October 2019 – El Paso Running

High School Boy’s XC Poll: Week 11

Every Thursday, El Paso Running will utilize a point system to highlight El Paso’s top boy’s cross country runners.

The system is as follows: In a race of less than 150 runners, first place gets 10 points, second gets 9 points all the way down to and 10th place which gets 1 point. For meets with between 150 to 300 runners, double points will be rewarded meaning 20 points for first, 19 for second all the way down to 1 point for 20th. For every additional 150 runners, another 10 runners will be included in the points.

For those who like raw times, we also list the Top 25 boys and girls race times and the meets and dates that they occurred.

This week’s schedule:

UIL State Cross Country Championship, Saturday Nov. 9 at Old Settlers Park in Round Rock.. All times (CST): Girls Class 3A, 10:50 a.m.; Boys Class 3A, 11:20 a.m.; Girls Class 4A, noon; Boys Class 4A, 12:30 p.m.; Girls Class 5A, 1:10 p.m.; Boys Class 5A, 1:50 p.m.; Girls Class 6A, 2:30 p.m.; Boys Class 6A, 3:10 p.m

For questions, videos and photos email vrmart66@gmail.com.

103119.BoysPack — What a great season of racing. All that is left is the UIL State Championship Nov. 9 in Round Rock.

Top 10

1 (TIE), Eastwood: The Troopers defended its Region 1-5A title and now look for its second straight Class 5A State championship. The Troopers placed four runners in the top 10 – senior Elias Perez (fourth, 14:57.80), senior Juan Olmos (seventh, 15:11.50), junior Nathan Hernandez (eighth, 15:12.60) and junior Sergio Leon-Cuartas (tenth, 15:30.60) – to win with 57 points. Eastwood’s average was 15:21.70.

1 (TIE), Americas: For the second year in a row, Americas advanced to state after its second-place finish in the Region 1-6A race. The Trailblazers placed three runners in the top 20 – Jacob Ye (fifth, 14:58.40), Hector Sanchez (ninth, 15:05.60) and Jared Laverty (16th, 15:22.50) – to earn 80 points, 20 points behind Regional champ and nationally ranked (18^th by DyeStat) Southlake Carroll. The Trailblazers – which beat nationally ranked (6^th by DyeStat) Flower Mound – had an average time of 15:19.40.

3, Franklin: The Cougars move up one after its sixth-place finish in the Region 1-6A race with 245 points. Senior Fernie Morales will race in his first state meet, finishing 20th in 15:23.40. Fellow senior Daniel Kennedy had a top 30 finish, placing 27^th in 15:37.60.

4, San Elizario: The Eagles move up one after reclaiming the top spot at the Region 1-4A race, winning with 64 points to advance to the state meet for the sixth year in a row. San Elizario had three runners in the top 10 – Edwin Gomez (second, 14:53.50), Rene Arambula (ninth, 15:55.00) and Dilan Sanchez (tenth, 15:55.60) and five in the top 25 – Irvin Vazquez (19th, 16:19.40) and Alan Ceballos (24th, 16:26.70).

5, Hanks: The Knights move up one after its runner-up performance in the Class 5A race. Hanks finished with 84 points after strong performances from seniors Michael Abeyta who was second in 14:35.10 and Rodger Rivera who was third in 14:51.30.

6, Coronado: The T-Birds were ninth with 283 points in the Region 1-6A race. Senior Nick Gonzalez was fourth, El Paso best finish in the race, in 14:58.20. Gonzalez will have to opportunity to race at the state meet.

7, Burges: The Mustangs finished seventh in the Class 5A race with 236 points. Junior David Gonzalez paced Burges with a 15:54.20, good for 23^rd place. The team’s average time was 16:22.80.

8, Tornillo: Tornillo senior Ofir Ortega won the Class 3A Region 1 championship in 16:06.00, to lead the the Coyotes to a second-place finish with 85 points, one point behind Presidio. Tornillo’s next four – Bryan Guzman (18th, 17:15.40), Bryan Garcia (19th, 17:16.00), Michael Maney (23rd, 17:18.30) and Angel Torres (24th, 17:19.70) – all had top 25 runs. The team’s average was 17:03.50.

9, Chapin: The Huskies finished 12th with 302 points in the Class 5A race. Senior Angel Contreras was 14th in 15:32.00 and advanced to state for the second straight year.

10, Horizon: The Scorpions finished the season as the 15^th best team in Region 1-5A. Horizon stunned the district by finishing third and advancing to regionals. With only two seniors, the future looks bright. Senior Alex Sanchez was the low man for Horizon at regionals, finishing at 44^th in 16:18.70.

Dropped out: El Paso High.
On the verge: None.

103119.Eastwood,Hanks,Eastlake_o — Eastwood senior Juan Olmos, Eastlake sophomore Isreal David and Hanks senior Rodger Rivera have been three of the top runners all season. All three will compete at the UIL State Cross Country Championship.

Top times (3-mile or 5K)

1, Elias Perez, Eastwood 14:25.90 (Woodbridge Classic, 9/21).

2, Michael Abeyta, Hanks, 14:35.10 (Mae Simmons Park, 10/28).

3, Rodger Rivera, Hanks, 14:51.30 (Mae Simmons Park, 10/28).

4, Sergio Leon Cuartas, Eastwood, 14:51.40 (Woodbridge Classic, 9/21).

5, Juan Olmos, Eastwood, 14:51.90 (Woodbridge Classic, 9/21).

6, Edwin Gomez, San Elizario, 14:53.50 (Mae Simmons Park, 10/28).

7, Nick Gonzalez, Coronado, 14:58.20 (Mae Simmons Park, 10/28).

8, Jacob Ye, Americas, 14:58.40 (Mae Simmons Park, 10/28).

9, Isreal David, Eastlake, 14:59.10 (Mae Simmons Park, 10/28).

10, Hector Sanchez, Americas, 15:05.60 (Mae Simmons Park, 10/28).

11, Nathan Hernandez, Eastwood, 15:12.60 (Mae Simmons Park, 10/28).

12, Victor Parra, Eastwood, 15:22.40 (Woodbridge Classic, 9/21).

13, Jared Laverty, Americas, 15:22.50 (Mae Simmons Park, 10/28).

14, Fernie Morales, Franklin, 15:23.40 (Mae Simmons Park, 10/28).

15, Angel Contreras, Chapin, 15:29.51 (Northeast Regional Park, 9/21).

16, Aaron Saenz, Americas, 15:32.60 (Mae Simmons Park, 10/28).

17, Daniel Kennedy, Franklin, 15:35.20 (Northeast Regional Park, 9/21).

18, Alan Alba, Coronado 15:35.77 (Northeast Regional Park, 9/21).

19, Seth Andrade, Americas, 15:37.80 (Mae Simmons Park, 10/28).

20, Gage Garcia, Americas, 15:44.35 (Northeast Regional Park, 9/21).

21, Ofir Ortega, Tornillo, 15:50.00 (Guyer Invitational, 9/14).

22, Joaquin Ortega, Chapin, 15:50.30 (Mae Simmons Park, 10/28).

23, Alejandro Tarin, Hanks, 15:53.70 (Mae Simmons Park, 10/28).

24, Melo Corral, Americas, 15:53.93 (Northeast Regional Park, 9/21).

25, David Gonzalez, Burges, 15:54.20 (Mae Simmons Park, 10/28).

103119Coronado:Franklin — Seniors Fernie Morales (Franklin) and Coronado’s Nick Gonzalez and Alan Alba own three of the top 25 times in the city.

Power rankings
(number parenthesis indicate meets won):

1, Nick Gonzalez, Coronado, 94 (6).

2, Edwin Gomez, San Elizario, 90 (3).

3, Ofir Ortega, Tornillo, 89 (3).

4, Michael Abeyta, Hanks, 71 (4).

5, Elias Perez, Eastwood, 66.

6, Isreal David, Eastlake, 63.

7, Hector Sanchez, Americas, 54 (1).

8, Jacob Ye, Americas, 49.

9, Fernie Morales, Franklin, 48 (1).

10, Juan Olmos, Eastwood, 45 (1).

10, Angel Contreras, Chapin, 45 (1).

Rene Arambula, San Elizario, 44.

Dilan Sanchez, San Elizario, 44.

Alan Alba, Coronado, 43.

Rodger Rivera, Hanks, 35 (1).

Daniel Kennedy, Franklin, 34.

Nathan Hernandez, Eastwood, 26.

Andrews Valdiviezo, Riverside, 24.

David Gonzalez, Burges, 23.

Sergio Leon Cuartas, Eastwood, 23.

Melo Corral, Americas, 23.

Aaron Saenz, Americas, 21.

Jared Laverty, Americas, 21.

Gael Alvarado, Hanks, 19.

Christian Parra, Socorro, 17.

Matthew Avila, El Paso, 16.

Miguel Avila, Del Valle, 16 (1).

Stephen Pitchkolan, Coronado, 15 (1).

Gage Garcia, Americas, 15.

Joshua Gonazalez, Mt. View, 14.

Evan Rubio, Ysleta, 12.

Irvin Vazquez, San Elizario, 12.

Alex Sanchez, Horizon, 11.

Michael Mier, Americas, 11.

Dylan Walker, Burges, 11.

Alan Ceballos, San Elizario, 10.

Joaquin Ortega, Chapin, 10.

Omer Ibrahim, Pebble Hills, 9.

Steve Porras, Franklin, 9.

Corey DuBrule, Coronado, 9.

Sebastan Mimbela, LPI, 8.

Bryan Garcia, Tornillo, 8.

Seth Andrade, Americas, 8.

Jarrett Ketchmark, Andress, 8.

Jacob Ontiveros, El Paso High, 8.

Jorge Garcia, Socorro, 7.

Victor Anchondo, Eastwood, 6

Michael Bernal, Pebble Hills, 6.

Cristian Ibarra, Ysleta, 6.

Angel Morales, San Elizario, 6.

Josh Espino, Coronado, 6.

Josep Ferret, El Paso, 6.

Dylan Espinosa, Bowie, 6.

Lance Hubert, Canutillo, 5

Jose Nilo, Austin, 4.

Dominic Lara, Coronado, 4.

Gael Hernandez, Fabens, 4.

Victor Parra, Eastwood, 4.

Reginald Robinson, Jefferson, 3.

Matthew Avila, El Paso, 3.

Isaac Becerill, Canutillo, 3.

Abdiel Vieyra, Del Valle, 3.

Denovan Estrada, Canutillo, 3.

Seth Rodriguez, San Elizario, 3.

Angel Torres, Tornillo 3.

Trenton Nelson, Montwood, 2.

Anthony Soto, Fabens, 2.

Noah Yeager, Burges, 2.

Aaron Perez, Eastwood, 1.

