It might not have been the state championship run last year’s Durango Demons’ boys team put up, but the DHS teams still proved they’re among the best in the state Saturday at the Colorado High School Activities Association’s Class 4A Cross Country State Championships in Colorado Springs.
Heading into the state meet, both DHS teams considered a top-five finish to be a good mark to reach. The boys, who made remarkable strides down the stretch this season, nailed it right on the mark with a fifth-place finish, while the Demons’ girls capped off a fantastic season finishing sixth.
“When I look at our program as a whole, with boys and girls combined, if you do the math we’re among the top four programs in the state,” Durango head coach David McMillan said. “I’m proud of everyone from the coaches to the kids and the parents. We’ve got a good thing going here.”
Palmer Ridge won the boys 4A state title in dominant fashion. The Bears’ 54 points made them the clear winner with Widefield taking second at 110 points and Air Academy third with 122. Air Academy’s Ethan Powell won the individual state title with a winning time of 15 minutes, 54.7 seconds.
Harry Steinberg led Durango with a ninth-place finishing time of 16:25 and senior Coltin Gallegos (17:09.3) was 34th. Sophomore Marcus Flint (17:12) led a group of talented underclassmen with a 42nd-place finish. Sophomore Aidan Fitzgerald (17:15) was 46th and freshman Logan Moore (17:37) was 67th. Sam Dippold finished 77th, and Pablo Smagacz was 117th for the Demons.
“I can’t remember a group that improved as much as this group of boys did this year,” McMillan said. “It was a perfect trajectory, and they just kept getting better and better.”
In the 3A race, Bayfield’s Cody Speece finished 40th with a time of 17:48. Classical Academy’s Tanner Norman won the 3A title with a winning time of 15:44.
The DHS girls had a great season, and each runner who made it to state, except for senior Maggie Wigton, will be back for what promises to be another impressive season next year.
Freshman Madeleine Burns was near the top for Durango with regularity in 2016, and state was no different. Burns, who was shooting for a time under 20 minutes, accomplished that with a 19:49 run that earned her 13th place. Junior Abby Scott finished 45th with a time of 20:40 and another freshman, Kiara Hamlin (21:20), placed 68th. Sophomore Bekah Moenning (21:25) finished 70th, and Wigton (21:30) rounded out the top five Demons with 78th place.
Sophomore Anna Smagacz (21:33) was 81st and freshman Saylor Stottlemeyer was 86th with a time of 21:41. The sixth-place finish is the best the girls at Durango High School have done since the 1990s.
“This group of girls went from being out of the top 20 last year to sixth this year,” McMillan said. “Even if we ran out of our heads, I’m not sure if we could have gained many spots. It’s the best finish we’ve had in a long, long time, so that’s qute a feat for these girls.”
Battle Mountain won the 4A girls title with 98 points. Air Academy was second with 130 and Palmer Ridge was third with 132. Air Academy swept the individual titles as Maria Mettler’s 18:31 blew away the competition by almost 30 seconds.
jfries@durangoherald.com
