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

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

Top Ten

1. Eastwood. The Troopers rested its varsity in preparation of running at the 38^thWoodbridge Cross Country Classic in Irvine, Calif. Eastwood will compete in the Boys Sweepstakes race at 10 p.m. Saturday.

2. Americas. The Trailblazers won the Chapin Invitational at Skyline Park with 32 points. Americas’ top five runners finished in the top 10 including junior Jacob Ye (second, 16:43.18), senior Tyler Rodriguez (fifth, 16:58.11), senior Alek Duran (seventh, 17:10.61), freshman Jared Laverty (eighth, 17:10.61) and freshman Carmelo Corral (tenth, 17:16.09). The team will rest on Saturday.

3. San Elizario. The Eagles won the Tornillo/San Elizario XC Meet at Tornillo, scoring 30 points. Edwin Gomez won the race in a blazing 15:30.08. Other top 10 finishers were Seth Rodriguez (fourth, 15:58.36), Martin Pargas (seventh, 16:16.99) and Irvin Vasquez (ninth,  16:27.42). The steady downhill course was mostly aspahult with not many tight turns and no sand. San Elizario will race at the Loretto/Cathedral Invitational at Veterans Park on Saturday.

4. Hanks.Hanks raced on the wet and muddy course at the Southlake Carroll Meet. Juniors Michael Abeyta and Roger Rivera were the top runners – Abeyta third in 16:26 and Rivera 19^thin 17:08. The race included 234 runners. Hanks will race at its own invitational at the Northeast Regional Park.

5. Coronado.The T-Birds also raced at the Southlake Carroll Meet. Sophomore Nike Gonzalez was 22^ndin 17:18; 38 and senior Liam Walsh was 38^th in 17:49. Coronado will race at Northeast Regional Park on Saturday.

6. Socorro.The Bulldogs jump up two spots after placing second at the Chapin Invitational at Skyline Park. Socorro ended the day with 77 points. Socorro placed two runners – Mario Luna (third, 16:52.22) and Sebastian Mendoza (ninth, 17:13.78) – in the top 10. The team will travel to Arvada, Colorado to race in the Arvada West Invitational.

7. Chapin. The Huskies jump three spots with a third place finish at its own meet at Skyline Park. Chapin finished with 97 points. Angel Contreras was the top Chapin runner for the second week in a row, finishing in 16:58.33. They will run at Hanks/Ysleta Invitational at the Northeast Regional Park.

8. Burges.The Mustangs drop two spots. Burges scored 99 points and finished fourth at the Chapin Invitational at Skyline Park.

9. Franklin.The Cougars placed fifth at the Chapin Meet with 101 points. Jacobo Wedemeyer was fourth in 16:56.73. Franklin will race at the Northeast Regional Park on Saturday.

10.  Tornillo. The Class 3A Coyotes are expected to run a full team this week at Veterans Park for first time this season. Ofir Ortega continues to race, he finished second at the Tornillo/San Elizaro Meet in 15:47.21. Teammate Eduardo Carrillo was sixth in 16:16.45.

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

Top 25 Times

1, Roger Rivera, Hanks, 15:09:58 (Race to Midnight, SAC, 8/17).

2, Brandon Seagraves, Cathedral, 15:22:57 (Race to Midnight, SAC, 8/17).

3, Edwin Gomez, San Elizario, 15:30.08 (Tornillo Invitational, 9/8).

4, Carmelo Corral, Americas, 15:39:86 (Race to Midnight, SAC, 8/17).

5, Ofir Ortega, Tornillo, 15:47.21 (Tornillo Invitational, 9/8).

6, Israel David, Eastlake, 15:50:12 (Race to Midnight, SAC, 8/17).

7, Aaron Perez, Eastwood, 15:56.30 (Tornillo Invitational, 9/8).

8, Seth Rodriguez, San Elizario, 15:58.36 (Tornillo Invitational, 9/8).

9, Michael Abeyta, Hanks, 15:58.41 (Del Valle, 9/1).

10, Alek Duran, Americas, 16:01:90 (Race to Midnight, SAC, 8/17).

11, Gage Garcia, Americas, 16:02:88 (Race to Midnight, SAC, 8/17).

12, Tyler Rodriguez, Americas, 16:03:93 (Race to Midnight, SAC, 8/17).

13, Elias Perez, Eastwood, 16:10.08 (Canutillo Invite, 8/25).

14, Sergio Leon Cuartas, Eastwood, 16:13.02 (Canutillo Invite, 8/25).

15, Hector Rivera, Bel Air, 16:14:27 (Race to Midnight, SAC, 8/17).

16, Steve Stresow, Cathedral, 16:14.67 (Tornillo Invitational, 9/8).

17, Eduardo Carrillo, Tornillo, 16:16.45 (Tornillo Invitational, 9/8).

18, Eddie Gallegos, Eastwood, 16:16.95 (Canutillo Invite, 8/25).

19, Martin Pargas, San Elizario, 16:16.99 (Tornillo Invitational, 9/8).

20, Juan Olmos, Eastwood, 16:18.38 (Canutillo Invite, 8/25).

22, Andres Marquez, Eastwood, 16:24.52 (Tornillo Invitational 9/8).

23, Irvin Vasquez, San Elizario, 16:27.42 (Tornillo Invitational, 9/8).

24, Jorge Navor, Eastwood, 16:27.83 (Tornillo Invitational, 9/8).

25, Trenton Nelson, Montwood, 16:28:67 (Race to Midnight, SAC, 8/17).

Power rankings
(number in parenthesis indicate meets won):

1, Edwin Gomez, San Eli, 30 (3).

2, Roger Rivera, Hanks, 29 (1).

3, Michael Abeyta, Hanks, 27 (1).

4, Brandon Seagraves, Cathedral, 25 (1).

4, Seth Rodriguez, San Eli, 25.

6, Chauncey Wilkes, Andress, 19 (1).

6, Jacobo Wedemeyer, Franklin, 19.

6, Tyler Rodriguez, Americas, 19.

9, Ofir Ortega, Tornillo, 18.

10, Mario Luna, Socorro, 17.

Carmelo Corral, Americas, 16.

David Gonzalez, Burges, 16.

Sergio Leon Cuartas, Eastwood, 15.

Elias Perez, Eastwood, 15.

Martin Pargas, San Eli, 15.

Liam Walsh, Coronado, 14 (1).

Angel Contreras, Chapin, 13.

Israel David, Eastlake, 12.

Nicholas Gonzalez, Coronado, 12.

Alek Duran, Americas, 11.

Jacob Ye, Americas, 9.

Noah Yeager, Burges, 9.

Josep Ferret, El Paso, 9.

Aaron Perez, Eastwood, 8.

Sebastian Mendoza, Socorro, 8.

Kayn Quinones, Eastwood, 7.

Juan Olmos, Eastwood, 7.

Eddie Gallegos, Eastwood, 7.

Christian Parra, Socorro, 7.

Steve Stresow, Cathedral, 6.

Angel Ortiz, Burges, 6.

D’Angelo Flores, Jefferson, 5.

Gage Garcia, Americas, 5.

Eduardo Carrillo, Tornillo, 5.

Zach Sanchez, Andress, 4.

Sam Zambrano, Burges, 4.

Alan Alba, Coronado, 4.

Joshua Pineda, Pebble Hills, 4.

Carlos Armendariz, Eastlake, 3.

Evan Rubio, Ysleta, 3.

Hector Rivera, Bel Air, 3.

Jared Laverty, Americas, 3.

Luis Cuevas, Burges, 3.

Andres Marquez, Eastwood, 3.

Dylan Espinosa, Bowie, 3.

Trenton Nelson, Montwood, 2.

Irvin Vasquez, San  Elizario, 2.

Jose Nilo, Austin, 2.

Hector Sanchez, Americas, 1.

Joshua Gonzalez, Mt. View, 1.

Abraham Navarez, Parkland, 1.

Matthew Avila, El Paso, 1.

Jorge Navor, Eastwood, 1.

 

By his own admission, Andress senior Chauncey Wilkes has never taken cross country seriously.

He would put in the miles during his summer training to build up for the season but he never fully bought in to what it takes to compete at the regional level.

He would do simply just enough to get by.

But last year, the summer before his junior year, something clicked.

“I was doing other sports and didn’t put in the time I needed to be where I thought I could be in cross country,” he said. “I knew I could be in one of those front packs, it just took a long time for me to get there. It just goes to show you how much hard work cross country takes. It takes time and a lot of sweat and tears.”

On Saturday morning, it paid off.

Wilkes won the Chapin Invitational – his first ever varsity meet – at Skyline Park in 16:40.53.

