Mesa Vista High School senior Brian Gollas found himself with some new competition this year.
Peñasco High School’s Gilbert Valdez, an eighth-grader, who is about a foot shorter, has been neck-and-neck with Gollas for the majority of the cross country season.
“Me and him (sic) have been battling,” Gollas said. “He’s been kicking my butt … The competition was friendly, but it was heavy.”
For the big races in the season, though, Gollas has come out on top. He bested Valdez by 10 seconds at the Rio Rancho Jamboree in October, and in the state meet, one second separated him from Valdez.
Gollas finished the race, Nov. 4, at Rio Rancho High School in seventh place, for the 1A to 2A division. Valdez was biting at his heels, coming in eighth.
The senior and the eighth-grader stood side-by-side, and grinned, on the medal stand, as they received bronze medals.
Gollas was the top finisher for a Mesa Vista boys team that placed second in the state. The Trojans lost the state championship trophy to a Navajo Pine High School team that placed four runners before Gollas finished.
Navajo Pine collected four of the top six places in the state. This was the second time that Mesa Vista raced against the team, and Gollas said Navajo Pine is “loaded.”
He finished his last high school race with a time of 18 minutes, flat and was 45 seconds ahead of the pack of the next four Mesa Vista runners, headed by his brother, Daniel Gollas.
Brian Gollas ended in second place for the Trojans, taking 15th place, individually. He was trailed closely by Damian Trujillo, who was one second behind Daniel Gollas. Anthony Vigil and Alejandro Trujillo finished in 19th and 20th.
While the Mesa Vista girls did not experience the same success as the boys, at the state meet, they finished in seventh place.
Abrianna Griego headed the Lady Trojans, with a time of 23 minutes, 56 seconds.
That time earned her a 17th individual place in the state. Despite the placement, she was not content after the race, feeling that she has slowed down this year.
At last year’s state meet, she shaved a minute off this year’s time.
Last season, the Lady Trojans, as a team, finished in eighth place in the state, so they improved by one spot, this year.
“I’m proud of them (the Lady Trojans),” Griego said. “I think they did a lot better than they did last year.”
The state meet marked the end of one Lady Trojan running career, that of senior Maryssa Martin, who finished behind Griego, taking the second spot for the Mesa Vista girls.
Martin closed her senior year with a time of 24 minutes, 41 seconds, earning 32nd place, individually.
For Griego, the loss of Martin means that she will not have the same level of competition in practice, next season.
“I won’t have that person to push me,” she said.
Dulce and McCurdy
The Dulce High School boys cross country team was the only area team to compete in division 3A.
The Hawks finished in eighth place and their top runner was Rossendo Julian, who took a time of 19 minutes, 32 seconds.
He was 41st, individually, and his teammate, Darion Johnson, finished close behind, in 44th.
Two Lady Hawks, Amber Calabaza and Tunte Vigil, entered the race, individually.
Calabaza took 37th place with a time of 23 minutes, 36 seconds. Vigil was a minute behind her, in 51st place, with a 24-minute, 24-second time.
Two members of the McCurdy Charter School cross country team qualified, individually, for the state meet.
Alain Jayme finished 50th in 3A, with a time of 20 minutes, 19 seconds.
Jayme Bustos, on the girls side, came in 50th place, right above Dulce’s Vigil. She had a time of 24 minutes, 23 seconds.