Abraham Cruz, Eastwood, 1.

Nick Barajas, Americas, 1.

Anthony Gonzalez, San Elizario, 1.

High School Girl’s XC Poll: Week 11

Every Wednesday, El Paso Running will utilize a point system to highlight El Paso’s top girls cross country runners.

The system is as follows: In a race of less than 150 runners, first place gets 10 points, second gets 9 points all the way down to 10th place which gets 1 point. For meets with between 150 to 300 runners, double points will be rewarded meaning 20 points for first, 19 for second all the way down to 1 point for 20th. For every additional 150 runners, another 10 runners will be included in the points.

For those who like raw times, we also list the Top 25 girls race times and the meets and dates that they occurred.

This week’s schedule:

For questions, videos and photos email vrmart66@gmail.com.

103019.GirlsPack — The season is over most runners. But there is a lot more running to do for a select few who have advanced to the state meet.

Top 10

1, Franklin: The Cougars ran a solid Region 1-6A race and advanced to the UIL State Cross Country Championship with a fourth-place finish. Junior Eva Jess won the event in 16:56.80, a season best. Franklin and Lewisville Marcus actually finished tied with 154 points but freshman Amanda Sotelo, the Cougars sixth runner, finished four spots ahead of the Marcus sixth girl to push the girls over the top.

2, Eastwood: The Troopers missed out on a consecutive Class 5A state appearance, finishing fifth at the Region 1-5A meet with 133 points. Sophomore Lauren Walls-Portillo was ninth (18:26.60) and will advance to her second straight state meet.

3, Jefferson: The Foxes placed sixth in the Class 5A Regional with 141 points. Jefferson had two runners – sophomore Crystal Peterson (seventh, 18:17.70) and Melody Tsutsumi (23^rd, 19:07.60) advance to the state meet.

4, Americas: The Trailblazers move up one spot after placing 9^th at the Region 1-6A race. Americas was paced by senior Mariana Guzman who was 13^th in 18:14.40. She will advance to the state meet.

5, Coronado: The T-Birds finished ninth at the Region 1-6A meet. Freshman Kyra Walker was 19^th in 18:33.80 and will race at the UIL State Championship.

6, Burges: The Mustangs placed eighth at the Regionals 1-5A race. Sophomore Annette Guzman was the low scorer for Burges finishing in 24^th in 19:23.00.

7, Eastlake: The Falcons finished 12th in the Region 1-5A championship. Junior Megan Kirtley was Eastlake’s top runner with a 19:42.40.

8, Montwood. The Rams did not advance to regionals as a team but junior Karyme Garcia set a season-best mark of 18:16.20, good for 15^th place and a trip to state.

9, Canutillo: The Eagles finished 16^th at the Region 1-5A meet. Freshman Natalie Rivera was the top runner for Canutillo finishing in 19:54.80.

10, Tornillo. The Coyotes finished in 7^th place at the Region 1-3A Championship. Freshman Kylene Elias won the 2-mile event in 11:57.60. Sophomore Wendy Garcia also finished in the top 20 in 12:53.60.

Dropped out: None.

On the brink: None.

103019.AnnetteGuzman — Burges sophomore Annette Guzman turned in a season 19:23.00 at Monday’s Region 1-5A championship at Mae Simmons Park in Lubbock.

Top times (3 mile or 5K)

1, Eva Jess, Franklin, 16:56.80 (Mae Simmons Park, 10/28).

2, Mariana Guzman, Americas, 18:14.40 (Mae Simmons Park, 10/28).

3, Karyme Garcia, Montwood, 18:16.20 (Mae Simmons Park, 10/28).

4, Lauren Walls-Portillo, Eastwood, 18:17.09 (Woodbridge Classic, 9/21).

5, Crystal Peterson, Jefferson, 18:17.70 (Mae Simmons Park, 10/28).

6, Kyra Walker, Coronado, 18:33.80 (Mae Simmons Park, 10/28).

7, Sophia Flores, Coronado, 18:41.20 (Mae Simmons Park, 10/28).

8, Desiree Carrillo, Eastwood, 18:45.08 (Woodbridge Classic, 9/21).

9, Meadow Ortiz, Eastwood, 18:54.08 (Woodbridge Classic, 9/21).

10, Sophie Watts, Eastwood, 18:55.06 (Woodbridge Classic, 9/21).

11, Adaila Olmos, Eastwood, 18:59.09 (Woodbridge Classic, 9/21).

12, Kylene Elias, Tornillo, 19:05.00 (Denton Guyer, 9/14).

13, Alexa Rangel, Montwood, 19:07.10 (Mae Simmons Park, 10/28).

14, Melody Tsumi, Jefferson, 19:07.60 (Mae Simmons Park, 10/28).

15, Jazmin Chacon, Socorro, 19:08.60 (Mae Simmons Park, 10/28).

16, Daphne Duran, Americas, 19:08.80 (Mae Simmons Park, 10/28).

17, Alyssa Laspada, Franklin, 19:13.00 (Mae Simmons Park, 10/28).

18, Jenna Saunders, Franklin, 19:18.20 (Mae Simmons Park, 10/28).

19, Janeth Chacon, Socorro, 19:19.60 (Mae Simmons Park, 10/28).

20, Jordan Torres, Franklin, 19:22.69 (Northeast Regional Park, 9/21).

21, Annette Guzman, Burges, 19:23.00 (Mae Simmons Park, 10/28).

22, Monique Correa Jefferson, 19:24.40 (Mae Simmons Park, 10/28).

23, Sophia Camacho, Franklin, 19:27.30 (Mae Simmons Park, 10/28).

24, Abagail Murillo, Bel Air, 19:29.39 (Northeast Regional Park, 9/21).

25, Ivette Rojas, Jefferson, 19:37.50 (Mae Simmons Park, 10/28).

103019.GirlsTrio — These three girls – Socorro’s Janeth Chacon, Franklin’s Jordan Torres and Montwood’s Alexa Rangel – have been solid for their respective teams all season.

Power rankings
(number parenthesis indicate meets won):

1, Eva Jess, Franklin, 110 (10).

2, Kylene Elias, Tornillo, 88 (6).

3, Karyme Garcia, Montwood, 70 (1).

4, Mariana Guzman, Americas, 63 (1).

5, Kyra Walker, Coronado, 60 (1).

6, Melody Tsumi, Jefferson, 53.

7, Sophia Flores, Coronado, 50.

8, Kayhla Talavera, Mt. View, 48 (1).

9, Lauren Walls-Portillo, Eastwood, 39 (1).

10, Alyssa Laspada, Franklin, 36.

10, Crystal Peterson, Jefferson, 36 (1).

Angelina Lujan-Marrufo, Parkland, 35.

Jazmin Chacon, Socorro, 34 (2).

Jenna Saunders, Franklin, 33.

Nicole Estrada, Mt. View, 33.

Jordan Torres, Franklin, 30.

Oliva Garcia, Tornillo, 26.

Janeth Chacon, Socorro, 26.

Destiny Beltran, Horizon, 24.

Abagail Murillo, Bel Air, 21.

Natalie Rivera, Canutillo, 20, (1).

Annette Guzman, Burges, 19.

Daphne Duran, Americas, 18.

Mia Rivera, Hanks, 17.

Karina Gallegos, San Elizario, 16.

Wendy Garcia, Tornillo, 16.

Marcela Perches, Coronado, 15.

Meadow Ortiz, Eastwood, 14.

Morayama Montes, Austin, 14.

Emilee Antimo, Burges, 13.

Chondra Espino, Canutillo, 13.

Alexa Rangel, Montwood, 13.

Desiree Carrillo, Eastwood, 13.

Anisa Sanchez, Del Valle, 12.

Eileen McLain, Eastwood, 12.

Monique Correa, Jefferson, 10.

Jezarae Valenzuela, El Paso, 8.

Evonna Walker, Burges, 8.

Megan Kirtley, Eastlake, 8.

America Morales, San Elizario, 7.

Stephanie Soto, Fabens, 6.

Sofia Fodor, Coronado, 6.

Mariah Martinez, Loretto, 6.

Brisa Aguilar, Clint, 6.

Britney Martinez, Loretto, 5.

Luisa Ramirez, Coronado, 5.

Ana Rojas, Socorro, 5.

Jacqueline Castillo, Clint, 5.

Grettel Aguilar, Irvin, 4.

Ivy Lara, Canutillo, 4.

Maya Ramirez, Americas, 4.

Trinity Martinez, Eastwood, 4.

Janice Olivas, Clint, 4.

Sofia Camacho, Franklin, 3.

Lauren Anderson, Americas, 3.

Alissa Kennedy, El Paso, 3.

Elizabeth Hernandez, Austin, 3.

Yulissa Ortega, Canutillo, 3.

Vanessa Preciado, Canutillo, 3.

Kassandra Jimenez, Young Women, 3.

Pam Ramirez, Burges, 3.

Andrea Villagomez, Horizon, 3.

Emily Guerrero, San Elizario, 3.

Maryann Padilla, Tornillo, 2.

Destiny Martinez, Eastwood, 2.

Shayla Cohen Jones, El Paso, 2.

Joselyn Heaven Perez, Parkland, 2.

Madeline Estrada, Mt. View, 2.

Adalia Olmos, Eastwood, 1.

Abigail Barraza, Americas, 1.

Julie Canales, Montwood, 1.

Sydney Puentes, Coronado, 1.

Vivian Zapata, Clint, 1.

Katelyn Robles, Del Valle, 1.

El Paso runners tame Region of Doom

State Championship Previews

Saturday: Tornillo boys.

Sunday: San Elizario boys.

Monday: Hanks boys.

Tuesday: Eastwood boys.

Wednesday: Franklin girls.

Thursday: Americas boys.

Friday: Individual qualifiers. Class 6A – Americas senior Mariana Guzman; Montwood junior Karyme Garcia, Coronado senior Nick Gonzalez and freshman Kyra Walker and Franklin senior Fernie Morales, Franklin. Class 5A – Jefferson sophomore Crystal Peterson and junior Melody Tsutsumi; Lauren Walls, sophomore, Eastwood; Eastlake sophomore Israel David and Angel Contreras, senior, Chapin. Class 4A- Mt. View junior Kayhla Talavera, senior Nicole Estrada and junior Joshua Gonzalez and Karina Gallegos, junior, San Elizario. Class 3A – Freshman, Kylene Elias, Tornillo.

Make Plans

What: UIL State Cross Country Championship.

When: Saturday Nov. 9. All times (CST): Girls Class 3A, 10:50 a.m.; Boys Class 3A, 11:20 a.m.; Girls Class 4A, noon; Boys Class 4A, 12:30 p.m.; Girls Class 5A, 1:10 p.m.; Boys Class 5A, 1:50 p.m.; Girls Class 6A, 2:30 p.m.; Boys Class 6A, 3:10 p.m.