“When we came around in that desert part, some kid passed me and another one took a wrong turn so that slowed down,” Wilkes said. “I knew that was my moment to surge. I was right behind an Americas kid but I knew I had a lot more kick in me and I pushed hard. I knew if it came down to a sprint, I would have it.”

The course included grass, pavement, gravel, dirt, and a small section of sand.

Americas junior Jacob Ye was second (16:43.18), third went to Socorro senior Mario Luna (16:52.22), Franklin senior Jacobo Wedemeyer was fourth (16:56.73) and Americas senior Tyler Rodriguez was fifth (16:58.11).

“Usually I go out too fast, like at a 5:08 pace, but this time I really focused on getting that second mile down a little bit,” he said. “I took the lead about a quarter to a half mile in, I knew if I stayed on pace in the second mile, things would work out and I would place well.”

Wilkes, who placed sixth at the District 1-5A Meet and 28^th at the Region 1-5A Meet last year, owns the city’s 22^nd fastest time, clocking a 16:38.32 at the Canutillo Invitational on August 25.

He is focused on winning a district championship and advancing to regionals and then hopefully to state.

“My goal for the past four years was to put myself in a situation where I knew I could win,” he said. “I know I have a good shot at winning district now that Aaron (Gillam, three-time district champion from Irvin) is gone but the real challenge is regionals and that’s what I’m training for.”

The Americas boys won the team title with 32 points followed by Socorro (77), Chapin (97), Burges (99) and Franklin (101).

“We’re progressing the way we want to at this point,” said Kenny Lucero, Americas’ head coach. “We’re trying to close the gap between the guys so we’re still working on that. We’re starting to see that strategy come through for us.”

The Trailblazers had its top five runners finish in the top 10 including Ye, Rodriguez, senior Alek Duran (seventh, 17:10.61), freshman Jared Laverty (eighth, 17:10.61) and freshman Carmelo Corral (tenth, 17:16.09).

“The thing I like about our team is they’re interchangeable,” Lucero said. “We have a different one guy, or two guy or three every weekend.  To have that versatility between our top seven is a really good benefit for us. If they hit it on the right day, they will all be fighting for that No. 1 guy and it should make that gap pretty close. It’s a process and that’s our objective so I think we’re headed in the right direction.”

On the girl’s side, Franklin sophomore Eva Jess continues her two-year El Paso unbeaten streak alive, winning the race in 19:15.11. Chapin senior Skyler Goodman was second in 20:39.84 followed by Franklin senior Amalia Dorion (20:58.52) and a pair of Americas juniors – Daphne Duran (21:00.14) and Priscilla Villalobos (21:05.44).

Franklin’s top five finished in the top 12 to take the team title with 34 points followed by Americas (48), Socorro (66), Bel Air (108) and Hanks (114).

“I knew this team could be really good even though it was going to be a rebuilding year,” Dorion said of her Franklin teammates. “I really didn’t know how good we would be, including me. Last year at the district run, I was nearly last so I really didn’t have any expectations for myself – so I’ve really surprised myself.”

Dorion has the city’s seventh fastest time in 19:29.21.

“I’ve never really trained too hard in the summer, but this summer I did,” she said. “We all trained pretty hard in the summer and I went to the Adams State Running Camp so that motivated me as well.”

She was able to share what she had learned with the rest of her team.

“Right now, we really have great team chemistry,” she said. “Right now, I’m just focused on helping the team get to regionals. It would be great for us to run at regionals. That would cap my senior year. Individually it would be fun but to go with my team, that would be so special. That’s the ultimate goal.”
Chapin Invitational (at Skyline Park)

GIRLS

1, Eva Jess, Franklin, 19:15.11; 2, Skyler Goodman, Chapin, 20:39.84; 3, Amalia Dorion, Franklin, 20:58.52; 4, Daphne Duran, Americas, 21:00.14; 5, Priscilla Villalobos, Americas, 21:05.44; 6, Lauren Anderson, Americas, 21:12.85; 7, Jazmin Chacon, Socorro, 21:18.41; 8, Morayma Montes, Austin, 21:20.34; 9, Unknown, 21:28.33; 10, Paulina Friare, Hanks, 21:32.85.

TEAM RESULTS

1, Franklin, 34; 2, Americas, 48; 3, Socorro, 66; 4, Bel Air, 108; 5, Hanks, 114; 6, Canutillo, 131.

FULL RESULTS

Click to access Chapin-xc-2018.pdf

BOYS

1, Chauncey Wilkes, Andress, 16:40.53; 2, Jacob Ye, Americas, 16:43.18; 3, Mario Luna, Socorro, 16:52.22; 4, Jacobo Wedemeyer, Franklin, 16:56.73; 5, Tyler Rodriguez, Americas, 16:58.11; 6, Angel Contreras, Chapin, 16:58.33; 7, Alek Duran, Americas, 17:10.61; 8, Jared Laverty, Americas, 17:10.61; 9, Sebastian Mendoza, Socorro, 17:13.78; 10, Carmelo Corral, Americas, 17:16.09.

TEAM RESULTS

1, Americas, 32; 2, Socorro, 77; 3, Chapin, 97; 4, Burges, 99; 5, Franklin, 101; 6, Andress, 149; 7, Bel Air, 161; 8, LPI, 191.

 

Tornillo/San Elizario XC Meet (2 miles): Girls results: 1, Angelina Lujan, Parkland, 12:02.08; 2, Britney Martinez, Loretto, 12:21.33; 3, Deserie Herrera, Eastlake, 12:31.21;  4, America Morales, San Elizario, 12:31.49; 5, Marcela Perches, Loretto, 12:39.08; 6, Katelyn Robles, Del Valle, 12:44.49; 7, Adalia Olmos, Eastwood, 12:47.80; 8, Vivian Zapata, Clint, 12:51.70; 9, Amaryllis Rubalcaba, Eastwood, 12:54.05; 10, Desiree Carrillo,  Eastwood, 13:01.52.

TEAM RESULTS: 1, Eastwood, 58; 2, Loretto, 84; 3, Eastlake, 85; 4, San Elizario, 87; 5, Parkland, 93; 6, Del Valle, 109; 7, Ysleta, 138; 8, VVEC, 211.

 

Tornillo/San Elizario XC Meet: Boys results: 1, Edwin Gomez, San Elizario, 15:30.08; 2, Ofir Ortega, Tornillo, 15:47.21; 3, Aaron Perez, Eastwood, 15:56.30; 4, Seth Rodriguez, San Elizario, 15:58.36; 5, Steve Stresow, Cathedral, 16:14.67; 6, Eduardo Carrillo, Tornillo, 16:16.45; 7, Martin Pargas, San Elizario, 16:16.99; 8, Andres Marquez, Eastwood, 16:24.52; 9, Irvin Vasquez, San  Elizario, 16:27.42; 10, Jorge Navor, Eastwood, 16:27.83.

 

TEAM RESULTS: 1, San Elizario, 30; 2, Eastwood, 38; 3, Cathedral, 98; 4, Del Valle, 138; 5, Fabens, 147; 6, Horizon, 162; 7, Parkland, 185; 8, Eastlake, 191; 9, Ysleta, 205; 10, Bowie, 255.

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

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

1. Eastwood: The Troopers are back on top after winning the Rudy Alvarez Invitational at Del Valle High School. The newly designed 3.21- mile course proved to be challenging. Eastwood scored 31 points with four runners in the top 10 including freshman Lauren Walls (third, 20:07.90), Eileen McLain (fifth, 20:42.42), Meadow Ortiz (seventh, 21:10.99) and Destiney Martinez (tenth, 21:51.30). Eastwood will take the week off as they prepare for the Woodbridge Cross Country Class in Irvine, Calif.

2.  Franklin: The Cougars move down a spot, finishing second to Eastwood at Del Valle with 42 points despite placing two runners – Eva Jess (first, 18:44.37) and Amalia Dorion (fourth, 20:26.92) – in the top five. Franklin will run its varsity at Chapin Invitational at Skyline Park.

3. Americas: The Trailblazers were a very respectable sixth place at the Lobo Invitational in Albuquerque with 191 points. Daphne Duran led the way finishing tenth in 20:17.0, the fastest of the El Paso girls.  Lauren Anderson was a top 25 finisher (20:53.1) in this 23-team, 158-person race. The Trailblazers will race at the Chapin Invitational at Skyline Park.

4. Eastlake: Eastlake moves down a spot after placing eighth at the Lobo Invitational with 225 points. Senior Aeriel Garcia (11^th, 20:24.4) was the top finisher for the Falcons. Amaris Chavez (22^nd, 20:48.5) finished in the top 25. Eastlake will compete at the Tornillo/San Elizario Meet in Tornillo.

