Running again on a tough, all-terrain route, Cody Speece registered Bayfield's top male or female result to lead the way at last Saturday's Salida Cross-Country Invitational.
Competing with the Wolverine boys within a field in excess of 200 entrants, the senior was the squad's first to finish when he crossed the line 38th in 19 minutes, 20 seconds. Only three seconds and five places behind was freshman Elco Garcia, Jr., and junior Sloan Mazur-normally Bayfield's No. 1-took 50th in 19:39.
However, it took a little longer for the Wolverines' fourth- and fifth-place harriers to hit the home stretch at the Vandaveer Ranch course off Chaffee County Road 107. Senior Jackson Sibley came in 2:04 behind Mazur, and his 21:43 was good for 123rd. Classmate Gus Roberts then finished 140th with a 22:15 to give BHS a scoring quintet which, after other teams' non-scoring individuals were factored out, totaled 284 points (Speece 37; Garcia, Jr. 42; Mazur 49; Sibley 77, Roberts 79).
With unlimited varsity entries permitted, eight Wolverine boys in all went out. Also finishing the 5,000-meter trek were junior Nathan Carlson (173rd, 23:38), senior Bryan Gram (182nd, 23:55) and freshman Rylan Ross (190th, 24:45).
At the front of the field was 2A Rocky Ford junior Cody Danley, who won in 17:36. 3A Alamosa star Isaiah De La Cerda, as expected, was near the front and only one second behind Danley, and fellow AHS senior Caleb Palmer took third in 17:47.
Showing the wide range of schools represented, 5A Parker Chaparral senior Cole Gerome (17:49) and 5A Colorado Springs Coronado junior Conor Strizich (18:02) rounded out the top five.
Out of a field somewhat smaller-sized than the boys', but still counting more than 150 finishers, senior Bridget Goddard was first in for Bayfield when she crossed 39th in 23:22. Freshman Claire Hufnagel came in next with her 64th-place 24:38, and senior Amber Johnson followed in 76th (25:32).
Only five seconds and four places back, senior Isis Gonzales was the team's fourth finisher, and sophomore Sarah Ruybal completed BHS' quintet with her 148th-place 32:08. Eliminating non-scoring competitors, her result only hit Bayfield with 89 points, and the girls-with Goddard counting for 37, Hufnagel 53, Johnson 60 and Gonzales 64-totaled 303. All told, the girls finished 11th in the team standings, and the boys did likewise.
3A Denver North senior Kayla Young earned the girls' title with her 19:33, and 3A Estes Park senior Lily Tomasula-Martin took second in 19:53-the only other sub-20 showing. Isalina Colsman, a freshman at 5A Aurora Regis Jesuit, was close with her third-place 20:03, while SHS senior Taryn Ceglowski (20:39) and freshman Ruby Brown (20:59) did well for 2015 Class 3A Coach-of-the-Year Kenny Wilcox by placing fourth and fifth.
This weekend the Wolverines will run at the Ancient Trails Invitational, hosted by Montezuma-Cortez. The squad will then rest and fine tune their skills next week before competing at the 3A-Region I championships on Friday, Oct. 21 in Delta.