Where: Old Settlers Park in Round Rock.

At Stake: State team and individual titles.

102919Nick:Jacob — Coronado senior Nick Gonzalez finished in fourth place, right in front of Americas senior Jacob Ye at the Region 1-6A championship.

On a cold, windy Monday morning, El Paso distance runners rose to the challenge of what the Region 1 Cross Country Championship represents and owned the Region of Doom at Mae Simmons Park in Lubbock.

Six teams – the boys squads from Americas, Eastwood, Hanks, San Elizario, Tornillo and the Franklin girls – and 15 individuals advanced to the UIL State Cross Country Championship next Saturday, Nov. 9 in Round Rock.

The Eastwood and San Elizario boys won Region 1 titles – Eastwood’s second consecutive crown – in Class 5A and Class 4A while Americas, Hanks and Tornillo each earned runner-up spots in Class 6A, Class 5A and Class 3A.

Franklin, out of Class 6A, are the only girl’s representative.

The top four teams and top 10 individuals not on a qualifying team advanced to the UIL Cross Country State Championship.

102919Americas — For the second year in a row, Americas has advanced to state. The team finished a program best, Region 1-6A runner up. Senior Mariana Guzman (lower right) also qualified to state.

Class 6A

For the second year in a row, Americas has advanced to state.

The Trailblazers placed three runners in the top 20 – Jacob Ye (fifth, 14:58.40), Hector Sanchez (ninth, 15:05.60) and Jared Laverty (16th, 15:22.50) – to earn 80 points, 20 points behind Regional Champ Southlake Carroll.

Other scoring runners were Aaron Saenz (22nd, 15:32.60) and Seth Andrade (28th, 15:37.80. The Trailblazers average time was 15:19.40.

Also advancing to state out of Region 1 are Lewisville Flower Mound (97 points) and Coppell (121).

Franklin was sixth with 245 points and Coronado was ninth with 283 points.

Individually, Coronado senior Nick Gonzalez accomplished his goal of a top five regional finish, completing the 3-mile course in 14:58.20, good for fourth place, El Paso’s top finish in Class 6A. This will be Gonzalez’s second trip to state.

Franklin senior Fernie Morales will race in his first state meet, finishing 20th in 15:23.40.

Morales will not be alone in his training in the next two weeks.

For the first time in Franklin history, the girl’s team has advanced to the state’s top race.

The Cougars – whose team is comprised of one junior, two sophomores and four freshman – placed fourth with 154 points to earn the bid.

102919.Franjklin — For the first time in Franklin history, the girl’s team has advanced to the state’s top race.

Eva Jess, the lone junior, won the Region 1 title in 16:56.80.

The top five scorers ran sub 20s including Alyssa Laspada (34th, 19:13.00), Jenna Saunders (37th, 19:1820), Sophia Camacho (39th, 19:27.30) and Jordan Torres (43rd, 19:35.10).

Franklin was actually tied with Lewisville Marcus but its sixth runner Amanda Sotelo placed four spots better than the Marcus runner to give the Cougars the bid to state.

Southlake Carroll, Copell and Lewisville Flower Mound also advanced to state.

Other 6A girls to make state are Americas senior Mariana Guzman (14th, 18:14.40), Karyme Garcia, junior, Montwood (15th, 18:16.20) and Coronado freshman Kyra Walker (22nd, 18:33.80).

Americas was ninth with 246 points and Coronado was 10th with 280 points.

102919.Eastwood — The Eastwood boys defended its Region 1 title and now look for its second straight Class 5A State championship.

Class 5A

The Eastwood boys defended its Region 1 title and now look for its second straight Class 5A State championship.

The Troopers placed four runners in the top 10 – senior Elias Perez (fourth, 14:57.80), senior Juan Olmos (seventh, 15:11.50), junior Nathan Hernandez (eighth, 15:12.60) and junior Sergio Leon-Cuartas (tenth, 15:30.60) – to win with 57 points.

Junior Victor Parra was 28th in 15:55.90 to round out the top 5.

Eastwood’s average was 15:21.70.

Hanks was second with 84 points, Grapevine was third with 91 and Aledo was fourth with 167 points.

In the individual race, seniors Graydon Morris from Aledo and Hanks senior Michael Abeyta put on another show. Morris won the individual title in 14:32.30 while Abeyta was second in 14:35.10. Hanks senior Rodger Rivera, Hanks, 14:51.30.

Other scoring runners for the Knights were Alejandro Tarin (22nd, 15:33.70), Omar Munoz (27th, 15:55.70) and Gael Alvarado (30th, 15:57.40)

102919HanksBoys — Hanks finished second in the the Region 1-5A race and will be advance to state.

Also advancing are Grapevine and Aledo.

Eastlake sophomore Israel David was fifth in 14:59.10 and Chapin senior Angel Contreras was 14th in 15:32.00 to advance to state for the second straight year.

Burges was seventh with 236 points, Chapin was 12th with 302 points, Horizon was 15th with 388 points and El Paso High was 17th with 433 points.

On the girl’s side Jefferson sophomore Crystal Peterson and Eastwood sophomore Lauren Walls-Portillo are making return trips to state. Peterson was seventh in 18:17.70 and Walls-Portillo was tenth in 18:26.60. Racing in her first state meet will be junior Melody Tsutsumi who was 23rd regionals (19:07.60).

Eastwood just missed out on a second straight state appearance finishing fifth with 133 points. Advancing to state out of Region 1 will be Grapevine, Canyon Randall, Colleyville Heritage and Amarillo.

Jefferson was sixth with 141 points, Burges eighth with 250, Eastlake 12th with 346, Canutillo 16th with 386 points and Del Valle 18th with 441 points.

102919.SanEli — The San Elizario Eagles retained the top spot at Regionals, winning with 64 points and will advance to the state meet for the sixth year in a row.

Class 4A

The San Elizario Eagles retained the top spot at Regionals, winning with 64 points and will advance to the state meet for the sixth year in a row.

After winning four Regionals in row, the Eagles finished third last year.

San Elizario had three runners in the 10 – Edwin Gomez (second, 14:53.50), Rene Arambula (ninth, 15:55.00) and Dilan Sanchez (tenth, 15:55.60) and five in the top 25 – Irvin Vazquez (19th, 16:19.40) and Alan Ceballos (24th, 16:26.70).

Decatur was second with 68 points, Andrews was third with 92 and Canyon was fourth with 121 points.

Fabens finished 10th with 336 points and Clint was 23rd with 593 points.

Also advancing to state is Mt. View junior Joshua Gonzalez (14th, 16:09.50).

For the girls, a pair of Mt. View runners – junior Kayhla Talavera and senior Nicole Estrada – and San Elizario junior Karina Gallegos advanced to state.

102919Mt.ViewWinners — Mt. View junior Kayhla Talavera, senior Nicole Estrada and junior Joshua Gonzalez are Class 4A state qualifiers.

Talavera was fourth in the 2-mile race, finishing in 12:05.50, Estrada was 10th in 12:18.50 and Gallegos was 28th in 12:49.20. Estrada raced in last year’s state meet.

Canyon won the event with 47 points followed by Argyle with 89, Hereford was third with 97 and Decatur was fourth with 109 points.

San Elizario was the top county school finishing 11th with 314 points followed by Mt. View with 321 for 12th place and Clint was 17th with 469 points.

102919TornilloWinners — Tornillo had a pair of Region 1-3A champions – freshman Kylene Elias and senior Ofir Ortega.

Class 3A

The big news coming out of Tornillo is freshman Kylene Elias who won the Region 1 championship, racing the two-mile course in 11:57.60.

She is believed to be the first female runner to win the Region out of Tornillo.

To make matters more interesting, she raced the majority of the race with only one shoe.

Holliday won the title with 102 points followed by Wall (148), Presidio (184) and Abernathy (215) – all state qualifiers.

Tornillo was seventh with 250 points. Sophomores Wendy Garcia (19th, 12:53.60) and Olivia Garcia (22nd, 12:58.20) had top 25 performances.

About 30 minutes after the girls race, senior Ofir Ortega went out and won the boy’s race in 16:06.00, propelling the Coyotes to a second place regional finish with 85 points.

Presidio won the event, one point ahead of Tornillo.

Tonillo’s next four – Bryan Guzman (18th, 17:15.40), Bryan Garcia (19th, 17:16.00), Michael Maney (23rd, 17:18.30) and Angel Torres (24th, 17:19.70) – all had top 25 runs.

Crane was third with 134 points and Boyd was fourth with 137.

This is the tenth time in 11 years the Coyotes have qualified for the state championship.

El Paso’s best take on Region of Doom

Make Plans

What: Region 1 Cross Country Championship.

When: Monday, Oct. 28. Times (MST): 3A Girls, 10 a.m.; 3A Boys, 10:30 a.m.; 4A Girls, 11 a.m.; 4A Boys, 11:30 a.m.; 5A Girls, Noon.; 5A Boys, 12:30 p.m.; 6A Girls, 1 p.m.; 6A Boys, 1:30 p.m.

Where: Mae Simmons Park, MLK Blvd. and 24th Street in Lubbock.

At Stake: Top four teams and top 10 individuals not on a qualifying team advance to the UIL Cross Country State Championship, Nov. 9 at Old Settlers Park in Round Rock.

102619.EastwoodBoys — Hanks Michael Abeyta and Rodger Rivera, along with Eastwood, will do their best to return to the Class 5A Cross County State Championship.

The best of the best in Region 1 will converge on the South Plains of Texas on Monday for the annual qualifying round for the UIL State Cross Country Championship.

Mae Simmons Park in Lubbock is where hundreds of high school runners from El Paso to Dallas will compete for the ultimate trip to Round Rock and a chance to race for a state title.

Region 1 – known around the state as the Region of Doom because of the amount of talented teams and individual harriers, is where many of those dreams are realized – or, in many cases – doomed.

Last fall, six teams enjoyed the experience of advancing to state – Americas’ boys in Class 6A, Burges’ boys and Eastwood’s boys and girls in Class 5A, San Elizario boys in Class 4A, and Tornillo’s boys in Class 3A.

Here is what’s in store for this year’s regional girl’s races:

102619.FranklingGirls — The Franklin girls need a monster performance in order to qualify for a Class 6A state berth. The team is more than capable of performing well on Monday.

Class 6A

Franklin, Coronado and Americas advanced, as did Socorro twins Jazmin and Janeth Chacon and Montwood’s Alexa Rangel and Karyme Garcia.

Last year, Franklin was ninth with 269 points, Americas 11^th with 308 and Coronado was 12^th with 331.

Franklin junior Eva Jess finished 8^th last year in a time 17:46.05 and qualified to the state championship.