5. Coronado: The T-Birds move up a spot with a third-place finish at the Rudy Alvarez. Coronado scored 64 points and were led by Jennelle Jaeger-Darakjy (second, 19:54.18) and Sophia Flores (eighth, 21:41.35). The T-Birds will head to North Texas to participate in the Southlake Carroll Invitational.

6. Montwood: The Rams challenged themselves at the Marcus Invitational in Flower Mound last week. They will rest this week.

7. Hanks: The Knights crack the Top 10 for the first time this season, placing fourth at the Rudy Alvarez with 114 points. Paulina Friare (13^th,  22:12.63) and Jackie Spencer (17^th, 22:25.97) lead Hanks. The Knights will travel to the Southlake Carroll Meet where they will face the state’s best runners.

8. Horizon: The Scorpions did not run a full team last week at the Rudy Alvarez Invitational at Del Valle. Kenia Enriquez (sixth, 20:59.37) had a top 10 finish.

 9. Clint: The Lions did not run its varsity at last week’s Rudy Alvarez.

 10. Socorro: The Bulldogs made its season debut at Saturday’s Dale Reinhardt Invitational at Socorro’s Student Activities Complex and finished first with 23 points. Jazmin Chacon won the 2-mile event in 13:01.50 and Janeth Chacon was fifth in 14:00.56.

 Dropped out: Chapin, San Elizario.

On the brink: None.

Top 25 Times

1, Aeriel Garcia, Eastlake, 18:18.45 (Race to Midnight, SAC, 8/17).

2, Eva Jess, Franklin, 18:44.37 (Del Valle, 9/21).

3, Mariana Guzman, Americas, 19:06.79 (Race to Midnight, SAC, 8/17).

4, Daphne Duran, Americas, 19:07.87 (Race to Midnight, SAC, 8/17).

5, Priscilla Villalobos, Americas, 19:08.71 (Race to Midnight, SAC, 8/17).

6, Amaris Chavez, Eastlake, 19:20.34 (Race to Midnight, SAC, 8/17).

7, Amalia Dorion, Franklin, 19:29.21 (Canutilllo Invite, 8/25).

8, Lauren Walls, Eastwood, 19:42.68 (Canutillo Invite, 8/25).

9, Jennelle Jaeger-Darakjy, Coronado, 19:54.18 (Del Valle, 9/1).

10, Karyme Garcia, Montwood, 19:54.27 (Race to Midnight, SAC, 8/17).

11, Eileen McLain, Eastwood, 19:56.74 (Canutillo Invite, 8/25).

12, Lauren Anderson, Americas 20:07.55 (Race to Midnight, SAC, 8/17).

13, Meadow Ortiz, Eastwood, 20:09.16 (Canutillo Invite, 8/25).

14, Morayma Montes, Austin, 20:15.24 (Race to Midnight, SAC, 8/17).

15, Deserie Herrera, Eastlake, 20:21.12 (Race to Midnight, SAC, 8/17).

16, Diane Mena, Montwood, 20:26.84 (Race to Midnight, SAC, 8/17).

17, Skyler Goodman, Chapin, 20:28.66 (Canutillo Invite, 8/25).

18, Ruby Medina, Eastlake, 20:33.11 (Race to Midnight, SAC, 8/17).

19, Stephanie Gastelum, Eastlake, 20:22.11 (Race to Midnight, SAC, 8/17).

20, Caitlin Martinez, Eastlake, 20:40.10 (Race to Midnight, SAC, 8/17).

21, Giselle Rubio, Eastlake, 20:40.30 (Race to Midnight, SAC, 8/17).

22, Victoria Duran, Americas, 20:56.82 (Race to Midnight, SAC, 8/17).

23, Kenia Enriquez, Horizon, 20:59.37 (Del Valle, 9/1).

24, Britney Martinez, Loretto, 21:00.34 (Canutillo Invite, 8/25).

25, Rosemary Torres, Bel Air, 21:01.89 (Race to Midnight, SAC, 8/17).

Power rankings
(number parenthesis indicate meets won):

1, Eva Jess, Franklin, 30 (3).

2, Aeriel Garcia, Eastlake, 27 (1).

3, Amalia Dorion, Franklin, 23.

4, Angeline Lujan, Parkland, 19 (1).

4, Daphne Duran, Americas, 19.

6, Jennelle Jaeger-Darakjy, Coronado, 18.

7, Marisol Hernandez, El Paso, 16.

8, Lauren Walls, Eastwood, 15.

8, Natalie Jimenez, Burges, 15.

10, Nicole Estrada, Mt. View, 14.

Eileen McLain, Eastwood, 12.

Morayma Montes, Austin, 12.

Skyler Goodman, Chapin, 11.

Jazmin Chacon, Socorro, 10 (1)

Kenia Enriquez, Horizon, 10.

Amaris Chavez, Eastlake, 10.

Mariana Guzman, Americas, 9.

Priscilla Villalobos, Americas, 9.

Meadow Ortiz, Eastwood, 9.

America Morales, San Elizario 7.

Vivian Zapata, Clint, 7.

Jocelyn Castro, Fabens, 6.

Janeth Chacon, Socorro, 6.

Emilia Fontes, Socorro, 5.

Brisa Aguilar, Clint, 5.

Karyme Garcia, Montwood, 5.

Sophia Flores, Coronado, 5.

Ivette Rojas, Jefferson, 5.

Evonna Walker, Burges, 5.

Lauren Anderson, Americas, 4.

Rosalinda Reza, Mt. View, 4.

Destiny Beltran, Horizon, 4.

Ana Rojas, Socorro, 4.

Demi Garcia, Socorro, 3.

Jacqueline Castillo, Clint, 3.

Valerie Gonzalez, Pebble Hills, 2.

Deserie Herrera, Eastlake, 2.

Natalia Perez, San Elizario, 2.

Diane Mena, Montwood, 1.

Karen Garcia, Jefferson, 1.

Lynette Rocha, Clint, 1.

Amaya Foran, Andress, 1.

Destiney Martinez, Eastwood, 1.

Natalia Espinosa, Montwood, 1.

 

 

The Eastwood Troopers swept the team titles while a pair of familiar runners took individual honors at Saturday’s Rudolfo “Rudy” Alvarez Invitational at Del Valle High School.

Franklin’s Eva Jess won the girl’s race in 18:44.37 and Hanks junior Michael Abeyta won the boy’s portion in 15:58.41 in his first race of the season.

“I was hoping for a time a little bit lower but things happen for a reason. But overall I felt really good.” he said. “For first meet under 16 (minutes) it’s a good start. Next week I’m going to the Southlake meet so hopefully I can draw a really good time there running with all the top Texas boys.”

Abeyta’s teammate and fellow junior Roger Rivera was second in 16:10.10 followed by Eastwood sophomore Sergio Leon Cuartas (16:21.23), Eastwood’s Elias Perez (16:24.51) and Cathedral senior Brandon Seagreaves (16:24.61).

“Roger has been working really hard; we have a bunch of dudes working hard every day,” Abeyta said. “We’re always pushing each other in practice and helping each other get stronger. Every year since I’ve been at Hanks our team has advanced to regionals. I like knowing our team is strong enough to have an opportunity to race all those kids in our region. It’s just a wonderful experience that I want to share with my team.”

For the second consecutive week, the Eastwood boy’s ran well as a pack with two runners in the top five and five in the top ten for 30 points, well ahead of second place Hanks (92), Coronado (93), Franklin (106) and Chapin (114).

“We’re working towards the bigger races and gradually getting better,” Leon Cuartas said. “We’re hoping to head to NXN and hopefully take home second or the state title at state.”

Eastwood’s one-to-five gap was 16 seconds.

“We’ve been working hard all summer so it’s great to be able to come out and show how our training has shown some positive results so far,” he said. “It’s an honor to part of this program. These boys have taught me so much in a short period of time I’m proud to be part of this team.”

Last week, the Troopers one-to-five gap was nine seconds and the rest of the state took notice.

The Coaches Cross County Association of Texas voted Eastwood No. 1 in Class 5A over last week’s No.1 Lovejoy.

Despite the ranking, Eastwood coach Mike McLain considers the Troopers an underdog.

“We are still the underdogs, we are always the underdogs and we always will be the underdogs,” he said. “In town, we don’t get the club kids, we’re the underdogs. Out of town, we’re from El Paso, we’re the underdogs. We’re the underdogs everywhere, that’s the way I see it.”

He said the team believes it too, which is why they train as hard as they do.

