The Bayfield High School boys cross-country team continued its flying start to the 2019 season, after the team toppled long-time rival Alamosa on Saturday at the Joe Vigil Open held at Cattails Golf Course in Alamosa.
The Wolverines finished in eighth place overall, as they earned 259 points, which was 14 points lower than Alamosa, who finished in ninth with 273. ABQ Academy won the race with 66 points, Los Alamos took second with 77, while Dakota Ridge was third with 110. Durango High School finished just outside of the top three, as the Demons finished in fourth with 136 points.
“We did very well,” said BHS head coach Josh Walton. “One of our goals this season was to beat Alamosa, because it’s been awhile since we’ve done it, and we took eighth while they got ninth. The kids were pumped about that. All of our top three ran very well, and for Elco Garcia to run an all-time best, it was really fun to see.”
Elco Garcia set a new personal best when he finished 18th overall in 17-minutes, 3.5 seconds, while Zeb Shields crossed the finish line shortly after Garcia in 17:09.2, which was 22nd. Jonas Nanaeto rounded out the Wolverines’ top three and finished in 31st with a time of 17:32.9.
“Zeb put in a lot of mileage this summer, with 120-140 miles on his own,” Walton said. “Having that extra mileage, it’s really coming out, same with Elco and Jonas. It’s a really good start to the season.”
On the girls side, freshman Abria Thayer finished in 230th with a time of 27:27.4, while Tatumm Millward-Boling finished in 231st, and crossed the finish line in 27:34.5.
The Wolverines will host the Bayfield XC Invitational at 9 a.m. on Saturday at Pine Valley Church in Bayfield.
Paul Knight led his team to a fourth-place finish on Saturday at the Joe Vigil Open, as he finished in seventh-place in 16:29 to pace the Durango High School boys cross-country team. The Demons picked up 136 points, and were 20 points ahead of fifth-place Salida, while 16 behind 5A power Dakota Ridge, who took third with 110 points.
Logan Moore edged teammate Luke Tichi with a 13th-place finish, and crossed the line in 16:43.3, while Tichi finished in 16:46.9 and was 14th. “I was very pleased with how we did today,” said DHS head coach Ken Flint. “We’re still searching for a fifth man, but I thought Gavin Hamlin did a great job in only his second race for us. We’ve got a really strong top three, and I think that if we find our fifth guy, we could be super strong again.”
The DHS girls cross-country team finished in fourth-place after it earned 82 points. Los Alamosa won the team title with 63 points, Classical Academy was second with 64 points, while ABQ Academy was third with 74.
Tea Forrest paved the way for the girls, as the sophomore ran to an eighth-place finish in 19:54.6, while freshman Willow Lott was ninth in 19:55.1. Ashley Forrest finished in 19th and was third for DHS in 20:25.5.
“The girls ran well and had a solid performance,” Flint said. “We have some depth with the freshmen and sophomores and are performing really well. Abby Fehr had her strongest race of the year for us, and I thought that Willow Lott came out a bit too fast, but finished well. I gave Madeleine Burns a break to recoup and refresh, and we will be at full strength at our next meet.”
The Demons will compete at the Anna Banana Invitational on Sept. 20 in Fruita.
Soccer
Soccer
It was a tough home opener for the Bayfield High School boys soccer team, as it fell to Ridgway 9-0 on Saturday at Wolverine Country Stadium.
The Demons (3-0) scored six first-half goals, four of which were scored by senior Robert Beserra. In the second half, the Wolverines (0-4) tried to spoil the shutout, but were unable to do so. BHS also came up just short on Friday, after a 3-2 loss at Manitou Springs.
Bayfield will host Crested Butte at 11 a.m. Saturday at Wolverine County Stadium.
Volleyball
VolleyballThe Bayfield High School volleyball team swept Monte Vista in straight sets on Saturday, as the Wolverines topped the Pirates, 25-14, 25-13 and 25-14.
Bayfield (2-0, 1-0 3A Intermountain League) was led by sophomore Annie Fusco, who recorded 11 kills and four digs, while senior Mavis Edwards almost recorded a triple-double, with nine kills, nine digs and 16 assists. Junior Macee Schulz had eight kills and two service aces, while Lana McKee had 14 digs and four aces.
“Strong offense from Annie, Mavis and Macee today,” said BHS head coach Terene Foutz. “We must continue developing our pass game to keep a constant net game all match, but today was a good start. Lana and Macee served strong, which kept Monte Vista in the back court. Annie Fusco had a breakout match offensively, which is a testament to the work she has put in.”
BHS will travel to the Lewis Palmer Tournament in Monument next Saturday.
bploen@durangoherald.com