“If I have a really good meet, I could win it so that’s what I’m shooting for,” Jess said. “Of course I want to make it back to state and do good there, that’s the end goal, but regionals is the first step toward state.”

The team race will come down to traditional state powers Southlake Carroll, Coppell, Flower Mound and Keller.

However, the young and talented Franklin Cougars are prowling, watch for them to challenge Keller for the final spot to state out of Region 1.

102619.Eastwoodgirls — For the Eastwood girls to be able to return to the UIL Class 5A Cross Country Championship, they will need help in the back end of the pack.

Class 5A

Eastwood, Jefferson, Eastlake, Canutillo, Del Valle and Burges will compete for state individual and team berths while Austin’s Mora Montes, Horizon’s Destiny Beltran and Andrea Villagomez and Angelina Lujan-Marrufo and Joselyn Heaven Perez from Parkland will compete as individuals.

Grapevine won the region last year followed by Amarillo and Eastwood was third. Watch for these three, along with Colleyville Heritage fight it out for positions.

“I expect really good competition,” said Lauren Walls-Portillo, a sophomore at Eastwood and defending District 1-5A champion. “It’s going to come down to who is stronger and who gives it their all. I’m expecting really strong runners including my teammates.”

It was the first time since 1988 a girl’s team from Eastwood competed at the UIL State Cross Country Championship.

Walls-Portillo is looking forward to another opportunity for the Troopers to advance to the state meet.

“We have a very high chance of making it to state because our team is much stronger this year,” she said. “We’ve seen what we can do after last year and we can do it again.”

Jefferson was fifth with 143 points – seven points shy of qualifying for state – Eastlake was ninth with 177 points, Burges was 13^th (387 points) and Canutillo was 19^th (517).

Jefferson sophomore Crystal Peterson, the two-time District 1-5A champ, was fifth at last year’s regional in 18:33.00) and advanced to state.

“Mentally, I need to be stronger and I need to have a positive mindset that I’m going to do great and I’m going to go back to state,” she said.

This time, she hopes to bring her team with her.

“This season, we’ve all been really close,” she said. “We’ve opened up more with each other and have bonded closer than ever. That really helps us on the course, because we don’t allow anyone to fall behind and if they do, we each know there’ll be someone there to pick them up.”

Mt. View girls — Mt. View’s Kayhla Talavera and Nicole Estrada finished 1-2 in the District 1-4A race.

Class 4A

Mt. View, San Elizario and Clint will represent the county schools in Class 4A.

Last year, Mt. View senior Nicole Estrada finished the girls Class 4A regional 2-mile race in 12:41.90 and qualified for the UIL State Meet. San Elizario’s girls finished in 13th place.

Kayhla Talavera, a junior at Mt.View, won the District 1-4A championship, her first varsity win.

“I’m excited about going to regionals,” she said. “It’s going to be my first time so hopefully it turns out great. I have to run around 11:45 to get to state. I’ve run a 10:49 two-mile so it’s something I can do, it’s within my grasp.”

Class 3A

The Tornillo Coyotes are off to regionals for the first time in team history.

Tornillo placed three runners – Kylene Elias (first, 12:16.78), Olivia Garcia (second, 12:45.50) and Wendy Garcia (fifth,12:56.87) – in the top 5 at the District 1-3A championship where the team finished second.

Look for the freshman sensation Kylene Elias to advance to the state championship.

Boys

Here is what’s in store for this year’s regional boy’s races:

NickandAmericas — Coronado’s Nick Gonzales will look for a top 5 performance at regionals while the Americas boys are looking to to return to the state championship.

Class 6A

Americas, Coronado and Franklin will represent El Paso again this year.

The Trailblazers finished fourth last year with 134 points, earning themselves the final spot to the state meet, the team’s first trip to state.

The team has three of the five scoring runners from that squad returning including Jacob Ye (22^nd, 15:33.30), Jared Laverty (27^th15:42.20) and Gage Garcia (45^th, 16:00.50). Also back is Seth Andrade and Melo Corral. The newest addition is senior Hector Sanchez who was third at district in 16:08.19.

Coronado finished in eighth place with 255 points and Franklin was 10^th with 278 points.

Coronado senior Nick Gonzalez was eighth at last year’s meet with a 15:12.10 which earned him a trip to state.

“I want to be in the top five at regionals,” Gonzalez said. “That’s what I’m shooting for. I know I have to get better rest this week and prepare better than I have been but it’s something that I know I can do.”

The boys team battle will be epic – which it is every year in this region.

Flower Mound has been the best team in Texas all year and should win the region, unless Southlake Carroll comes out and does something special, which they are very capable of.

The final two spots will come down to Coppell, Lewisville Marcus and Americas.

102619.bowierunner — For the second year in a row, Dylan Espinoza will represent Bowie at the Region 1-5A Cross Country Meet.

Class 5A

Eastwood, Burges, Chapin, Horizon, El Paso and Hanks are off to regionals as are: Jarrett Ketchmark, Andress; Dylan Espinoza, Bowie; Israel David, Eastlake; Miquel Avila, Del Valle and Evan Rubio, Ysleta.

The Troopers are the defending Region 1-5A at Class 5A state champions.

Eastwood easily won the meet placing it’s scoring runners in 4-6-7-8 and 15th place for 40 points. Burges also advanced with a fourth-place finish.

Eastwood returns three of the top five scoring runners including Juan Olmos (sixth, 15:35.50), Sergio Cuartas (seventh, 15:37.30) and Elias Perez (eighth, 15:39.90).

Grapevine, Aledo and Hanks – powered by seniors Michael Abeyta and Rodger Rivera and sophomore Gael Alvarado – will also be in contention.

“I want to win, of course and definitely run a good time,” said Abeyta the four-time District 2-5A champ. “I’m shooting for a 14:38. I’m focusing on my team right now because they work so hard and I love them like brothers. The goal for me is to win state but as a team, I hope our team can qualify.”

Individually, Abeyta and Rivera finished 2-3 in 15:12.70 and 15:20.40 to advance. Eastlake sophomore Israel David finished 13th in 15:48.90 and Chapin senior Angel Contreras (18th, 15:57.50) also hope to return to state.

“Hopefully we can make it to state as a team,” said Contreras who won the District 1-5A crown. “I’m going to fight strong to make it as an individual but try even harder to help get my team there.”

As a team, Hanks finished sixth with 188 points and Chapin was ninth (260).

102619.1-5Aboysline2 — Chapin, Burges and El Paso High are the District 1-5A representatives to the Region 1-5A Meet in Lubbock.

Class 4A

San Elizario, Fabens, Clint and Joshua Gonzalez from Mt. View will travel to Lubbock on Monday.

San Elizario finished third with 87 points last year but junior Edwin Gomez defended his individual title in 15:17.90.

Andrews won the team title with 63 points, Canyon was second with 78 points, San Elizario third and Decatur fourth (117). These same four should do battle again.

“The team is ready to make another run at a state title,” Gomez said.

Class 3A

Tornillo, the four-time defending Region 3A champ, missed out on their fifth, finishing two points behind Boyd last year.

Tornillo finished second with 91 points.

Only five points separated the top three teams.

Senior Ofir Ortega was second overall in 16:04.70.

High School Boy’s XC Poll: Week 10

Every Thursday, El Paso Running will utilize a point system to highlight El Paso’s top boy’s cross country runners.

For those who like raw times, we also list the Top 25 boys and girls race times and the meets and dates that they occurred.

This week’s schedule:

Regional Championships: 8 a.m. Oct. 28 at Mae Simmons Park in Lubbock.

For questions, videos and photos email vrmart66@gmail.com.

Top 10

1, Eastwood: The Troopers won their ninth straight district title, scoring 37 points in the District 2-5A championship. Eastwood placed four runners in the top 10 – Juan Olmos (third, 15:47.42), Elias Perez (fifth, 15:57.63), Nathan Hernandez (sixth, 16:06.77) and Victor Parra (tenth, 17:14.74). They will race in the Region 1-5 regional at 11 a.m. Monday in Lubbock.

2, Americas: Americas senior Hector Sanchez finished third in 16:08.19 at the District 1-6A Championship to lead five Trailblazers – Jared Laverty (fifth, 16:16.32), Aaron Saenz (seventh, 16:28.59), Melo Corral (eighth, 16:28.96), Seth Andrade (ninth, 16:29.69) and Jacob Ye (tenth, 16:36.44) – in the top 10 to win the team title with 32 points. It is the second consecutive district title for Americas. They will race in the Region 1-6A regional at noon Monday in Lubbock.

3, Coronado: The T-Birds move up one after finishing second at District 1-6A Championship with 56 points. Senior Nick Gonzalez defended his individual title winning in 15:45.31. Teammate Alan Alba was fourth in 16:15.58. They will run at the Region 1-6A regional at noon Monday.

4, Franklin: The Cougars finished third at the District 1-6A Championship with 60 points and move down one. Senior Fernie Morales was second in 15:49.52 and senior Daniel Kennedy was fourth in 16:26.42. They will compete at the Region 1-6A regional at noon Monday.

5, San Elizario: All seven of San Elizario’s runners finished in the top 10 as the Eagles won another District 1-4A championship. Edwin Gomez was first in 15:59.12, Rene Arambula was second, 16:38.57, Dilan Sanchez, third (16:49.49), Irvin Vazquez, fourth (16:50.98), Alan Ceballos (sixth, 17:17.18), SethRodriguez was eighth in 17:48.15 and Anthony Gonzalez was 10^th in 17:57.58. The Eagles will race for the Region 1-4A championship at 10 a.m. Monday in Lubbock.

6, Hanks: The Knights finished second at the District 2-5A championship with 44 points as three runners finished in the top seven. Michael Abeyta won his fourth district crown in 15:22.16 followed by senior Rodger Rivera (fourth, 15:49.19) and sophomore Gael Alvarado (seventh, 16:50.00). They will race in the Region 1-5 regional at 11 a.m. Monday in Lubbock.

7, Burges: David Gonzalez was second (16:46.00) in the District 1-5A championship to lead the Mustangs to a team title with 45 points. Dylan Walker was fifth in 17:14.36 and Noah Yeager was ninth in 17:22.83 for the Mustangs. They will race in the Region 1-5 regional at 11 a.m. Monday in Lubbock.

8, Tornillo: Tornillo won the District 1-3A championship with 37 points. Ofir Ortega was second in 16:18.65 followed by Bryan Garcia (third, 17:17.83), Angel Torres (eighth, 17:39.96) and Bryan Guzman (10^th, 17:58.15). The Coyotes will race in the Region 1-3A championship at 9 a.m. Monday in Lubbock.