“There are other schools in town who have the superstars,” he said. “Nobody knows anyone on my team until they’ve worked a couple of years here so I believe even in town we are the underdogs.”

Other top ten runners for Eastwood were Kayn Quinones (sixth, 16:25.89), Juan Olmos (eighth, 16:35.76) and Eddie Gallegos (ninth, 16:37.46).

The Eastwood girl’s avenged last week’s setback winning the meet with 31 points followed by Franklin (42), Coronado (64), Hanks (114) and Bel Air (120).

The top five individuals were: Franklin’s Jess, Jennelle Jaeger-Darakjy, Coronado, 19:54.18; 3, Lauren Walls, Eastwood, 20:07.90; 4, Amalia Dorion, Franklin, 20:26.92; 5, Eileen McLain, Eastwood, 20:42.42.

Eastwood had four in the top ten including Meadow Ortiz (seventh, 21:10.99) and Destiney Martinez (tenth, 21:51.30).

“Coach (Anthony) Laspada is working his butt off, he is doing a great job at Franklin and he is doing it the right way,” McLain said. “My girl’s ran very well last week but Franklin beat us. Even though we ran well, but having that happen, sometimes girls don’t respond to the pressure as much as boys but not these girls. They had a team come up and beat them last week but to be honest with you, we didn’t even talk about it all week. But something tells me inside they didn’t like it very much and that performance today against what I consider to be an excellent Franklin girl’s team was impressive.”

McLain said this girl’s team could make some noise at the Region 1-5A Meet – and beyond.

“I’m starting to see some things out of the girl’s team that’s going to get us a chance to make it to the state meet,” he said.

Rudolfo “Rudy” Alvarez Invitational Results

BOYS

1, Michael Abeyta, Hanks,  15:58.41; 2, Roger Rivera, Hanks, 16:10.10; 3, Sergio Leon Cuartas, Eastwood, 16:21.23; 4, Elias Perez, Eastwood, 16:24.51; 5, Brandon Seagreaves, Cathedral, 16:24.61;  6, Kayn Quinones, Eastwood, 16:25.89; 7, Liam Walsh, Coronado, 16:29.12; 8, Juan Olmos, Eastwood, 16:35.76; 9, Eddie Gallegos, Eastwood, 16:37.46; 10, Jacobo Wedemeyer, Franklin, 16:50.60; 11, Nicholas Gonzalez, Coronado, 16:56.48;  12, Nathan Hernandez, Eastwood, 17:04.42; 13, Alan Alba, Coronado, 17:11.94; 14, Angel Contreras, Chapin, 17:18.36; 15, Hector Rivera, Bel Air, 17:23.31: 16, Victor Parra, Eastwood, 17:23.70; 17, Andres Marquez, Eastwood, 17:31.69; 18, D’Angelo Flores, Jefferson, 17:34.67; 19, Eduardo Carrillo, Tornillo, 17:36.56; 20, Stephen Stresow, Cathedral, 17:37.27.

TEAM SCORES

1, Eastwood, 30; 2, Hanks, 92; 3, Coronado 93; 4, Franklin, 106; 5, Chapin 114; 6, Cathedral, 120; 7, Fabens, 200; 8, Bel Air, 205; 9, Del Valle, 223; 10, Ysleta, 266.

FULL RESULTS

https://www.arrowliveresults.com/RudyAlvarezEliteOpenBoys5k

https://www.arrowliveresults.com/RudyAlvarezOpenBoys5k

https://www.arrowliveresults.com/RudyAlvarez9thBoys5k

 

GIRLS

1, Eva Jess, Franklin, 18:44.37 2, Jennelle Jaeger-Darakjy, Coronado, 19:54.18; 3, Lauren Walls, Eastwood, 20:07.90; 4,  Amalia Dorion, Franklin, 20:26.92; 5, Eileen McLain, Eastwood, 20:42.42; 6, Kenia Enriquez, Horizon, 20:59.37; 7, Meadow Ortiz, Eastwood, 21:10.99; 8, Sophia Flores, Coronado, 21:41.35; 9, Ivette Rojas, Jefferson, 21:44.56; 10, Destiney Martinez, Eastwood, 21:51.30: 11, Lauren Villarreal, Eastwood, 22:02.11; 12, Britney Martinez, Loretto, 22:03.51; 13, Paulina Friare,  Hanks, 22:12.63; 14, Marcela Perches, Loretto, 22:21.63; 15, Jordan Torres, Franklin, 22:22.94; 16, Jenna Saunders, Franklin, 22:25.30; 17, Jackie Spencer, Hanks, 22:25.97; 18, Mariana Ramirez, Riverside, 22:26.69; 19,      Corina Myers, Franklin, 22:28.66; 20, Abagail Murillo, Bel Air, 22:30.65.

TEAM SCORES

1, Eastwood, 31; 2, Franklin, 42; 3, Coronado, 64; 4, Hanks, 114; 5, Bel Air, 120; 6, Del Valle, 151.

FULL RESULTS

https://www.arrowliveresults.com/RudyAlvarezEliteOpenGirls5k

https://www.arrowliveresults.com/RudyAlvarezOpenGirls5k

https://www.arrowliveresults.com/RudyAlvarez9thGirls5k

Michael Abeyta is no stranger to big meets.

From winning national championships at the USATF level to raising his arms in victory at the UIL Track & Field State Meet, the Hanks junior has never shied away from a challenge.

After taking off the first two high school meets of the season, Abeyta is scheduled to compete at Saturday’s Rudolfo “Rudy” Alvarez Invitational at Del Valle High School.

The varsity boys race begins at 8:30 a.m. followed by the girl’s race.

“Summer workouts went really well,” he said. “We’ve been working on improving my strength. I’m lifting and trying to get stronger, a lot of core work.”

Abeyta is looking to win gold at this year’s UIL Cross Country State Championships Nov. 3 at Old Settler’s Park in Round Rock.

In the Fall, as a sophomore, Abeyta won silver at state and finished sixth, earning All-State honors when he was freshman.

He followed up that state silver medal in the fall with a stellar spring track and field season became the first El Paso athlete to earn a medal in three events at the Class 5A UIL Stat Track and Field Championship.

He won gold in the 800 meters (1:53.38) and silver in both the 1,600 meters (4:16.53) and the 3,200 meters (9:15.40). As a freshman, Abeyta earned a gold in the 1,600 meters at the State Meet.

But he is focused on bigger prizes.

“I want to get to state again, but this time around I want to win it,” he said. “But my main goal is to go to Nike Cross South and hopefully place in the top five and move on to the Nike Cross Nationals, that’s where I want to make my mark.”

Nike Cross Nationals (NXN), which takes place in Portland, Oregon, is considered to be the ultimate cross country experience. Individuals and club teams from eight regional championships compete to be crowned national champion.

The 15th annual Nike Cross Nationals will be Dec. 1.

Along with the two teams from each region that make it to NXN, Nike will also take the next five individuals from each region to compete in the same race, just without a team.

Abeyta hopes to be one of those runners.

The NXN South (Nike South) race will be Nov. 17 at Bear Branch Park in The Woodlands. Teams and individuals from Arkansas, Louisiana, Oklahoma, Mississippi and Texas will compete.

But first, there is work to be done starting Saturday morning.

The  Rudolfo “Rudy” Alvarez Invitational boys elite division is a stacked affair with city No. 1 Eastwood, No. 6 Franklin, No. 8 Cathedral and No. 9 Hanks.

Top runners include: Abeyta, Roger Rivera, Hanks; Brandon Seagreaves, Cathedral; Elias Perez, Eastwood; Sergio Leon Cuartas, Eastwood; Ofir Ortega, Tornillo and Hector Rivera, Bel Air.

On the girl’s side, No. 1 Franklin, No. 2 Eastwood, No. 7 Horizon, No. 8 Chapin and No. 9 Clint are scheduled to compete.

Top runners include: Eva Jess and Amalia Dorion, Franklin; Lauren Walls and Eileen McLain, Eastwood; Skylar Goodman, Chapin and Britney Martinez, Loretto.

The 2-mile Dale Reinhardt Open at Socorro’s Student Activities Complex  begins at 8 a.m. and features Socorro, Coronado and San Elizario.

There are two out-of-town meets – the Marcus Invitational in Flower Mound and the Lobo Invitational in Albuquerque. Montwood will try its luck in Flower Mound while Eastlake and Americas go up North to Albuquerque.

At Chaparral High School, the Gadsden Invitational will take place at 9 a.m. The field includes Burges, Mt. View and Canutillo.

