El Paso boys cross country – Page 12

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.

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.

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:

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.

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).

Power rankings
(number parenthesis indicate meets won):

1, Edwin Gomez, San Elizario, 61 (2).

2, Nick Gonzalez, Coronado, 58 (5).

3, Ofir Ortega, Tornillo, 53 (2).

4, Hector Sanchez, Americas, 46 (1).

5, Elias Perez, Eastwood, 43.

6, Michael Abeyta, Hanks, 42 (3).

7, Fernie Morales, Franklin, 38 (1).

7, Isreal David, Eastlake, 38.

9, Alan Alba, Coronado, 36.

10, Jacob Ye, Americas, 32.

Daniel Kennedy, Franklin, 29.

Angel Contreras, Chapin, 28.

Dilan Sanchez, San Elizario, 25.

Juan Olmos, Eastwood, 24 (1).

Andrews Valdiviezo, Riverside, 24.

Rene Arambula, San Elizario, 23.

Melo Corral, Americas, 20.

Aaron Saenz, Americas, 17.

Gage Garcia, Americas, 15.

Gael Alvarado, Hanks, 15.

Sergio Leon Cuartas, Eastwood, 14.

David Gonzalez, Burges, 14.

Jared Laverty, Americas, 12.

Alex Sanchez, Horizon, 11.

Rodger Rivera, Hanks, 10 (1).

Matthew Avila, El Paso, 9.

Christian Parra, Socorro, 9.

Nathan Hernandez, Eastwood, 9.

Omer Ibrahim, Pebble Hills, 9.

Steve Porras, Franklin, 9.

Jorge Garcia, Socorro, 7.

Victor Anchondo, Eastwood, 6

Michael Bernal, Pebble Hills, 6.

Cristian Ibarra, Ysleta, 6.

Dylan Walker, Burges, 6.

Seth Andrade, Americas, 6.

Dylan Espinosa, Bowie, 5.

Evan Rubio, Ysleta, 5.

Stephen Pitchkolan, Coronado, 5.

Jose Nilo, Austin, 4.

Irvin Vazquez, San Elizario, 4.

Joaquin Sanchez, Chapin, 3.

Miguel Avila, Del Valle, 3.

Reginald Robinson, Jefferson, 3.

Isaac Becerill, Canutillo, 3.

Victor Parra, Eastwood, 3.

Trenton Nelson, Montwood, 2.

Josep Ferret, El Paso, 2.

Michael Mier, Americas, 2.

Corey DuBrule, Coronado, 2.

Alan Ceballos, San Elizario, 1.

Joshua Gonazalez, Mt. View, 1.

Aaron Perez, Eastwood, 1.

Abraham Cruz, Eastwood, 1.

Jacob Ontiveros, El Paso High, 1.

Franklin sweeps at Chamizal; Jess, Abeyta win individual titles

Girls Pack Chamizal — The cross country action was in South El Paso at the Jefferson/Burges Invitational at Chamizal National Memorial where runners raced on the district course. Districts are on Oct. 19.

The Franklin Cougars won triple gold at Saturday’s Jefferson/Burges Invitational at Chamizal National Memorial Park.

Both boys and girl’s teams won easily and junior Eva Jess won the girl’s individual title in 18:35.71 to run her win streak to seven consecutive meets.

Hanks senior Michael Abeyta won the individual gold for the boys, finishing in 15:30.93.

Franklin’s girls finished with three runners in the top 10 to win with 50 points. In addition to Jess, freshman Alyssa Laspada was seventh in 20:27.77 and sophomore Jordan Torres was tenth in 20:49.50.

Jefferson was second with 74 points and Montwood was third with 135.

“I didn’t expect our team to be this solid,” Jess said. “It’s crazy to be able to do this with four freshmen and now it looks like we have a shot to get to state. I know we’re going to have to definitely work but at least we have a shot, that’s incredible.”

For the past two years, Jess has been the lone representative from Franklin to reach the UIL State Cross Country Championship.