9, Chapin: The Huskies jump back in the top 10 after its second-place finish in the District 1-5A championship. Chapin had two runners in the top five – district champion Angel Contreras (16:14.02) and Joaquin Ortega (fourth, 17:07.09). They will race in the Class 5A regional at 11 a.m. Monday in Lubbock.

10, El Paso High: The Tigers were third at the District 1-5A Championship with 72 points and will advance to the regional meet for the first time in 14 years. The Tigers had three runners in the top 10 – Jacob Ontiveros (sixth, 17:14.66), Josep Ferret (seventh, 17:15.17) and Matthew Avila (eighth, 17:16.29).

Dropped out: Eastlake, Montwood.
On the verge: El Paso High, Horizon.

102419Angel — Senior Angel Contreras won the District 1-5A Championship and helped the Huskies back into the Top 10. Chapin finished second as a team.

Top times (3-mile or 5K)

1, Elias Perez, Eastwood 14:25.90 (Woodbridge Classic, 9/21).

2, Sergio Leon Cuartas, Eastwood, 14:51.40 (Woodbridge Classic, 9/21).

3, Juan Olmos, Eastwood, 14:51.90 (Woodbridge Classic, 9/21).

4, Edwin Gomez, San Elizario, 15:08.93 (Desert Twilight, 9/27).

5, Nick Gonzalez, Coronado, 15:19.21 (Northeast Regional Park, 9/21).

6, Michael Abeyta, Hanks, 15:20.73 (Desert Twilight, 9/27).

7, Jacob Ye, Americas, 15:22.23 (Northeast Regional Park, 9/21).

8, Victor Parra, Eastwood, 15:22.40 (Woodbridge Classic, 9/21).

9, Fernie Morales, Franklin, 15:23.42 (Northeast Regional Park, 9/21).

10, Nathan Hernandez, Eastwood, 15:27.4 (Woodbridge Classic, 9/21).

11, Rodger Rivera, Hanks, 15:29.04 (Race to Midnight, SAC, 8/24).

12, Angel Contreras, Chapin, 15:29.51 (Northeast Regional Park, 9/21).

13, Daniel Kennedy, Franklin, 15:35.20 (Northeast Regional Park, 9/21).

14, Alan Alba, Coronado 15:35.77 (Northeast Regional Park, 9/21).

15, Aaron Saenz, Americas, 15:36.45 (Northeast Regional Park, 9/21).

16, Hector Sanchez, Americas, 15:36.89 (Northeast Regional Park, 9/21).

17, Jared Laverty, Americas, 15:38.00 (Northeast Regional Park, 9/21).

18, Isreal David, Eastlake, 15:43.10 (Mae Simmons Park, 9/28).

19, Gage Garcia, Americas, 15:44.35 (Northeast Regional Park, 9/21).

20, Seth Andrade, Americas, 15:48.70 (Northeast Regional Park, 9/21).

21, Ofir Ortega, Tornillo, 15:50.00 (Guyer Invitational, 9/14).

22, Melo Corral, Americas, 15:53.93 (Northeast Regional Park, 9/21).

23, Christian Parra, Socorro, 15:55.00 (Guyer Invitational, 9/14).

24, Andres Gurrola, Eastwood, 15:55.60 (Woodbridge Classic, 9/21).

25, Stephen Pitchkolan Coronado, 15:56.74 (Northeast Regional Park, 9/21).

102419EPHSBoys — The El Paso High Tigers will compete at the Region 1-5A championship for the first time in 14 years.

Power rankings
(number parenthesis indicate meets won):

1, Nick Gonzalez, Coronado, 77 (6).

2, Edwin Gomez, San Elizario, 71 (3).

3, Ofir Ortega, Tornillo, 69 (2).

4, Hector Sanchez, Americas, 54 (1).

5, Michael Abeyta, Hanks, 52 (4).

6, Elias Perez, Eastwood, 49.

7, Fernie Morales, Franklin, 47 (1).

7, Isreal David, Eastlake, 47.

9, Alan Alba, Coronado, 43.

10, Angel Contreras, Chapin, 38 (1).

Daniel Kennedy, Franklin, 34.

Jacob Ye, Americas, 33.

Dilan Sanchez, San Elizario, 33.

Juan Olmos, Eastwood, 32 (1).

Rene Arambula, San Elizario, 32.

Andrews Valdiviezo, Riverside, 24.

David Gonzalez, Burges, 23.

Melo Corral, Americas, 23.

Aaron Saenz, Americas, 21.

Gael Alvarado, Hanks, 19.

Jared Laverty, Americas, 18.

Christian Parra, Socorro, 17.

Rodger Rivera, Hanks, 17 (1).

Matthew Avila, El Paso, 16.

Miguel Avila, Del Valle, 16 (1).

Stephen Pitchkolan, Coronado, 15 (1).

Gage Garcia, Americas, 15.

Sergio Leon Cuartas, Eastwood, 14.

Nathan Hernandez, Eastwood, 14.

Evan Rubio, Ysleta, 12.

Alex Sanchez, Horizon, 11.

Michael Mier, Americas, 11.

Irvin Vazquez, San Elizario, 11.

Dylan Walker, Burges, 11.

Alan Ceballos, San Elizario, 10.

Joaquin Ortega, Chapin, 10.

Omer Ibrahim, Pebble Hills, 9.

Steve Porras, Franklin, 9.

Corey DuBrule, Coronado, 9.

Sebastan Mimbela, LPI, 8.

Bryan Garcia, Tornillo, 8.

Seth Andrade, Americas, 8.

Jarrett Ketchmark, Andress, 8.

Jacob Ontiveros, El Paso High, 8.

Jorge Garcia, Socorro, 7.

Joshua Gonazalez, Mt. View, 7.

Victor Anchondo, Eastwood, 6

Michael Bernal, Pebble Hills, 6.

Cristian Ibarra, Ysleta, 6.

Angel Morales, San Elizario, 6.

Josh Espino, Coronado, 6.

Josep Ferret, El Paso, 6.

Dylan Espinosa, Bowie, 6.

Lance Hubert, Canutillo, 5

Jose Nilo, Austin, 4.

Dominic Lara, Coronado, 4.

Gael Hernandez, Fabens, 4.

Victor Parra, Eastwood, 4.

Reginald Robinson, Jefferson, 3.

Matthew Avila, El Paso, 3.

Isaac Becerill, Canutillo, 3.

Abdiel Vieyra, Del Valle, 3.

Denovan Estrada, Canutillo, 3.

Seth Rodriguez, San Elizario, 3.

Angel Torres, Tornillo 3.

Trenton Nelson, Montwood, 2.

Anthony Soto, Fabens, 2.

Noah Yeager, Burges, 2.

Aaron Perez, Eastwood, 1.

Abraham Cruz, Eastwood, 1.

Nick Barajas, Americas, 1.

Anthony Gonzalez, San Elizario, 1.

Armando Flores, Canutillo, 1.

Bryan Guzman, Tornillo, 1.

High School Girl’s XC Poll: Week 10

Every Wednesday, El Paso Running will utilize a point system to highlight El Paso’s top girls cross country runners.

For those who like raw times, we also list the Top 25 girls race times and the meets and dates that they occurred.

This week’s schedule:

Regional Championships: 8 a.m. Oct. 28 at Mae Simmons Park in Lubbock.

For questions, videos and photos email vrmart66@gmail.com.

102319.DistrictGirls — Saturday morning at the Chamizal National Memorial Park was filled with fast times and competitive running at districts.

Top 10

1, Franklin: The Cougars defended its District 1-6A title, placing all five of its scoring runners in the top 15 for 48 points. Eva Jess broke the Chamizal National Memorial course record in 17:45.44 to win individual honors. Jordan Torres was 10^th in 20:20.65. Franklin advances to the 1-6A Regionals in Lubbock on Monday.

2, Eastwood: The Troopers also defended its District 2-5A championship with 28 points, placing four runners in the top 10 including back-to-back district champion Lauren Walls-Portillo (19:51.24). Meadow Ortiz was second in 20:37.63, Desiree Carrillo was fifth in 20:47.12 and Trinity Martinez was seventh 20:55.64. They will compete at the Region 1-5A meet in Lubbock on Monday.

3, Jefferson: The Foxes jump up another spot winning back-to-back District 1-5A championships with 29 points. When at full strength, this team is dangerous. Crystal Peterson, last year’s District 1-5A champion, also repeated, winning in 19:44.97. Other top 5 finishers were Melody Tsutsumi (second, 20:01.32) and Monique Correa (fourth, 20:31.48). Jefferson advances to the Region 1-5A meet in Lubbock.

4, Coronado: The T-Birds jump up three spots after its second-place finish at the District 1-6A Championship. Coronado scored 61 points with two runners – Kyra Walker (fifth, 19:54.51) and Sophia Flores (sixth, 19:56.70) in the top 10. Coronado advances to the 1-6A Regionals in Lubbock on Monday.

5, Americas: The Trailblazers dropped two spots after its third-place finish at the District 1-6A Championship. Mariana Guzman was the district runner-up (19:18.82) and Daphne Duran was ninth in 20:14.91. They will race at the Region 1-6A meet in Lubbock.

6, Eastlake: The Falcons move up one after placing second at the District 2-5A championship with 74 points. Megan Kirtley was Eastlake’s top runner, clocking a 20:46.63. Eastlake will race at the Region 1-5A meet in Lubbock on Monday.

7, Montwood. The Rams move down one spot after just missing out on a trip to the Region 1-6A meet. However, two runners – Alexa Rangel (fourth, 19:45.52) and Karyme Garcia (eighth, 20:11.81) – will advance to regionals as individuals.

8, Burges: The Mustangs scored 45 points and finished second at the District 1-5A Championship and will head to Lubbock for regionals. The Mustangs showed some great pack running finishing 6-7-8 and 9. Annette Guzman finished in 20:53.87, Emilee Antimo in 21:03.30, Pam Ramirez in 21:04.37 and Evonna Walker in 21:09.75. They will race at the Region 1-5A championship.

9, Canutillo: The Eagles return to the Top 10 after its third-place finish at the District 2-5A race. Chondra Espino was fifth in 20:52.89 and Natalie Rivera was tenth in 21:15.61. The team will travel to Lubbock to compete in the Region 1-5A race.

10, Tornillo. For the first time ever, the Coyotes are in the Top 10 after qualifying for the Region 1-3A championship in Lubbock. Tornillo placed three runners – Kylene Elias (first, 12:16.78), Olivia Garcia (second, 12:45.50) and Wendy Garcia (fifth, 2:56.87) – in the top 5 at the District 1-3A championship where the team finished second.

Dropped out: Hanks.

On the brink: El Paso High, Del Valle.

192319ChondraEspino — Chondra Espino finished fifth at the District 2-5A championship to help lead Canutillo to third place a trip to regionals.

