves competing against 96 boys and Macy Morgan against 62 girls. The race was a combined race with girls and boys running against each other for a total of 158 runner going at once. It was an overwhelming start with that many runners, but the boys took off fast and settled into their pace pretty quickly. Andrew Dorris finished 19th with a time of 14:24. Anthony Dorris was the next Panther with a time of 15:51 followed by Fisher Winder with a time of 16:22. Justin Allred finished with a 17:39. Unfortunately, the boys were one member short for scoring as a team but all ran well and are getting better each week. Macy Morgan, the lone girl, keeps pushing ahead and improving each week. She ran a 22:44, almost six minutes faster than last year. The team will run Friday at the Ramble at the Reservoir in Ridgway State Park.
Special to the Herald Times
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MEEKER | Meeker cross country traveled to the Gypsum Creek Golf Course on Saturday, Sept. 15 for the Eagle Valley Invitational. The Eagle Valley course offers some nice views, fairly flat topography, and the opportunity to race against teams the Cowboys do not often see. The largest meet so far, with 21 teams competing, provided some excellent competition. JV and varsity ran together at this meet, and the boys’ race began the day for the Cowboys. In a field of 244 runners, Ashdon Seibert was first to finish for the Cowboys, 118th place and a new personal record of 20 minutes 24.50 seconds. Pake Burke was the next across the line, in 21:03.20 placing 142nd, followed by Owen Hannemann who placed 203rd with a time of 23:20.90, and Zach Harman finishing at 29:56:00 and 243rd place. Cross country regular season requires five finishers for team scoring, so while Meeker did not field enough runners for a team score, the racers saw some solid improvements.
“We were down a few runners, for prior commitments and injury, and did not have the five runners necessary for a team score, but still put up some good times,” said head coach Marty Casey.
The girls’ race saw a field of 195 competitors. Briar Meszaros ran the course in 22:58.90 for 64th place and Alana Nielsen was 168th at 28:45.00 and a new personal record. Casey commented about the team that “I am seeing good effort from the team, and the results are there. The times are better than at this point last year, and the freshmen continue to improve as well.”
Saturday’s Anna Banana race in Fruita is next for the Cowboys.
By Tiffany Jehorek | Special to the Herald Times
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