“I talk to them a lot about what it takes to prepare for the meets,” she said. “We talk about how important a good warm up is and good cool down is essential and we have to do it no matter what.”

Saturday’s race on the district course gave the runners an indication of what to expect on Oct. 19 as the teams attempt to qualify for the Region 1 championships in Lubbock.

“For the freshmen, it’s the first time they’ve ever run this course,” Jess said. “Its nice for the freshmen to know how this course runs, when to push on the hills so this is great experience for them before we run district in a few weeks.”

Montwood’s Karyme Garcia was second in 19:34.58, Jefferson’s Crystal Peterson was third (19:58.49), teammate Melody Tsutsumi was fourth (20:04.71), Alexa Rangel from Montwood was fifth (20:14.94), Coronado’s Sophia Flores was sixth in 20:23.68, Laspada was seventh, Coronado freshman Kyra Walker was eighth (20:38.57), Annette Guzman from Burges was ninth (20:49.22) and Torres was tenth.

“Throughout the year, we’ve worked really hard in practice but we have a lot of fun after,” Laspada said. “At races, we are focused and after the race, we’ll have fun.”

Franklin freshman Alyssa Laspada finished seventh at the Jefferson/Burges Invitational on Saturday. She has helped the Cougars to an unbeaten season.

Laspada, whose father, Anthony Laspada, is Franklin’s head coach, said she expected good things to happen to this group of girls.

“My dad, our coach, works very hard to prepare us and for our team to be the best we can be,” she said. “He has had really big hopes and dreams for us all season. We are buying into what he is teaching us. We are putting in all of our effort, we really believe we can do it.”

Click here for complete girl’s results.

As peculiar as it might sound, Abeyta needed a little bit of self-motivation after finishing 19^th at the Nike Desert Twilight Cross County Festival at Casa Grande, Ariz. last week.

After easily winning on Saturday, Abeyta feels a lot better about himself.

“Last week I did not have a good performance at all,” he said. “I have to say it was probably my worst performance in my history of racing. After that race, I had to reevaluate who I am and the runner I want to be. I had to remember what got me here in the first place. It was pretty tough for me this past week, there were moments when I questioned if I really wanted to keep running. I told myself, ‘No, I can’t quit now, I’ve come so far, why would I stop?’”

Michael Abeyta (1) — Hanks senior Michael Abeyta won the individual gold for the boys, finishing in 15:30.93.

He found himself again, on a familiar course, feeling right at home crossing the finish line 35 seconds ahead of Santa Teresa’s Angel Anchondo (16:05.34). Coronado’s Nick Gonzalez was third (16:09.93), Franklin’s Fernie Morales was fourth in 16:12.48 and Edwin Gomez from San Elizario was fifth in 16:24.76.

“I had PR (personal record) for this course,” he said. “I feel good again, I just have to make sure I’m mentally and physically ready, I’m still not where I want to be but I’ll be ready.”

The Franklin boys took care of business scoring 85 points with two runners – Morales and Daniel Kennedy (eighth, 16:50.21) – in the top 10.

Coronado was second with 109 points and Santa Teresa was third with 113.

Rounding out the top 10 were Eastlake’s Israel David (sixth, 16:44.26), Chapin’s Angel Contreras (seventh, 16:49.68), Coronado’s Corey DuBrule (eighth, 16:52.73) and Hanks sophomore Gael Alvarado (tenth, 17:04.68).

Click here for complete boy’s results.

High School Boy’s Poll: Week 7

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:

Burges/ Jefferson Invitational: 8:30 a.m. Oct. 5 at Chamizal National Memorial. Jefferson, Chapin, Fabens, Irvin, El Paso, Tornillo, Bowie, LPI, Loretto, Andress, Cathedral, San Elizario, Ysleta, Riverside, Hanks, Eastwood, Parkland, Bel Air, Del Valle, Valle Verde, Americas, Socorro, Eastlake, Burges, Franklin, Coronado, Canutillo, Austin.