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

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

Boys

1. Eastwood: The Troopers began the season with a dominating 24-point performance at the Canutuillo Invitational. Eastwood’s 1-5 split was 9 seconds as all five runners finished in the top 10. Junior Elias Perez was the top runner for Eastwood finishing third in 16:10.08. Next up is the Rudy Alvarez Invitational at Del Valle on Saturday. 

2. Americas:  The Trailblazers finished second at the Canutillo Invitational with 75 points. Americas was led by a pair of freshmen – Carmelo Corral (11th, 16:30.49) and Jared Laverty (12th, 16:33.33). Americas will travel North to Albuquerque for the Lobo Invitational.

3. San Elizario: The Eagles move up one spot after winning the Fabens Invitational at La Isla Church. San Elizario scored 40 points. Edwin Gomez won the race in 16:27.45. Other top 10 finishers were Seth Rodriguez (fourth, 17:19.64) and Martin Pargas (fifth, 17:29.33). San Elizario will race at the Dale Reinhardt Invitational at Socorro’s Student Activities Complex Saturday morning.

4. Coronado: The T-Birds raced without its top runner Liam Walsh, who was taking a college-entrance exam. The team placed 7^that the Canutillo Invitational. Nick Gonzalez was fifth for the second week in a row in 16:14.31. The T-Birds will race at the Rudy Alvarez Invitational at Del Valle on Saturday.

 5. Burges: The Mustangs placed second at the Fabens Invitational at La Isla Church, scoring 47 points, seven points behind San Elizario. Noah Yeager was second in 17:03.92, David Gonzalez was third in 17:10.92 and Sam Zambrano was ninth in 17:46.80. Burges will run at the Gadsden Invitational at Chaparral High School Saturday.

 6. Franklin: The Cougars finished third at Canutillo with 140 points. Its top runner was Jacobo Wedemeyer who was eighth in 16:19.22. Franklin will also race at the Rudy Alvarez Invitational at Del Valle on Saturday.

7. Tornillo: The Class 3A Coyotes are not expected to run a full team until the Lubbock Invitational on Sept. 22.

 8. Cathedral: Senior Brandon Seagreaves won the Canutillo Invitational in a time of 16:03.85. However, his team struggled, as its number two runner finished 32. The Irish hope to regroup at the Rudy Alvarez Invitational at Del Valle on Saturday.

 9. Hanks: Hanks did not run a full varsity squad at Canutillo Saturday. However, junior Roger Rivera was scond in 16:06.67. The city’s top runner, junior Michael Abeyta, expects to make his season debut at the Rudy Alvarez Invitational at Del Valle on Saturday.

10. Socorro: The Bulldogs will make its first meet Saturday at the Dale Reinhardt Invitational at Socorro’s Student Activities Complex.

Dropped out: None.
On the verge: Chapin, Eastlake, El Paso High.

Top 25 Times

1, Roger Rivera, Hanks, 15:09:58 (Race to Midnight, SAC, 8/17).

2, Brandon Seagraves, Cathedral, 15:22:57 (Race to Midnight, SAC, 8/17).

3, Carmelo Corral, Americas, 15:39:86 (Race to Midnight, SAC, 8/17).

4, Israel David, Eastlake, 15:50:12 (Race to Midnight, SAC, 8/17).

5, Alek Duran, Americas, 16:01:90 (Race to Midnight, SAC, 8/17).

6, Gage Garcia, Americas, 16:02:88 (Race to Midnight, SAC, 8/17).

7, Tyler Rodriguez, Americas, 16:03:93 (Race to Midnight, SAC, 8/17).

8, Elias Perez, Eastwood, 16:10.08 (Canutillo Invite, 8/25).

9, Sergio Leon Cuartas, Eastwood, 16:13.02 (Canutillo Invite, 8/25).

10, Hector Rivera, Bel Air, 16:14:27 (Race to Midnight, SAC, 8/17).

11, Eddie Gallegos, Eastwood, 16:16.95(Canutillo Invite, 8/25).

12, Juan Olmos, Eastwood, 16:18.38 (Canutillo Invite, 8/25).

13, Trenton Nelson, Montwood, 16:28:67 (Race to Midnight, SAC, 8/17).

14, Angel Contreras, Chapin, 16:29.91 (Canutillo Invite 8/25).

15, Hector Sanchez, Americas, 16:30:16 (Race to Midnight, SAC, 8/17).

16, Fernando Anzures, Cathedral, 16:30:61 (Race to Midnight, SAC, 8/17).

17, Carlos Armendariz, Eastlake, 16:31:41 (Race to Midnight, SAC, 8/17).

18, Jared Laverty, Americas, 16:33.33 (Canutillo Invite, 8/25).

19, Stephen Stresow, Cathedral, 16:35:06 (Race to Midnight, SAC, 8/17).

20, Zach Sanchez, Andress, 16:38.25 (Canutillo Invite, 8/25).

21, Chauncey Wilkes, Andress, 16:38.32 (Canutillo Invite, 8/25).

22, Seth Andrade, Americas, 16:38:73 (Race to Midnight, SAC, 8/17).

23, Andres Marquez, Eastwood, 16:38:86 (Race to Midnight, SAC. 8/17).

24, Jacob Ye, Americas, 16:40:65 (Race to Midnight, SAC. 8/17).

25, Nick Barajas, Americas, 16:44:11 (Race to Midnight, SAC. 8/17).

Power rankings
(number parenthesis indicate meets won):

1, Roger Rivera, Hanks, 19 (1).

1, Brandon Seagraves, Cathedral, 19 (1).

3, Nicholas Gonzalez, Coronado, 12.

4, Jacobo Wedemeyer, Franklin, 11.

5, Liam Walsh, Coronado, 10 (1).

5, Seth Rodriguez, San Eli, 10.

5, Edwin Gomez, San Eli, 10 (1).

8, Noah Yeager, Burges, 9.

8, David Gonzalez, Burges, 9.

8, Ofir Ortega, Tornillo, 9.

 

Carmelo Corral, Americas, 8.

Elias Perez, Eastwood, 8.

Sergio Leon Cuartas, Eastwood, 7.

Angel Contreras, Chapin, 8.

Israel David, Eastlake, 7.

Alek Duran, Americas, 6.

Martin Pargas, San Eli, 6.

Josep Ferret, El Paso, 5.

D’Angelo Flores, Jefferson, 5.

Gage Garcia, Americas, 5.

Eddie Gallegos, Eastwood, 5.

Juan Olmos, Eastwood, 4.

Sam Zambrano, Burges, 4.

Tyler Rodriguez, Americas, 4.

Alan Alba, Coronado, 4.

Joshua Pineda, Pebble Hills, 4.

Evan Rubio, Ysleta, 3.

Hector Rivera, Bel Air, 3.

Trenton Nelson, Montwood, 2.

Kayn Quinones, Eastwood, 2.

Hector Sanchez, Americas, 1.

Joshua Gonzalez, Mt. View, 1.

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

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

Girls

1. Franklin:Giving credit where credit is earned. The Cougars move up to the top spot after its 55-point championship performance at the Canutillo Invitational. Franklin began the season ranked eighth and moved to fourth last week. Sophomore Eva Jess remains unbeaten, winning in 18:49.08 while senior Amalia Dorion was second in 19:29.22. Franklin also placed runners in the 18, 21 and 27 spots. Franklin will race at the Rudy Alvarez Invitational at Del Valle on Saturday.

 2. Eastwood:The Troopers fell two points short of Franklin at the Canutillo Meet in its season opener. Eastwood had three runners in the top 10 – Lauren Walls (fourth, 19:42.68), Eileen McLain (fifth, 19:56.74) and Meadow Ortiz (sixth, 20:09.16). Eastwood will attempt to reclaim the top spot at Saturday’s Rudy Alvarez Invitational at Del Valle.

3. Eastlake: For second consecutive week, the Falcons move up one spot after securing a third-place finish at Canutillo with a score of 73. Eastlake was led again by senior Aeriel Garcia who was third in 19:35.60. Teammate Amaris Chavez was seventh in 20:09.43. The Falcons will travel up I-25 to Albuquerque for the Lobo Invitational on Saturday.

 4. Americas: The Trailblazers were fourth at Canutillo with 99 points.  Priscilla Villalobos (ninth, 20:35.29) and Daphne Duran (tenth, 20:44.98) were Americas’ top 10 finishers. The Trailblazers will race at the Lobo Invitational in Albuquerque.

5.  Montwood: The Rams move up a spot after its fifth-place finish (136 points) at the Canutillo meet. Junior Diane Mena was Montwood’s top runner placing 11^thin 20:56.47. Montwood is running at the Marcus Invitational in Flower Mound, Texas on Saturday.