Top times (3 mile or 5K)

1, Eva Jess, Franklin, 17:51.64 (Northeast Regional Park, 9/21).

2, Lauren Walls-Portillo, Eastwood, 18:17.09 (Woodbridge Classic, 9/21).

3, Mariana Guzman, Americas, 18:27.33 (Northeast Regional Park, 9/21).

4, Desiree Carrillo, Eastwood, 18:45.08 (Woodbridge Classic, 9/21).

5, Meadow Ortiz, Eastwood, 18:54.08 (Woodbridge Classic, 9/21).

6, Sophie Watts, Eastwood, 18:55.06 (Woodbridge Classic, 9/21).

7, Adaila Olmos, Eastwood, 18:59.09 (Woodbridge Classic, 9/21).

8, Kylene Elias, Tornillo, 19:05.00 (Denton Guyer, 9/14).

9, Kyra Walker, Coronado, 19:10.54 (Northeast Regional Park, 9/21).

10, Alyssa Laspada, Franklin, 19:14.39 (Northeast Regional Park, 9/21).

11, Daphne Duran, Americas, 19:20.73 (Northeast Regional Park, 9/21).

12, Jazmin Chacon, Socorro, 19:22.00 (Denton Guyer, 9/14).

13, Jordan Torres, Franklin, 19:22.69 (Northeast Regional Park, 9/21).

14, Sophia Flores, Coronado, 19:26.24 (Northeast Regional Park, 9/21).

15, Jenna Saunders, Franklin, 19:28.70 (Northeast Regional Park, 9/21).

16, Abagail Murillo, Bel Air, 19:29.39 (Northeast Regional Park, 9/21).

17, Karyme Garcia, Montwood, 19:29.60 (Mae Simmons Park, 8/28).

18, Elizabeth Hernandez, Austin, 19:37.63 (Northeast Regional Park, 9/21).

19, Morayma, Montes, Austin, 19:41.17 (Northeast Regional Park, 9/21).

20, Janeth Chacon, Socorro, 19:43.00. (Denton Guyer, 9/14)

21, Melody Tsumi, Jefferson, 19:44.53 (Veterans Park, 9/14).

22, Trinity Martinez, Eastwood, 19:45.05 (Woodbridge Classic, 9/21).

23, Marcela Perches, Coronado 19:45.71 (Northeast Regional Park, 9/21).

24, Angelina Lujan-Marrufo, Parkland, 19:48.77 (Northeast Regional Park, 9/21).

25, Pam Ramirez, Burges, 19:50.33 (Northeast Regional Park, 9/21).

102319.DistricGirls2 — The District 1-6A will be represented in Lubbock by Franklin, Americas and Coronado.

Power rankings
(number parenthesis indicate meets won):

1, Eva Jess, Franklin, 90 (9).

2, Kylene Elias, Tornillo, 68 (5).

3, Karyme Garcia, Montwood, 64 (1).

4, Kyra Walker, Coronado, 60 (1).

5, Mariana Guzman, Americas, 55 (1).

6, Melody Tsumi, Jefferson, 53.

7, Sophia Flores, Coronado, 50.

8, Alyssa Laspada, Franklin, 36.

9, Angelina Lujan-Marrufo, Parkland, 35.

10, Jazmin Chacon, Socorro, 34 (2).

Jenna Saunders, Franklin, 33.

Kayhla Talavera, Mt. View, 31 (1).

Jordan Torres, Franklin, 30.

Lauren Walls-Portillo, Eastwood, 28 (1).

Oliva Garcia, Tornillo, 26.

Janeth Chacon, Socorro, 26.

Destiny Beltran, Horizon, 24.

Crystal Peterson, Jefferson, 22 (1).

Nicole Estrada, Mt. View, 22.

Abagail Murillo, Bel Air, 21.

Natalie Rivera, Canutillo, 20, (1).

Annette Guzman, Burges, 19.

Daphne Duran, Americas, 18.

Mia Rivera, Hanks, 17.

Karina Gallegos, San Elizario, 16.

Marcela Perches, Coronado, 15.

Wendy Garcia, Tornillo, 15.

Meadow Ortiz, Eastwood, 14.

Morayama Montes, Austin, 14.

Emilee Antimo, Burges, 13.

Chondra Espino, Canutillo, 13.

Alexa Rangel, Montwood, 13.

Desiree Carrillo, Eastwood, 13.

Anisa Sanchez, Del Valle, 12.

Eileen McLain, Eastwood, 12.

Monique Correa, Jefferson, 10.

Jezarae Valenzuela, El Paso, 8.

Evonna Walker, Burges, 8.

Megan Kirtley, Eastlake, 8.

America Morales, San Elizario, 7.

Stephanie Soto, Fabens, 6.

Sofia Fodor, Coronado, 6.

Mariah Martinez, Loretto, 6.

Brisa Aguilar, Clint, 6.

Britney Martinez, Loretto, 5.

Luisa Ramirez, Coronado, 5.

Ana Rojas, Socorro, 5.

Jacqueline Castillo, Clint, 5.

Grettel Aguilar, Irvin, 4.

Ivy Lara, Canutillo, 4.

Maya Ramirez, Americas, 4.

Trinity Martinez, Eastwood, 4.

Janice Olivas, Clint, 4.

Sofia Camacho, Franklin, 3.

Lauren Anderson, Americas, 3.

Alissa Kennedy, El Paso, 3.

Elizabeth Hernandez, Austin, 3.

Yulissa Ortega, Canutillo, 3.

Vanessa Preciado, Canutillo, 3.

Kassandra Jimenez, Young Women, 3.

Pam Ramirez, Burges, 3.

Andrea Villagomez, Horizon, 3.

Emily Guerrero, San Elizario, 3.

Maryann Padilla, Tornillo, 2.

Destiny Martinez, Eastwood, 2.

Shayla Cohen Jones, El Paso, 2.

Joselyn Heaven Perez, Parkland, 2.

Madeline Estrada, Mt. View, 2.

Adalia Olmos, Eastwood, 1.

Abigail Barraza, Americas, 1.

Julie Canales, Montwood, 1.

Sydney Puentes, Coronado, 1.

Vivian Zapata, Clint, 1.

Katelyn Robles, Del Valle, 1.

District titles earned as many teams and individuals defend titles

Who advanced?

The top three teams from each district and the top 10 individuals make it to the Region 1 Cross Country Championships. The following teams and runners have advanced:

Boys

Class 6A: Americas, Coronado and Franklin.

Class 5A: Eastwood, Burges, Chapin, Horizon, El Paso and Hanks. Also, Jarrett Ketchmark, Andress; Dylan Espinoza, Bowie; Israel David, Eastlake; Miquel Avila, Del Valle and Evan Rubio, Ysleta.

Class 4A: San Elizario, Fabens, Clint. Also, Joshua Gonzalez, Mt. View.

Class 3A: Tornillo.

Girls

Class 6A: Franklin, Coronado, Americas. Also, Jazmin Chacon, Socorro; Alexa Rangel, Montwood; Janeth Chacon, Socorro and Karyme Garcia, Montwood.

Class 5A: Eastwood, Jefferson, Eastlake, Canutillo, Del Valle and Burges. Also, Mora Montes, Austin; Destiny Beltran, Horizon; Angelina Lujan-Marrufo, Parkland; Joselyn Heaven Perez, Parkland and Andrea Villagomez, Horizon.

Class 4A: Mt. View, San Elizario, Clint.

Class 3A: Tornillo.

What’s next

Region 1 Cross Country Championship, Oct. 28 at Mae Simmons Park, MLK Blvd. and 24th Street in Lubbock.

Boys 6A (1) — Coronado’s Nick Gonzalez defended his District 1-6A crown as did the Americas boys.

It was a case of déjà vu at this year’s cross-country district championships.

Seven of the eight teams and five of the eight individual runners successfully defended their district titles at the Chamizal National Memorial Park Saturday.

The boys from Americas, Burges, Eastwood and San Elizario won their respective district races as did the Franklin, Jefferson and Eastwood girls.

Winning individual championships were Coronado’s Nick Gonzalez and Franklin’s Eva Jess in District 1-6A, Jefferson’s Crystal Peterson in District 1-5A, Michael Abeyta from Hanks and Eastwood’s Lauren Walls-Portillo in District 2-5A and San Elizario’s Edwin Gomez in District 1-4A.

Here is a rundown on the district races.

Eva Jess (1) — Franklin junior Eva Jess broke the course record at the Chamizal, winning District 1-6A in 17:45.44.

District 1-6A

In the most competitive race of the day, Coronado’s Nick Gonzalez outlasted the field in a race that was close from the opening gun.

Gonzalez and Franklin senior Fernie Morales battled the entire 3.1 miles each exchanging leads before Gonzalez out ran him in the final 800 meters to win the district championship in 15:45.31.

“For the most part, it all came together today,” said Gonzalez, who has been battling illness the past few weeks. “I felt a little heavy but I was able to overcome it and when I was tired, I was able to push through.”

Morales finished in 15:49.52.

Gonzalez said he did not expect this race to be as competitive as it was.

“Two weekends ago, I was able to finish in the top three even though I was sick,” he said. “I thought if I ran the exact same race, I would be able to win it easily but that definitely was not the case today. It seemed like every time I would make a move, someone would counter. It was a great race to be a part of.”

Americas senior Hector Sanchez finished third in 16:08.19 to lead five Trailblazers – Jared Laverty (fifth, 16:16.32), Aaron Saenz (seventh, 16:28.59), Melo Corral (eighth, 16:28.96), Seth Andrade (ninth, 16:29.69) and Jacob Ye (tenth, 16:36.44) – in the top 10 to win the team title with 32 points.

Coronado was second with 56 points and Franklin was third with 60.

Franklin’s girls continued its blessed season winning the district championship again with 48 points.

Junior Eva Jess broke the course record, winning in 17:45.44.

“It felt great breaking the course record, and I had a huge PR for the course,” she said. “Before the race, I was told the course record was a 18:07 and that’s all I was thinking about during the race.”

Jess overwhelmed the District 1-6A field, winning by more than 90 seconds.

Americas senior Mariana Guzman was second in 19:18.82 and Socorro senior Jazmin Chacon was third in 19:44.36.

“I’m so proud of this team,” Jess said. “Today was total team effort. We know what we have to do to get to state. We won today because we work hard and we’re going to continue to work hard and hope for the best.”

Click here for complete results.

District 1-5A

The Jefferson girls won the district title with relative ease, placing three runners in the top five including sophomore Crystal Peterson who defended her district title in 19:44.97 just ahead of her teammate Melody Tsutsumi who finished in 20:01.32.

“The team has been working together trying to better each other,” she said. “Me and Melody were pushing each other throughout the race so we could get the best outcome for the team.”

