Remembering to put proper fuel in his tank, senior Trevor Gabbard, after a somewhat-slow season opener the previous weekend, aggressively attacked the Cattails Golf Course route last Saturday during the boys' high-school varsity race at Adams State University's 21st annual Joe Vigil Open.
Laying down a much-improved 16:47.36 over the fast, flat 5K and finishing a strong fifth individually, Gabbard led Bayfield to an 11th-place team showing out in Alamosa, with the rest of a scattered scoring five contributing to a 339-point total.
Sophomore Alex Knight was the second Wolverine in, posting an 18:38.56 and taking 55th out of the 220-runner field, and freshman Sloan Mazur was next across the line in a 77th-place 19:30.97. Coming up from Ignacio High to run on the squad, sophomores Justis Herrera and Bryan Gram were a close 100th and 102nd, stopping the clock at 20:56.51 and 21:22.29, respectively.
Rounding out BHS' roster for the event and continuing to put miles on his own young legs, sophomore Joey Sandrey was a non-scoring 113th with his 22:46.11. The winner was Jake Rogers of 3A Lamar.
For the girls' team, IHS representative Rachel Cooper, a sophomore, paced the Lady Wolverines to a 14th-place team result with her 53rd-place 22:44.97. Lexa Fleming was only three spots and 10.13 seconds behind, and sophomore Bridget Goddard-who missed the season-opening Delta Invitational-kept the girls' pack fairly tight and came in 65th (out of 188) with her 23:25.94.
Senior Koya Maniss took 88th in 25:44.72, and Jessica George completed Bayfield's 358-point quintet with a 96th-place 27:05.31. Brittany Birk was a non-scoring 98th, finishing only 4.87 seconds later.
4A Durango's Shannon Maloney took first individually in 19:17.66.
The meet also included a junior-high division, in which Bayfield Middle School's Zachary Collard paced four Wolverines-not enough to factor into the team standings-with a ninth-place 11:40.89 over the shorter 2.4K distance. Olivia Coppinger's 18th-place 13:25.08 was best amongst BMS' girls' trio.
BHS alumni John Cusick and Derek Laue competed in the longer men's collegiate/open 8K race, with Cusick (representing Colorado Mesa University) taking 17th and Laue (of Fort Lewis College) 31st, in respective times of 27:01.87 and 28:12.90. Running unattached, BHS alumna Jessica Cusick clocked 22:37.83 in the women's collegiate/open 5K.
Up next for the Wolverines will be tomorrow's Southwest Colorado Challenge. Co-hosted by Bayfield and Durango, BHS coach Joshua Walton said the following teams are coming to Sauls Creek:
In-state 2A Mancos and Dolores; in-state 3A Pagosa Springs and New Mexico 3A's Farmington Navajo Prep, Newcomb and Rehoboth; Colorado's 4A Montezuma-Cortez and New Mexico 4A's Shiprock and Socorro; New Mexico 5A's Aztec and Farmington Piedra Vista.
VIGIL BOYS' HIGH SCHOOL STANDINGS: 1.4A Durango 59, 2.3A Alamosa 70, 3.4A Taos (N.M.) 77, 4.5A Littleton Dakota Ridge 106, 5.3A Lamar 124, 6.2A Rocky Ford 199, 7.5A Brighton 204, 8.5A Fountain-Fort Carson 228, 9.3A Pagosa Springs 286, 10.4A Woodland Park 299, 11.3A BAYFIELD 339, 12.2A Sargent 359, 13.6A Santa Fe (N.M.) 361, 14.2A Center 394, 15.5A Farmington (N.M.) 395, 16.2A Lake City Community 398, 17.5A Moriarty (N.M.) 491, 18.2A Del Norte 500.
TOP TEN: 1.Rogers, Lamar, 16:21.73; 2.Mordecai, Brighton, 16:23.09; 3.De la Cerda, Alamosa, 16:28.16; 4.Madrid, Taos, 16:33.50; 5.GABBARD, BAYFIELD, 16:47.36; 6.Michael Day, Fountain-Fort Carson, 16:50.96; 7.Donevan Gravelle, Taos, 16:51.72; 8.Nicholas Turco, Durango, 16:52.51; 9.Benji Lachelt, Durango, 16:52.71; 10.Gordon Gianniny, Durango, 16:55.28.
VIGIL GIRLS' HIGH SCHOOL STANDINGS: 1.Littleton Dakota Ridge 49, 2.Durango 70, 3.Taos (N.M.) 91, 4.Alamosa 119, T-5.Brighton/Pagosa Springs 160, 7.Woodland Park 236, 8.Sargent 247, 9.Santa Fe (N.M.) 269, 10.Rocky Ford 278, 11.Lamar 287, 12.Farmington (N.M.) 292, 13.3A Centauri 357, 14.BAYFIELD 358, 15.Lake City Community 376, 16.Moriarty (N.M.) 421.
TOP TEN: 1.Maloney, Durango, 19:17.66; 2.Gunther, Taos, 19:38.85; 3.Reyes, Taos, 19:57.38; 4.Valerio, Littleton Dakota Ridge, 20:03.71; 5.Sowards, Alamosa, 20:24.81; 6.Sarah Smagacz, Durango, 20:26.03; 7.Victoria Quintana, Santa Fe (N.M.), 20:29.43; 8.Laurel Davis, Littleton Dakota Ridge, 20:37.64; 9.Emma Patterson, Taos, 20:40.98; 10.Kalie Black, Fountain-Fort Carson, 20:51.90.