 6. Coronado: The T-Birds dropped one spot after its sixth-place finish (153 points) at Canutillo. Sophia Flores was the top finisher for Coronado, placing 17^thin 21:22.51. The T-Birds top runner, Jenelle Jaeger-Darakjy did not run (college exams). Coronado will race the Dale Reinhardt Invitational at Socorro’s Student Activities Complex.

7. Horizon: The Scorpions did not run last week. They will compete at Saturday’s Rudy Alvarez Invitational at Del Valle.

8. Chapin: The Huskies did not run a full team at Canutillo. Senior Skyler Goodman was eighth finishing in 20:28.66. Chapin will race at the Rudy Alvarez Invitational at Del Valle.

9. Clint: The Lions make their 2018 Top 10 debut after winning the Fabens ISD La Isla Invitational with 22 points. Top 10 runners were Vivian Zapata (fourth, 22:21.14), Brisa Aguilar (sixth, 22:50.27), Jacqueline Castillo (eighth, 23:43.95) and Lynette Rocha (tenth, 23:52.27). The Lions will race at the Rudy Alvarez Invitational at Del Valle.

10. San Elizario: The Eagles will compete at the Dale Reinhardt Invitational at Socorro’s Student Activities Complex.

Dropped out: Canutillo.

On the brink: Hanks, Socorro.

Top 25 Times

 1, Aeriel Garcia, Eastlake, 18:18.45 (Race to Midnight, SAC, 8/17).

2, Eva Jess, Franklin, 18:49.08 (Canutillo Invite, 8/25).

3, Mariana Guzman, Americas, 19:06.79 (Race to Midnight, SAC, 8/17).

4, Daphne Duran, Americas, 19:07.87 (Race to Midnight, SAC, 8/17).

5, Priscilla Villalobos, Americas, 19:08.71 (Race to Midnight, SAC, 8/17).

6, Amaris Chavez, Eastlake, 19:20.34 (Race to Midnight, SAC, 8/17).

7, Amalia Dorion, Franklin, 19:29.21 (Canutilllo Invite, 8/25).

8, Lauren Walls, Eastwood, 19:42.68 (Canutillo Invite, 8/25).

9, Karyme Garcia, Montwood, 19:54.27 (Race to Midnight, SAC, 8/17).

10, Eileen McLain, Eastwood, 19:56.74 (Canutillo Invite, 8/25).

11, Lauren Anderson, Americas 20:07.55 (Race to Midnight, SAC, 8/17).

12, Meadow Ortiz, Eastwood, 20:09.16 (Canutillo Invite, 8/25).

13, Morayma Montes, Austin, 20:15.24 (Race to Midnight, SAC, 8/17).

14, Deserie Herrera, Eastlake, 20:21.12 (Race to Midnight, SAC, 8/17).

15, Diane Mena, Montwood, 20:26.84 (Race to Midnight, SAC, 8/17).

16, Skyler Goodman, Chapin, 20:28.66 (Canutillo Invite, 8/25).

17, Ruby Medina, Eastlake, 20:33.11 (Race to Midnight, SAC, 8/17).

18, Stephanie Gastelum, Eastlake, 20:22.11 (Race to Midnight, SAC, 8/17).

19, Caitlin Martinez, Eastlake, 20:40.10 (Race to Midnight, SAC, 8/17).

20, Giselle Rubio, Eastlake, 20:40.30 (Race to Midnight, SAC, 8/17).

21, Victoria Duran, Americas, 20:56.82 (Race to Midnight, SAC, 8/17).

22, Britney Martinez, Loretto, 21:00.34 (Canutillo Invite, 8/25).

23, Rosemary Torres, Bel Air, 21:01.89 (Race to Midnight, SAC, 8/17).

24, Maya Ramirez, Americas, 21:06.55 (Race to Midnight, SAC, 8/17).

25, Itzel Garcia-Gama, Americas, 21:08.03 (Race to Midnight, SAC, 8/17).

Power rankings
(number parenthesis indicate meets won):

1, Eva Jess, Franklin, 20 (2).

2, Aeriel Garcia, Eastlake, 18 (1).

3, Amalia Dorion, Franklin, 16.

4, Skyler Goodman, Chapin, 11.

5, Angeline Lujan, Parkland, 10 (1).

5, Amaris Chavez, Eastlake, 10.

7, Mariana Guzman, Americas, 9.

7, Jennelle Jaeger-Darakjy, Coronado, 9.

7, Priscilla Villalobos, Americas, 9.

7, Daphne Duran, Americas, 9.

7, Natalie Jimenez, Burges, 9.

Marisol Hernandez, El Paso, 8.

Lauren Walls, Eastwood, 7.

Vivian Zapata, Clint, 7.

Eileen McLain, Eastwood, 6.

Nicole Estrada, Mt. View, 6.

Jocelyn Castro, Fabens, 6.

Meadow Ortiz, Eastwood, 5.

Brisa Aguilar, Clint, 5.

Karyme Garcia, Montwood, 5.

Kenia Enriquez, Horizon, 5.

Lauren Anderson, Americas, 4.

Rosalinda Reza, Mt. View, 4.

Destiny Beltran, Horizon, 4.

Morayma Montes, Austin, 3.

Ivette Rojas, Jefferson, 3.

Jacqueline Castillo, Clint, 3.

Valerie Gonzalez, Pebble Hills, 2.

Deserie Herrera, Eastlake, 2.

Sophia Flores, Coronado, 2.

Diane Mena, Montwood, 1.

Karen Garcia, Jefferson, 1.

Lynette Rocha, Clint, 1.

The Franklin girls cross country team won its second straight meet of the young season and Eastwood’s boys proved they will be a team to be reckoned with at the state’s Class 5A level with a dominating performance at Saturday morning’s Canutillo Invitational.

After a fifth-place finish at last fall’s UIL State Cross Country Championship, a fifth-place outing at the UIL State Track and Field Meet in the 3,200 meters and a national championship in the 1,500-meter run at this summer’s USATF Junior Olympics, the maturation and continued improvement of Franklin sophomore Eva Jess was expected.

Jess, who also was the national runner up in the 3,000-meter run in the 15-16 age division at the USATF Junior Olympics this summer, has won individual gold in the first two meets of the season, winning Saturday morning’s Canutillo Invitational in 18:49.08.

What wasn’t expected is the early-season success of her Franklin High School teammates who won their second meet of the season, out-pointing Eastwood by two points.

Franklin’s top five finished 1-2-18-21 and 27 for 55 points and Eastwood’s five finished 4-5-6-22 and 30 for 57 points. Eastlake was third with 73 points, followed by Americas (99) and Montwood (136).

Franklin’s second year coach Anthony Laspada said the team championship at the Desert Run Challenge at Mt. View High School boosted the girl’s confidence.

“We have Eva and she’s going to do her thing,” he said. “Our other runners, two through seven, we weren’t really sure where they were going to be but they’ve been preparing all summer and I felt this is a great confidence booster for them to really achieve what they want to do at the end of the year and that’s compete for a district title.”

Franklin’s Amalia Dorion, was second in 19:29.21 followed by Eastlake senior Aeriel Garcia (19:35.60) and a trio of Eastwood runners – Lauren Walls (19:42.68; 5), Eileen McLain, (19:56.7) and Meadow Ortiz (20:09.16) finished 4-5-6.

Rounding out the top ten were Amaris Chavez (Eastlake, 20:09.43), Skyler Goodman (Chapin, 20:28.66), Priscilla Villalobos (Americas, 20:35.29) and Daphne Duran (Americas, 20:44.98).

Jess said she is squarely focused on cross country after training for summer track the past several months.

Her individual goal is to return to state and better her All-State fifth place finish but more importantly she wants her team to qualify to the Region 1-6A Regional Meet.

“It would be great to have them with me this year,” she said. “It would be better for me because I’ll have my teammates training with me and it will be better for them because everyone wants to go to regionals, it’s such a fun race. We have a really strong team and I think we can do it this year. I think we’re going to do really good.”

Laspada said there are no limits as to how well Franklin does this season.

“That’s up to the girls, whatever they want to do,” he said. “Today they definitely put themselves on the map as far as competing for a district title, our goal going in is to make it to regionals. We fell short last year, we had some issues that happened at the district championship that I think we can correct.”

As for the boys, senior Brandon Seagreaves, two-time defending TAPPS, Division 6A state champion, won the individual title in a time of 16:03.85.

Hanks Junior Roger Rivera, who won last week’s Run to Midnight, was second in 16:06.66, followed by Eastwood’s Elias Perez (16:10.08) and Sergio Leon Cuartas (16:13.02) and Coronado’s Nick Gonzalez (16:14.30).