The Foxes scored 29 points with Monique Correa coming in fourth in 20:31.48.

Burges was second with 45 points and Canutillo was third with 55 points.

Peterson had a late start in training this summer and was held out of the early season races.

“I feel great right now,” she said. “I just need to keep on working hard, stay humble, push my teammates and hope for the best.”

Austin’s Morayma Montes was third in 20:24.75.

On the boy’s side, Chapin senior Angel Contreras won the district championship in his final attempt, winning in a commanding 16:14.02.

“It feels really great being a senior and ending my last district strong but it’s not the end, we are going to regionals,” he said. “But it feels great to finally win a district championship.”

Contreras and teammate Joaquin Ortega – who finished fourth in 17:07.09 – worked together throughout the race.

“He was really wonderful, he was up there and I was pacing off him,” Contreras said of his teammate. “He did a great job.”

David Gonzalez from Burges was second in 16:46.00 and a surprise third-place finish by Andress’ Jarrett Ketchmark in 17:03.84.

“I wanted to stay in the front pack, letting them do all the work for the first two miles,” Contreras said. “Once I saw them loosen up, that’s when I made my move and attacked the course and stayed strong until the end.”

Burges won the team title with 45 points. Dylan Walker was fifth in 17:14.36 and Noah Yeager was ninth in 17:22.83 for the Mustangs.

Chapin was second with 59 points and El Paso High was third with 72 points and will advance to the regional meet for the first time in 14 years.

The Tigers had three runners in the top 10 – Jacob Ontiveros (sixth, 17:14.66), Josep Ferret (seventh, 17:15.17) and Matthew Avila (eighth, 17:16.29).

Click here for complete results.

Abeyta at District — Hanks senior Michael Abeyta won his fourth District 2-5A championship.

District 2-5A

Eastwood’s boys and girls each won their races as they both look to return to the UIL State Championship.

The Eastwood boys are the defending state Class 5A champion and won their ninth straight district championship with 37 points.

The Troopers placed four runners in the top 10 – Juan Olmos (third, 15:47.42), Elias Perez (fifth, 15:57.63), Nathan Hernandez (sixth, 16:06.77) and Victor Parra (tenth, 17:14.74).

For the fourth straight year, Hanks senior Michael Abeyta won the district championship in 15:22.16 well ahead of Eastlake junior Israel David who completed the course in 15:33.02.

“This was my last district race of my high school career so it’s a little emotional,” Abeyta said. “The race was pretty fast. I took it a little faster than I wanted to. My first mile was in the 4:20s which made the third mile really tough. A lot of things were hurting and I started to feel tired but it’s natural, I just have to fight through it.”

Hanks finished second with 44 points with Rodger Rivera placing fourth in 15:49.19 and Gael Alvarado was seventh in 16:50.00.

Horizon surprised the district in taking third with 100 points.

Lauren Walls-Portillo leading pack — Eastwood sophomore Lauren Walls-Portillo picked up her second district championship in 19:51.24.

On the girl’s side Eastwood won its 12th district championship in 14 years with 28 points, well ahead of Eastlake (74 points) and Del Valle (95 points).

Eastwood had three runners in the top five and four in the top 10.

Sophomore Lauren Walls-Portillo picked up her second district championship in 19:51.24 ahead of teammate Meadow Ortiz (20:37.63). Other top 10 runners for the Troopers were Desiree Carrillo (fifth, 20:47.12) and Trinity Martinez (seventh, 20:55.64).

Parkland’s Angelina Lujan-Marrufo was third in 20:42.54.

“My goal was to win and get points for my team,” Walls-Portillo said. “It was a fast start because it was flat so that gave me a chance to increase my speed. The second part was a lot of hills so I had to accelerate and strengthen my body to go quicker. It was very challenging race but I like this park so it was a really good experience.”

Click here for complete results.

Edwin 2 — San Elizario’s Edwin Gomez won his third District 1-4A title on Saturday.

District 1-4A

The San Elizario Eagles secured another spot to regionals scoring 15 points, the fourth straight year with a perfect score.

Edwin Gomez was first in 15:59.12, Rene Arambula was second, 16:38.57, Dilan Sanchez, third (16:49.49), Irvin Vazquez, fourth (16:50.98) and Alan Ceballos (sixth, 17:17.18).

Mt. View’s Joshua Gonzalez was fifth in 17:16.88, however, his points do not count towards the team totals because Mt. View did not have five runners enter the race.

Fabens was second with 50 and Clint was third with 74.

“I worked harder this season than I have in the past,” Gomez said after winning his third district championship. “I’m happy that I finally broke the 16-minute mark on this course, that was my goal coming into the race. I came in with a 16:30 my freshman year, last year it was a 16:12 and now this year it was 15:59.”

The Mountain View girls made their presence known, winning the team and individual title.

Junior Kayhla Talavera and teammate Nicole Estrada finished the two-mile course first and second in 13:37.43 and 13:54.72 to pace Mt. View.

San Elizario’s Karina Gallegos was third in 14:31.04.

Mt. View edged San Elizario for the team title by one point.

Clint was third with 43 points.

For Talavera, who attended Montwood her freshman year and transferred to Mt. View last year but was unable to run varsity until this year, won her first district crown.

“Coming in, I had a strategy but I went out too fast at the start,” she said. “This feels great, I ran with all my heart. It’s an amazing feeling. When I ran at Montwood my freshman year, I wasn’t at my best. Now, little by little I’ve been improving and moving up.”

Click here for complete results.

The road to state begins Saturday for El Paso cross country runners

Make Plans

What: District Cross Country Championship.

When: 9 a.m. Saturday, Oct. 19. Rolling schedule (girls first, then boys) – District 1-4A, District 1-5A, District 2-5A, District 1-6A.

Where: Chamizal National Memorial Park, 800 S. San Marcial.

At Stake: Top three teams and top 10 individuals make it to the Region 1 Cross Country Championship, Oct. 28 at Mae Simmons Park, MLK Blvd. and 24th Street in Lubbock.

091219Eastwood pack — The chase for a third consecutive state medal for Eastwood begins Saturday at the District 5A Cross Country Championship.

Eastwood is chasing a back-to-back state championship in Class 5A.

Americas is seeking its second Class 6A state appearance.

San Elizario is focused on some sort of redemption after earning a bronze medal at the Class 4A state meet.

Hanks senior Michael Abeyta and Rodger Rivera would like to improve on their Top 10, All State performances at last year’s Class 5A state championship.

But first, they all have to get endure the rolling bumps of the the district course at Chamizal National Memorial Park.

The district cross country championship will begin at 9 a.m. Saturday with the District 1-4A girls followed by the boys. There will be a rolling schedule after that (girls first, then boys) with District 1-5A, District 2-5A and District 1-6A.

The top three teams and top 10 individuals from each district will advance to the Region 1 Cross Country Championship, Oct. 28.

101019.ChristianParra — Socorro senior Christian Parra has the talent to finish in the top 10 at the District 1-6A Championship.

District 1-6A at a glance:

2018 District Champion: Americas.

2018 Individual District Champion: Nick Gonzalez, Coronado.

2018 Regional qualifiers: Americas, Coronado, Franklin.

Americas is seeking back-to-back district championships. The team has been impressive throughout the season with different runners leading the team.

The core of the team includes seniors Hector Sanchez, Jacob Ye and Seth Andrade, junior Gage Garcia and sophomores Jared Laverty, Melo Corral and Aaron Saenz.

The Trailblazers hope this is a springboard to its second state appearance.

If all things go as planned, Coronado and Franklin are the best bets to advance to regionals.

Coronado is led by defending district champion, senior Nick Gonzalez. Fellow senior Alan Alba is a top 15 runner in El Paso and sophomore Stephen Pitchkolan round out a top three that should be enough for the T-Birds to advance.

Franklin was somewhat of a surprise this season with seniors Fernie Morales and Daniel Kennedy leading the way. Both of them have turned in top 13 times in El Paso.

If any of these teams have a bad day, Montwood and Socorro could slip right past either one for the third spot. Montwood junior Trenton Nelson has impressed all year as has Socorro senior Christian Parra.

101819Jefferson — Jefferson senior Reginald finished eighth at the Class 5A division of the Lubbock Invitational. He might be the key to the Silver Foxes returning to the Region 1-5A Meet in Lubbock.

District 1-5A at a glance:

2018 District Champion: Burges.

2018 Individual District Champion: Chauncey Wilkes, Andress.

2018 Regional qualifiers: Burges, Chapin, Jefferson.

The Mustangs are racing for its third straight district championship, and they have the horses to do it.

Senior Noah Yeager and juniors David Gonzalez and Dylan Walker are more than capable of it.

Burges must be careful with Chapin who always seem to peak at the right time.

Senior Angel Contreras, a state qualifier last year, will be once again be the frontrunner for Chapin. Junior Joaquin Ortega could help the Huskies cause as well.

But would anyone be surprised if Jefferson snags another regional bid?

Like Chapin, the Silver Foxes always seem to be there at the end. Senior Reginald Robinson seemingly came out of nowhere to finish eighth at the Class 5A division of the Lubbock Invitational so who knows what’s in store for Jefferson.

Also, watch for El Paso High with junior Josep Ferret and seniors Matthew Avila and Jacob Ontiveros who could sneak up on someone.

101819David — Eastlake sophomore Isreal David is seeking a return visit to the Region 1-5A Championship in Lubbock.

District 2-5A at a glance:

2018 District Champion: Eastwood.

2018 Individual District Champion: Michael Abyeta, Hanks.

2018 Regional qualifiers: Eastwood, Eastlake, Hanks.

Eastwood is going after its ninth consecutive district championship.

The Troopers, the defending Class 5A UIL state champions, have been solid this year competing at the elite Woodbridge Classic in California and the Desert Twilight Invitational in Casa Grande, Ariz.

Seniors Elias Perez and Juan Olmos along with junior Sergio Leon Cuartas have to top three times in El Paso this year. Juniors Victor Parra and Nathan Hernandez make a solid top five for Eastwood.

The Hanks Knights will most certainly make it interesting with seniors Michael Abyeta and Rodger Rivera along with sophomore Gael Alvarado. The Knights hope to make it to regionals for the second year in a row.

The final spot to regionals should belong to Eastlake with sophomore Isreal David leading the way with junior Anthony Lara in support.

San Elizario’s Edwin Gomez will lead the Eagles into Saturday’s District 1-4A Championship.

District 1-4A at a glance:

2018 District Champion: San Elizario.

2018 Individual District Champion: Edwin Gomez, San Elizario.

2018 Regional qualifiers: San Elizario, Fabens, Mt. View.

San Elizario is back and looking for its sixth straight district crown.

