The Durango High School cross country team proved it belonged among the best in the southwest Saturday.

DHS competed at the Nike Southwest Regional Championship in Casa Grande, Arizona, and finished 15th out of 30 teams.

American Fork High School from American Fork, Utah, won both the boys and girls team races, while Davis High School (Kaysville, Utah) and Desert Vista High School (Phoenix, Arizona) took second on the boys and girls sides, respectively, to clinch berths at nationals.

Gordon Gianniny led the Demons’ pack in the boys championship race, finishing 93rd in 16 minutes, 7 seconds.

“Gordon went down 300 meters into the race, did a tuck and roll and got back up,” DHS head coach David McMillan said. “He had a really good race.”

Benjamin Lachelt took 102nd for DHS in 16:09, Nicholas Turco finished 113th in 16:13, William Chandler was 152nd in 16:29, Jordan Helms finished 164th in 16:35, Seamus Millett took 195th in 16:51, and David Moenning was 237th in 17:18.

“Our guys ran well. It’s a big field, a little harder than when we came down in October,” McMillan said of the course his teams ran during their high school cross country seasons. “The pace was quick. We ran tough, didn’t blow it out of the water, but I’m proud of the way the kids ran.”

Joshua Collins of Wasatch, Utah, won the boys championship in 14:54.

In the girls championship race, Shannon Maloney finished 157th in 19:59 for DHS.

Air Academy’s Katie Rainsberger won the girls championship race in 17:11, with Fort Collins’ Lauren Gregory close behind her at 17:15.

Aubree Lorenzen and Marlee Weaver-Gabel ran in the girls open race, taking 373rd in 22:19 and 339th in 21:46, respectively.

“We had a great time. We camped again (Friday) night,” said McMillan, who typically turns his program’s weekend meets into an outdoors adventure along the way. “We ended the season like we began it, together and supporting each other.”

heraldsports@durangoherald.com