“I haven’t been in many super competitive races and I haven’t had the chance to race guys at this level so this is good for me,” Seagreaves said. “I raced Roger last weekend so I know he’s a really strong runner and I knew the Eastwood guys were going to be there so it’s really nice to be able to race against guys that are that competitive.”

He said running against El Paso’s best will prepare him for the TAPPS Cross Country Championship which takes place Oct. 29 at the Cottonwood Creek Golf Course in Waco.

“I value races like this a ton because I don’t race any of those TAPPS guys all season so I need to be as sharp as I can be,” he said. “It’s important for me to race these quality quys and to have things that I didn’t predict happen so when I get to the race in my league I’m ready for whatever presents itself.”

The Eastwood boys began its quest for another state medal, this time at the Class 5A level, with a dominating 3-4-6-7-9 performance scoring 24 points. Americas was second with 75 followed by Franklin (140), Eastlake (142) and Chapin (145).

The Troopers one through five runners had an impressive 9 second gap.

CANUTILLO INVITATION RESULTS

BOYS

1, Brandon Seagreaves, Cath, 16:03.85; 2, Roger Rivera, Hanks, 16:06.66; 3, Elias Perez, Eastwood, 16:10.08;  4, Sergio Leon Cuartas, Eastwood, 16:13.02; 5, Nicholas Gonzalez, Coro, 16:14.30; 6, Eddie Gallegos, Eastwood, 16:16.95; 7, Juan Olmos, Eastwood, 16:18.38; 8, Jacobo Wedemeyer, Franklin, 16:19.22; 9. Kayn Quinones, Eastwood, 16:19.92; 10, Angel Contreras, Chapin, 16:29.91; 11, Carmelo Corral, Americas, 16:33.49; 12, Jared Laverty, Americas, 16:33.33; 13, Zach Sanchez, Andress, 16:38.25; 14, Chauncey Wilkes, Andress, 16:38.32; 15, Israel David, Eastlake, 16, Nathan Hernandez, Eastwood, 16:45.45; 17, Seth Andrade, Americas, 16:48.07; 18, D’angelo Flores, Jeff, 16:48.66; 19, Carlos Armendariz, Eastlake, 16:52.94; 20, Jacob Ye, Americas, 16:53.08

TEAM SCORES

1, Eastwood, 24; 2, Americas, 75; 3, Franklin, 140; 4, Eastlake, 142; 5, Chapin, 145; 6, Cathedral, 146; 7, Coronado, 175; 8, Andress, 178; 9, Canutillo, 265; 10, Bel Air, 274; 11, Montwood, 276; 12, Del Valle, 284; 12, Lydia Patterson, 308.

FULL RESULTS

https://www.arrowliveresults.com/CanutilloVarsityBoys2018

https://www.arrowliveresults.com/CanutilloOpenBoys2018

https://www.arrowliveresults.com/Canutillo9thBoys2018

GIRLS

1, Eva Jess, Franklin, 18:49.08; 2, Amalia Dorion, Franklin, 19:29.21; 3, Aeriel Garcia, Eastlake, 19:35.60; 4, Lauren Walls, Eastwood, 19:42.68; 5, Eileen McLain, Eastwood, 19:56.74; 6, Meadow Ortiz, Eastwood, 20:09.16; 7, Amaris Chavez, Eastlake, 20:09.43; 8, Skyler Goodman, Chapin, 20:28.66; 9, Priscilla Villalobos, Americas, 20:35.29; 10, Daphne Duran, Americas, 20:44.98.; 11. Diane Mena, Montwood, 20:56.47; 12, Britney Martinez, Loretto, 21:00.34; 13, Emily Hernandez, Eastlake, 21:10.27; 14, Ivette Rojas, Jeff, 21:15.50; 15, Karen Garcia, Jeff, 21:16.41; 16, Karyme Garcia, Montwood, 21:19.28; 17, Sophia Flores, Coro, 21:22.51; 18, Jordan Torres, Frank, 21:28.07; 19, Caryn Hart, Andress, 21:30.75; 20, Lauren Anderson Americas, 21:32.22.

TEAM SCORES

1, Franklin, 55; 2, Eastwood, 57; 3, Eastlake, 73; 4, Americas, 99; 5, Montwood, 136; 6, Coronado, 153; 7, Bel Air, 182; 8, Hanks, 226; 9, Del Valle, 240; 10, Canutillo, 248

FULL RESULTS

https://www.arrowliveresults.com/CanutilloVarsityGirls2018

https://www.arrowliveresults.com/CanutilloOpenGirls2018

https://www.arrowliveresults.com/Canutillo9thGirls2018

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

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

Boys 

1. Eastwood: The Troopers did not race last week. Eastwood will compete in Saturday’s Canutillo ISD Invitational at Canutillo Middle School. Juniors Elias Perez (11th at the Region 1-6A Meet and 27th at State0) and Juan Olmos look to lead the Troopers.

 2. Americas: The Trailblazers were impressive at Friday’s Run to Midnight Invitational placing five runners in the top 10 including freshman Carmelo Corral (third, 15:39:86); Alek Duran (fifth,16:01:90); Gage Garcia (sixth, 16:02:88); Tyler Rodriguez (seventh, 16:03:93) and Hector Sanchez (10^th, 16:30:16). They will also compete at Canutillo.

3. Coronado: The T-Birds won the Desert Run Challenge at Mt. View High School, one point ahead of 4-time defending Class 4A champ San Elizario. The T-Birds placed three runners – Liam Walsh (1^st in 15:42.04), Nick Gonzalez (5th, 16:06.09) and Alan Alba (7th, 16:10.11) – in the top 10 for a total of 69 points. Coronado will also be at Canutillo.

4. San Elizario: The Eagles finished second by one point behind Coronado at the Desert Run Challenge at Mt. View. Seth Rodriguez was the top finisher, placing 8^th in 16:25.57. On a side note, All State runner Rene Arambula could be lost for the year due to broken ankle. San Elizario will race at the Fabens Invitational starting at La Isla Church.

 5. Burges: The Mustangs placed third at the Desert Run Challenge, nine points behind San Elizario and three points ahead of Franklin. The Mustangs had two runners – Sam Zambrano (9^th, 16:32.31) and David Gonzalez (10^th, 16:32.64) – in the top 10. Burges will run at Canutillo Saturday.

6. Franklin: The Cougars had a respectable outing at the Desert Run Challenge, finishing fourth, just behind Burges. Franklin’s top runner was Jacobo Wedemeyer who was third in 15:55.78. Franklin will also race at Canutillo.

7. Tornillo: The Class 3A Coyotes did not run a full team at the Desert Run Challenge. However, junior Ofir Ortega finished second in 15:47.12. Don’t expect them to run a full squad at Saturday’s Canutillo Invitational.

 8. Cathedral: The Irish make its season debut in the Top 10 after its impressive second place finish at the Run to Midnight Invitational at the SAC. Brandon Seagreaves was the top Irsh runner, placing second in 15:22.57. Cathedral is looking to improve on its second place state finish last year. The Irish will run at Canutillo on Saturday.

 9. Hanks: Knights junior Roger Rivera won the Run to Midnight meet in a time of 15:09.58. The city’s top runner, Michael Abeyta did not race. The Knights will be at Canutillo on Saturday.

10 Socorro: The Bulldogs are a few weeks away from its first race.

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

Top 25 Times

1, Roger Rivera, Hanks, 15:09:58 (Race to Midnight, SAC, 8/17).

2, Brandon Seagraves, Cathedral, 15:22:57 (Race to Midnight, SAC, 8/17).

3, Carmelo Corral, Americas, 15:39:86 (Race to Midnight, SAC, 8/17).

4, Israel David, Eastlake, 15:50:12 (Race to Midnight, SAC, 8/17).

5, Alek Duran, Americas, 16:01:90 (Race to Midnight, SAC, 8/17).

6, Gage Garcia, Americas, 16:02:88 (Race to Midnight, SAC, 8/17).

7, Tyler Rodriguez, Americas, 16:03:93 (Race to Midnight, SAC, 8/17).

8, Hector Rivera, Bel Air, 16:14:27 (Race to Midnight, SAC, 8/17).

9, Trenton Nelson, Montwood, 16:28:67 (Race to Midnight, SAC, 8/17).

10, Hector Sanchez, Americas, 16:30:16 (Race to Midnight, SAC, 8/17).

11, Fernando Anzures, Cathedral, 16:30:61 (Race to Midnight, SAC, 8/17).

12, Carlos Armendariz, Eastlake, 16:31:41 (Race to Midnight, SAC, 8/17).

13, Stephen Stresow, Cathedral, 16:35:06 (Race to Midnight, SAC, 8/17).