The four-time Class 4A UIL State champion missed out on the big prize last season and appears to be over its early-season injuries so watch out for the Eagles again.

Junior Edwin Gomez is looking to make it three individual titles in row on Saturday. This year’s version is not as loaded as in years past but they are still dangerous.

Senior Rene Arambula and Seth Rodriguez would like to end their careers on a winning note while junior Dilan Sanchez and sophomore Irvin Vazquez are ready to improve on last year’s results.

Fabens has an excellent chance at returning to the regional meet with seniors Gael Hernandez and Jacob Cruz and sophomore Anthony Soto.

Clint is led by juniors George Mendieta, Richardo Franco and Joey Leos.

Mt. View’s chances to return to regionals hinge on how strong the team can finish the race. Junior Joshua Gonzalez hopes to improve on his ninth-place finish at district last year.

District Girl’s Preview: Teams, individuals seek regional berths

Make Plans

What: District Cross Country Championship.

When: 9 a.m. Saturday, Oct. 19. Rolling schedule (girls first, then boys) – District 1-4A, District 1-5A, District 2-5A, District 1-6A.

Where: Chamizal National Memorial Park, 800 S. San Marcial.

At Stake: Top three teams and top 10 individuals make it to the Region 1 Cross Country Championship, Oct. 28 at Mae Simmons Park, MLK Blvd. and 24th Street in Lubbock.

Girls Pack Chamizal — Teams and individual runners will race for district championships on Saturday at Chamizal National Memorial.

Four team and individual titles will be on the line at Saturday’s district cross country championship at Chamizal National Memorial Park.

The meet will begin at 9 a.m. with the District 1-4A girls followed by the boys. There will be a rolling schedule after that (girls first, then boys) with District 1-5A, District 2-5A and District 1-6A.

District 1-6A girls at a glance:

2018 District Champion: Franklin.

2018 Individual District Champion: Eva Jess, Franklin.

2018 Regional qualifiers: Franklin, Americas, Coronado.

The Franklin Cougars have been dominant in their undefeated season.

With junior Eva Jess, who owns the city’s best time, leading the young Franklin team, there is no reason why things will be any different on Saturday.

Four Franklin runners – freshman Alyssa Laspada, sophomore Jordan Torres and sophomore Jenna Saunders – have city-best Top 25 times.

Americas has been steady all season, particularly senior Mariana Guzman who has had a strong comeback season after a series of injures hampered her junior year. Her classmate Daphne Duran has also been a top point getter for the Trailblazers.

The Trailblazers have the depth to advance to the regional round.

For the battle of third and final spot will come down to Socorro, Montwood and Coronado.

Each school has a solid 1-2 punch, Socorro with twin sisters seniors Jazmin and Janeth Chacon; Montwood junior Karyme Garcia and sophomore Alexa Rangel and freshman Kyra Walker and senior Sophia Flores from Coronado.

The determining factor will be which team’s 3-4-5 runners will emerge on race day.

10.17.19ChaconSisters — Socorro seniors Jazmin and Janeth Chacon hope to lead the Bulldogs to a regional berth.

District 1-5A girls at a glance:

2018 District Champion: Jefferson.

2018 Individual District Champion: Crystal Peterson, Jefferson.

2018 Regional team qualifiers: Jefferson, Canutillo, Burges.

Jefferson has been building up for championship season, pacing themselves the past two months in preparation of defending their title.

Sophomore Crystal Peterson was limited in her racing this season which probably bodes well for her as she attempts to duplicate 2018’s success at district, regional and state.

The Foxes have a wealth of talent including junior Melody Tsumi, sophomore Monique Correa and seniors Ivette Rojas and Karen Garcia giving them enough on Saturday.

Burges has had a roller coaster season. Sophomore Annette Guzman and senior Evonna Walker and junior Emilee Antimo should have solid races for the Mustangs which should be good enough to qualify to regionals.

The final spot to Lubbock will most likely come down to El Paso High and Canutillo.

The Tigers will be led by a trio of runners – junior Alissa Kennedy and a pair of freshmen, Jezarae Valenzuela and Shayla Cohen Jones.

Canutillo freshman Natalie Rivera has shown some promise this season, winning the Gadsden Invitational. Senior Yulissa Ortega and sophomore Ivy Lara need to have big-time races in order for the Eagles to qualify to regionals.

Also, individually, watch for Austin freshman Elizabeth Hernandez and sophomore Mora Montes to make a run at qualifying.

10.17.19Austin:BelAir — Austin freshman Elizabeth Hernandez and Bel Air sophomore Abigail Murillo will be ones to look for in the District 1-5A race.

District 2-5A girls at a glance:

2018 District Champion: Eastwood.

2018 Individual District Champion: Lauren Walls-Portillo, Eastwood.

2018 Regional team qualifiers: Eastwood, Eastlake, Horizon.

The Eastwood Troopers are seeking back-to-back District 2-5A championships.

With the likes of El Paso Top 10 runners sophomores Lauren Walls-Portillo and Adaila Olmos, junior Desiree Carrillo, senior Meadow Ortiz and freshman Sophie Watts, a return trip to state is a possibility.

After Eastwood, the next two spots to regionals is a toss up between Eastlake, Hanks and Bel Air.

Each of these three teams has shown promise this season, spending some weeks in the El Paso Running Top 10.

Eastlake junior Megan Kirtley and sophomore Ruby Medina and freshman Kiana Matsuda have paced the Falcons this season.

Hanks has started to come on strong since racing at the Desert Twilight Invitational in Case Grande, Ariz. Sophomore Mia Rivera has emerged as one of the top runners for the Knights to go along with sophomore Madison Spencer and junior Madeline Rocha.

Bel Air sophomore Abigail Murillo has been the workhorse for the Highlanders. Juniors Rosemary Torres and Sara Armendariz will need to come up big if the Highlanders have any shot at regionals.

Individually, keep tabs on Horizon junior Destiny Beltran and Parkland junior Angelina Lujan-Marrufo who are seeking top 10 finishes and a trip to regionals.

10.17.19DestinyBeltran — Horizon junior Destiny Beltran is looking for a breakout performance in the District 2-5A Championship with a top 10 finish and a berth to regionals.

District 1-4A girls at a glance:

2018 District Champion: San Elizario.

2018 Individual District Champion: Nicole Estrada, Mt. View.

2018 Regional team qualifiers: San Elizario, Clint, Mt. View.

This one is easy.

Fabens is not fielding a team so San Elizario, Clint and Mt. View will all advance to regionals.

San Elizario will be going after its fourth straight district title. The team is led by juniors Karina Gallegos, Emily Guerrero and America Morales, along with sophomore Esmeralda Arroyos.

Clint and San Elizario actually finished tied with 36 points last year but because San Elizario’s sixth runner placed three places higher than the Clint runner, the Eagles were declared the district champion.

Clint is paced by senior Brisa Aguilar and freshman Janice Olivas and junior Vivian Zapata.

Mt. View junior Kayhla Talavera is the odds on favorite to win her first district title but teammate and defending champion senior Nicole Estrada will be right there with her.

NicoleEstrada — Mt. View senior Nicole Estrada is the defending District 1-4A champion. She hopes to defend her title on Saturday

High School Boy’s XC Poll: Week 8

Every Thursday, El Paso Running will utilize a point system to highlight El Paso’s top boy’s cross country runners.

For those who like raw times, we also list the Top 25 boys and girls race times and the meets and dates that they occurred.

This week’s schedule:

Dale Reinhardt Invitational (2-mile): 8 a.m. Oct. 12 at Eastlake High School. Socorro. Eastwood, Hanks, Riverside, Valle Verde, Bel Air, YWLA, Parkland, Ysleta, Eastlake, El Dorado, Pebble Hills, Socorro, Fabens, Tornillo, Loretto, Cathedral, San Elizario, Del Valle, Mt. View, Horizon, Clint.

West El Paso Invitational: 8 a.m. Oct. 12 at Haskins Recreation Center. Franklin, Coronado, Canutillo, Austin, El Paso, Cathedral, LPI, Harmony.

Las Cruces Centennial Hawks XC Challenge: 9 a.m. Oct. 12 at Centennial High School. Jefferson, Irvin, Burges, Loretto, Andress, Valle Verde, San Elizario, Del Valle.

For questions, videos and photos email vrmart66@gmail.com.

101019.BoysPack — Most El Paso schools are resting their runners in preparation of next Saturday’s district championships at Chamizal National Memorial.

Top 10

1, Eastwood: The Troopers did not race on Saturday. They will rest on Saturday in preparation of the District 1-5A Championship Oct. 19.

2, Americas: The Trailblazers finished third in the Elite Division of the Nike South Invitational in The Woodlands with 106 points. The team average was 16:26.1. Hector Sanchez (11th, 17:07.8) and Jacob Ye (12^th, 16:09.3) finished within two seconds of each other to lead the team. The Trailblazers will rest this weekend.

3, Franklin: The Cougars won the Burges/ Jefferson Invitational at Chamizal National Memorial with 85 points. Seniors Fernie Morales (fourth, 16:12.48) and Daniel Kennedy (eighth, 16:50.21) finished in the top 10. Franklin will rest on Saturday.

4, Coronado: The T-Birds – who were without Alan Alba – finished second at the Burges/ Jefferson Invitational scoring 109 points. Senior Nick Gonzalez was third in 16:09.93 and junior Corey DuBrule was ninth in 16:52.73. Coronado will compete in the West El Paso Invitational at Haskins Recreation Center.

5, San Elizario: The Eagles finished fourth at the Burges/ Jefferson Invitational with 123 points. Junior Edwin Gomez was fifth in 16:24.76. The Eagles will rest this weekend.

6, Hanks: The Knights finished sixth at the Burges/ Jefferson Invitational. Senior Michael Abeyta won the event in 15:30.93. Freshman Gael Alvarado was 10^th in 17:04.68. Hanks is taking Saturday off.

7, Burges: The Mustangs jump back into the top 10 after its seventh-place finish at the Burges/ Jefferson Invitational with 215 points. It’s top five average was 18:01.23. Its top runner was junior David Gonzalez who finished 11^th in 17:05.33. Burges will rest this week.

8, Eastlake: The Falcons move up one after its placing eighth-place at the Burges/Jefferson Invitational Sophomore Israel David again led Eastlake, finishing sixth in 16:44.26. The top five average was 18:06.17. Eastlake will rest this Saturday.

9, Montwood: The Rams finished ninth at the Burges/ Jefferson Invitational with a team average of 18:13.22. Junior Trent Nelson who was 13^th in 17:12.32. The team will not race this weekend.

10, Tornillo: Tornillo rested and will do so again this week.

Dropped out: Chapin.
On the verge: Socorro.

101019.EastlakeBoys — The Eastlake boys move up one spot in this week’s El Paso Running Top 10.