Nike South Invitational: 8 a.m. Oct. 5 in The Woodlands. Americas and Pebble Hills.

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

100319Franklin — Franklin has had a strong fall. The Cougars finished second in the 6A Division of the Lubbock Invitational with 32 points. Daniel Kennedy (in the middle) was second overall in 16:10.5.

Top 10

1, Eastwood: Eastwood placed seventh out of 28 teams in the Sweepstakes Division of the Desert Twilight Invitational at Casa Verde, Ariz. Elias Perez was seventh (15:08.69) and Juan Olmos was 15^th (15:19.04) out of 220 runners. Eastwood will not race on Saturday.

2, Americas: The Trailblazers Hector Sanchez won the 6A Division of the Lubbock Invitational in 15:41.3 to lead Americas to another team title. All five of Americas scoring runners finished in the top 10 including Jared Laverty (fifth, 16:19.5), Aaron Saenz (seventh, 16:20.9), Jacob Ye (ninth, 16:23.4) and Seth Andrade at tenth in 16:27.5. Americas will compete in the Elite Division of the Nike South Invitational in The Woodlands.

3, Franklin: The Cougars finished second in the 6A Division of the Lubbock Invitational with 32 points. Franklin’s Daniel Kennedy was second in 16:10.5. Franklin will race in the Burges/Jefferson Invitational at Chamizal National Memorial on Saturday.

4, Coronado: The T-Birds finished third at the Las Cruces Onate Rob Winter Invitational with 92 points. Senior Nick Gonzalez continues his undefeated season winning in 15:27.65. Teammate Alan Alba was sixth in 16:10.35. The T-Birds will race at the Burges/Jefferson Invitational at Chamizal National Memorial on Saturday.

5, San Elizario: The Eagles finshed 16^th at the 28-team, 220-runner Sweepstakes Division of the Desert Twilight Invitational at Casa Verde, Ariz. Edwin Gomez was 8^th overall in a season-best 15:08.93. The Eagles will race in the Burges/Jefferson Invitational at Chamizal National Memorial on Saturday.

6, Hanks: The Knights finished 23^rd out of 28 teams in the Sweepstakes Division of the Desert Twilight Invitational at Casa Verde, Ariz. It’s top runner was Michael Abeyta who finished 19^th in 15:20.73, a season best for him. The team will compete at the Burges/Jefferson Invitational at Chamizal National Memorial.

7, Chapin: The Huskies finished seventh at the Las Cruces Onate Invitational. Senior Angel Contreras was seventh in 16:12.30. The team average was 17:32.64. Senior Joaquin Ortega was 13^th in 16:58.22. The team will race at the at the Burges/Jefferson Invitational at Chamizal National Memorial.

8, Montwood: The Rams finished sixth in the 6A Division of the Lubbock Invitational with 180 points. Its top finisher was junior Trent Nelson who was 28^th in 17:36.7. The team’s average team was 17:53.0. The Rams will race at the Burges/Jefferson Invitational at Chamizal National Memorial.

9, Eastlake: The Falcons move up one after its placing second in the 5A Division of the Lubbock Invitational. Sophomore Israel David ran a season best 15:43.1 to lead the team to 135 points. The team’s average time was 17:27.0. Eastlake will race at the Burges/Jefferson Invitational at Chamizal National Memorial.

10, Tornillo: Tornillo dropped one after its third-place finish in the Class 3A Division of the Lubbock Invitational. Senior Ofir Ortega won the race in 16:04.5. Freshman Angel Torres was 15^th in 18:03.0 and junior Michael Maney was 16^th in 18:05.4. The team’s average time was 18:00.1. They will not run this weekend.

Dropped out: None.
On the verge: Socorro, Burges.

100319.Isreal David — Eastlake sophomore Israel David ran a season best 15:43.1 – the city’s 18th fastest time this year – in the Class 5A Division of the Lubbock Invitational.