DELTA – The mercury rose quickly into the mid-70s early Friday afternoon.
But Ignacio’s Eppie Quintana knew he could beat the heat.
He wasn’t, however, as convinced he could restrain his brain.
“I was kind of worried. Like, ‘Senior year …. My junior year can’t be my best year!’” he said, alluding to his state-qualifying 10th place at last year’s Class 2A-Region IV meet, held at the same site. “I wanted to come out and do what I can to be better than last year. And I kind of did that, I guess; you’ve just got to do what you’ve got to do.”
Clocking 18 minutes, 16.80 seconds on one of Colorado’s fastest hard-pack tracks, Confluence Park in Delta, Quintana finished 11th out of 98 runners to earn a return trip to the CHSAA Class 2A State Championships.
“I’m glad I made it,” Quintana said. “I actually liked the heat; it was kind of perfect, really comfortable in those trees on the back side … but I’m tired. That was a fun race though; I love this course, always have.”
Freshman Dillon Brann placed 29th in his first prep-level regional, clocking 19:34.70, and classmate Trace Crane finished 33rd in 19:36.80. Freshman Aven Bourriague placed 47th in 20:13.80, and junior Corey Gomez closed out his season with a 53rd-place 20:42.90. IHS totaled an adjusted 110 points in the meet’s score-4 setting, finishing eighth out of 13 teams.
Slowed by injury in 2022, junior Phillip Quintana – 25th at the ’21 regional – gutted out a 58th-place in 20:55.80.
Olathe won the boys team title (59 points) while Rangely (71), Crested Butte (75), Lake County (88) and Kremmling West Grand (90) earned the other State tickets. LCHS senior Jace Peters won the race by 41 seconds in 16:24.00 to bring the individual title back to Leadville.
Ignacio junior Lauren deKay took 67th in the girls’ race in 26:08.70. Classmate Moriah Ashley, another ’Cat caught by the injury bug this fall, managed 78th in 26:49.60.
“Everyone had a rough start, with injuries and everything piling on top, one thing after another,” Quintana said. “And finally, for this last race, everyone was able to come run their hearts out. It was nice to see.”
LCHS earned the girls’ team title with 25 points while Grand Junction Caprock Academy (43), OHS (76), Hotchkiss North Fork (77) and Mancos (95) also advanced out of Region IV to see Colorado Springs and its Norris-Penrose Event Center as full squads.
NFHS sophomore Jessica Black (18:42.90) won the individual title by almost 19 seconds.
Quintana will compete at the Class 2A boys’ grand finale at 12:20 p.m. Saturday.
MHS’ Lady Jays, meanwhile, won’t hear the Class 2A Girls’ gun until 1:40 p.m. Head coach Brady Archer’s lead quartet at Region IV was comprised of sophomores Teagan Archer (sixth place, 20:35.50) and Adaline Kearns (15th, 21:35.20), junior Clara Most (16th, 21:44.60) and senior Madilynn Ritter (24th, 22:36.90).
Mancos will be able to enter six runners, with the best four earning team-scoring points.
Competing in Colorado Springs at the 3A-Region II Championships, Bayfield was unable to qualify a runner for the State meet.
Junior Tristan Sager clocked a strong 18:59.60 on the Monument Valley Park course and placed 28th in the boys’ feature. Freshman Porter Sutherlin placed 34th in 19:14.60. Sophomore Hunter Carroll took 54th in 21:08.70, and classmates Will Kennedy-Jones (63rd, 22:11.70) and Sawyer Flinders (65th, 22:17.10) were separated by fewer than six seconds.
Finishing 73rd, freshman Daemon Christner (23:30.80) rounded out the gents’ collective effort.
Lady Wolverine freshman Wrenalee Moore placed 37th, clocking 25:40.20. Sophomore Sage Flinders followed roughly 30 seconds behind, finishing 41st in 26:11.50, and freshman Kamala Smith took 54th in 30:06.50.
Alamosa captured both team titles, posting 24 points in the girls’ race and 48 in the boys’. Also qualifying for State – as teams – on the girls’ side were Gunnison (52), Salida (63) and Woodland Park (89). Salida (49) Manitou Springs (79) and WPHS (107) will join the Mean Moose boys.
