Mesa Vista cross country saw what they can do at the Albuquerque Academy pre-state meet, when they finished fourth in the state.
And they repeated their performance at the state championship on Nov. 11. The Trojans finished fourth in the state in A-2A for a strong finish. It was an increase from their sixth-place finish last year as they build back up their program. Many teams battled various injuries throughout the day and the season, limiting the mark Rio Arriba could make on the meet.
The Trojans had entered the season wanting a state championship. But they fell short of their goal, and will look to return stronger.
“Aim high to hit low,” Mesa Vista coach PJ Martinez said.
Freshman Ezequiel Nevarez led the Trojans with an 18th-place finish and a time of 17:54. Nevarez was seventh a year ago and over 30 seconds faster but battled an injury all season that limited his output.
Eighth-graders Anthony Crim and Jonathan Martinez were close behind in 24th and 34th place.
Freshman Andres Valdez had been running close behind Nevarez most of the year. But cramps during the race, according PJ Martinez, limited his running. He finished 49th, 82 seconds behind Nevarez. Though, with the difference in points between the Trojans and third place, his position would not have changed the outcome.
With such a young team, with only one senior, Mesa Vista should continue to rise in the coming years.
“We’re a young team,” PJ Martinez said. “I expect all these guys to come back a little bit more hungry over the next year. I think they’re going to be hungry to come back.”
McCurdy’s girls runners had strong performances, but they were unable to qualify for a team or compete for a championship due to injuries.
At the pre-state meet, Marisol Serna finished in seventh. But she fell on the track in the final stretches of the race. After being ninth at the first split mark and seventh after two miles. As a result McCurdy did not place in the team standings. McCurdy ranked third as a team after both of those splits.
Two Bobcats finished in the top 20: Alicia Garcia in 14th place, at 21:47, and Isabella Archuleta in 18th at 22:08.
Had Serna been able to complete the course in her usual time, McCurdy would likely have been easily in the top three. Had Aubrey Cordova, who placed in the top 10 each of the last two years but missed the end of the season with a leg injury, also competed at full strength, the Bobcats would have competed for a spot in the top two if not the very top.
It was a disappointing conclusion to a season with lots of promise. But with Cordova just a junior and four freshman runners and one sophomore, they have plenty of chances in the future.
Running individually, Justin Knight finished 78th with a time of 19:47 for the Bobcats in the boys race.
Charnelle Gonzales was a top finisher in A-2A girls, finishing the course in 20 minutes, 34 seconds for fifth place. The team fell off from its state championship height, hurt by injuries this year, and finished in 11th. For their boys team, Jude Martinez finished in 10th and younger brother Jeremiah was right behind him. Their team finished fifth.
Española Valley had two top-20 finishers for 4A girls. Neveah Cachora took 12th place at 20:13, and Hailey Renteria was 20th at 20:34. Freshman Elijah Martinez finished 46th at 18:07 for the boys.
The Pojoaque Valley boys team, after qualifying by finishing third in the district, finished in 10th as a team in 4A. Matteo Nagle led the Elks in 47th place with a time of 18:14. On the girls side, Elizabeth Towles was the lone qualifier, and she finished 22nd at 20:49.
Dulce was led on the boys side by Jaren Johnson, who finished 38th, and the team finished in 17th place. Alaina Vigil was the top girls finisher in 40th place at 23:05, and their team was 14th.
Mossi Gutierrez, the lone qualifier for Coronado, finished 65th in A-2A boys at 19:33.