14, Seth Andrade, Americas, 16:38:73 (Race to Midnight, SAC, 8/17).

15, Andres Marquez, Eastwood, 16:38:86 (Race to Midnight, SAC. 8/17).

16, Jacob Ye, Americas, 16:40:65 (Race to Midnight, SAC. 8/17).

17, Nick Barajas, Americas, 16:44:11 (Race to Midnight, SAC. 8/17).

18, Adrian Morales, Irvin, 16:44:62 (Race to Midnight, SAC, 8/17).

19, Nicolas Maes, Cathedral, 16:45:47 (Race to Midnight, SAC, 8/17).

20, Henry Aguirre, Americas, 16:46:64 (Race to Midnight, SAC, 8/17).

21, Matt Anderson, Americas, 16:52.01 (Race to Midnight, SAC, 8/17).

22, Chrsitian Jaquez, Hanks, 16:56.22 (Race to Midnight, SAC, 8/17).

23, Juan Rojas, Irvin, 17:00.31 (Race to Midnight, SAC, 8/17).

24, Cory Gonzales, Eastwood, 17:01.43 (Race to Midnight, SAC, 8/17).

25, Luis Gomez, Cathedral, 17:05.58 (Race to Midnight, SAC, 8/17).

Power rankings
(number parenthesis indicate meets won):

1, Roger Rivera, Hanks, 10 (1).

1, Liam Walsh, Coronado, 10 (1).

3, Brandon Seagraves, Cathedral, 9.

3, Ofir Ortega, Tornillo, 9.

5, Carmelo Corral, Americas, 8.

5,  Jacobo Wedemeyer, Coronado, 8.

7, Angel Contreras, Chapin, 7.

7, Israel David, Eastlake, 7.

9, Nicholas Gonzalez, Coronado, 6.

9, Alek Duran, Americas, 6.

D’Angelo Flores, Jefferson, 5.

Gage Garcia, Americas, 5.

Tyler Rodriguez, Americas, 4.

Alan Alba, Coronado, 4.

Seth Rodriguez, San Eli, 3.

Hector Rivera, Bel Air, 3.

Trenton Nelson, Montwood, 2.

Sam Zambrano, Burges, 2.

Hector Sanchez, Americas, 1.

David Gonzalez, Burges, 1.

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

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

Girls

1. Eastwood: The Troopers did not race last week. The team will make its debut Saturday at the Canutillo ISD Invitational at Canutillo Middle School.

2. Americas: The Trailblazers won the Run to Midnight Invitational at the SAC on Friday by five points over Eastlake. Americas placed four runners in the top 10 including Mariana Guzman (second, 19:06.79), Daphne Duran (third, 19:07.87), Priscilla Villalobos (fourth, 19:08.71) and Lauren Anderson (seventh, 20:07.55). They will race at Canutillo.

3. Eastlake: The Falcons move up one spot after scoring 35 points and earning a second place finish at the Run to Midnight Invitational. Eastlake was led by Aeriel Garcia who won the meet in 18:18.45. Teammate Amaris Chavez was fifth in 19:20.34 and Deserie Herrera was ninth in 20:21.12. Eastlake will race at Canutillo on Saturday.

4. Franklin: The Cougars had the most impressive weekend, moving up four spots after winning the Desert Run Challenge at Mt. View. Franklin scored 22 points. Its top runners were Eva Jess (first, 17:42.46) and Amalia Dorion (fourth, 19:36.94). Franklin also placed runners in the 11, 12 and 13 spots. Franklin will race at Canutillo.

5. Coronado: The T-Birds dropped two spots after its second-place finish (49 points) at the Desert Run Challenge at Mt. View. Coronado did have two runners – Jenelle Jaeger-Darakjy (second, 18:32.80) and Sophia Flores (ninth, 21:09.41) – in the top 10. The team, minus Jaeger-Darakjy (college exams), will run at Canutillo.

6. Montwood: The Rams move down one spot after its third-place finish (100 points) at the Run to Midnight Invitational. Sophomore Karyme Garcia was sixth in 19:54.27 and junior Diana Mena (10^th, 20:26.84), were the top runners. Montwood is running at Canutillo on Saturday.

7. Horizon: The Scorpions did not run full varsity at the Desert Run Invitational. Individually sophomore Kenia Enriquez was sixth in 20:19.02 and junior Destiny Beltran was seventh in 20:34.53. Horizon will not be at full strength at Canutillo

8. Chapin: The Huskies did not run a full team at the Desert Run Invitational. Senior and defending District 1-5A champion Skyler Goodman did race and placed third in 19:28.45. Chapin will not field a full varsity team, however, Goodman will race.

9. Canutillo: The Eagles move into the Top 10 after its third-place finish at the Desert Run Challenge. Canutillo picked up 92 points. They will run at their own meet at Canutillo Middle School.

10. San Elizario: The Eagles, who do not have a senior on the team, won in the Open division of the Desert Run Challenge.  The team will run in the Open Division at the Fabens Invitional.

Dropped out: El Paso High.

On the brink: Hanks, Clint, Socorro.

Top 25 Times

1, Aeriel Garcia, Eastlake, 18:18.45 (Race to Midnight, SAC, 8/17).

2, Mariana Guzman, Americas, 19:06.79 (Race to Midnight, SAC, 8/17).

3, Daphne Duran, Americas, 19:07.87 (Race to Midnight, SAC, 8/17).

4, Priscilla Villalobos, Americas, 19:08.71 (Race to Midnight, SAC, 8/17).

5, Amaris Chavez, Eastlake, 19:20.34 (Race to Midnight, SAC, 8/17).

6, Karyme Garcia, Montwood, 19:54.27 (Race to Midnight, SAC, 8/17).

7, Lauren Anderson, Americas 20:07.55 (Race to Midnight, SAC, 8/17).

8, Morayma Montes, Austin, 20:15.24 (Race to Midnight, SAC, 8/17).

9, Deserie Herrera, Eastlake, 20:21.12 (Race to Midnight, SAC, 8/17).

10, Diane Mena, Montwood, 20:26.84 (Race to Midnight, SAC, 8/17).

11, Ruby Medina, Eastlake, 20:33.11 (Race to Midnight, SAC, 8/17).

12, Stephanie Gastelum, Eastlake, 20:22.11 (Race to Midnight, SAC, 8/17).

13, Caitlin Martinez, Eastlake, 20:40.10 (Race to Midnight, SAC, 8/17).

14, Giselle Rubio, Eastlake, 20:40.30 (Race to Midnight, SAC, 8/17).

15, Victoria Duran, Americas, 20:56.82 (Race to Midnight, SAC, 8/17).

16, Rosemary Torres, Bel Air, 21:01.89 (Race to Midnight, SAC, 8/17).

17, Maya Ramirez, Americas, 21:06.55 (Race to Midnight, SAC, 8/17).

18, Itzel Garcia-Gama, Americas, 21:08.03 (Race to Midnight, SAC, 8/17).

19, Isabella Medina, Americas, 21:08.23 (Race to Midnight, SAC, 8/17).

20, Jackie Spencer, Hanks, 21:09.55 (Race to Midnight, SAC, 8/17).

21, Jacqueline Rubio, Eastlake, 21:11.75 (Race to Midnight, SAC, 8/17).

22, Gwen Pallomares, Bel Air, 21:14.86 (Race to Midnight, SAC, 8/17).

23, Paulina Fraire, Hanks, 21:36.53 (Race to Midnight, SAC, 8/17).

24, Valerie Gonzalez, Pebble Hills, 21:48.36 (Race to Midnight, SAC, 8/17).

25, Sara Armendariz, Bel Air, 21:49. 17 (Race to Midnight, SAC, 8/17).

Power rankings
(number parenthesis indicate meets won):

1, Aeriel Garcia, Eastlake, 10 (1).

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

3, Mariana Guzman, Americas, 9.

3, Jennelle Jaeger-Darakjy, Coronado, 9.

5, Daphne Duran, Americas, 8.

5, Skyler Goodman, Chapin, 8.

6, Priscilla Villalobos, Americas, 7.

6, Amalia Dorion, Franklin, 7.

9, Amaris Chavez, Eastlake, 6.

9, Nicole Estrada, Mt. View, 6.

Karyme Garcia, Montwood, 5.

Kenia Enriquez, Horizon, 5.

Lauren Anderson, Americas, 4.

Destiny Beltran, Horizon, 4.

Morayma Montes, Austin, 3.

Ivette Rojas, Jefferson, 3.

Deserie Herrera, Eastlake, 2.

Sophia Flores, Coronado, 2.

Diane Mena, Montwood, 1.

Karen Garcia, Jefferson, 1.