Raymundo Frasquillo Photo/Gila Herald: Thatcher’s girls captured their fourth consecutive Division IV Cross Country section title in Rio Rico on Nov. 6. Members of the section champion team are, in order of finish, freshman Camille Bryce fifth, junior Ashlyn McMaster ninth, senior Elliana Windsor 12th, freshman Madison Pena 13th, freshman Rachel Richardson 14th, senior Hailey Udall 18th, senior Paisley Layton 20th.
By Raymundo Frasquillo
CAVE CREEK – The Chris Cook-coached Thatcher cross country student-athletes enter the 2019 Division III state meet as section champions. The Eagles earned their fourth consecutive girl’s section title and the boys their third in four years at Rio Rico Nov. 6. Thatcher’s girls have been first since 2015 (Section III) and 2016-18 (Section II) while the boys were second to Bisbee in 2016.
The top 25 individual finishers and 50 percent of the teams entered qualified for the state meet at Cave Creek Golf Course, 15202 North 19th Avenue, Saturday, Nov. 16. Starting time for Division III is 10 a.m. while Division II runs at 2 p.m.
Greenlee/Graham Girls
Thatcher finished first of nine teams with 48 points, San Carlos sixth (121), Fort Thomas eighth (195), and Morenci did not field a full team. There were 48 individual runners.
Morenci junior Kayla O’Connell was the section champion with a 21:19.01 clocking. Freshmen Sara Gray ended 42nd with a personal best 27:07.04, Hannah Silvester 52nd (27:48.22), and Keirah Chee 54th (28:57.21).
Personal bests are 20:05.00 (Sept. 27) for O’Connell, 25:13.50 (Sept. 21) for Silvester, and 27:39.30 (Sept. 27) for Chee.
Thatcher freshman Camille Bryce was fifth (22:37.69) of 43 runners, junior Ashlyn McMaster ninth (23:12.65), senior Elliana Windsor 12th (23:17.01), freshman Madison Pena 13th (23:28.12), and freshman Rachel Richardson 14th (23:40.84). The sixth and seventh Eagles, seniors Hailey Udall and Paisley Layton came in 18th (24:02.95) and 20th (24:28.18), respectively.
Personal bests are 21:14.10 (2016) for Windsor, 21:36.70 (2017) for McMaster, 21:41.10 (Sept. 27) for Bryce, 21:49.00 (2018) for Udall, 22:33.20 (Sept. 27) for Richardson, 23:03.00 (2017) for Layton (Sept. 27), and 23:21.00 (Oct. 9) for Pena.
San Carlos freshman Chloe Wiley was sixth (23:57), junior Marissa Barrasa seventh (24:55), junior Kayani Case 40th (26.50.73), sophomore Lorena Cosen 43rd (27:10.05), junior Shanaya Victor 48th (27:35.31). Runner number six, junior Alyssa Romero, finished 58th (29:00.96).
Personal bests are 21:33.00 (2017) for Victor, 21:47.00 (Sept. 25) for Wiley, 22:06.00 (Sept. 25) for Barrasa, 24:28.30 (2016) for Cosen, 25:19.00 (Sept. 25) for Case, and 27:05.00 for Romero.
Fort Thomas freshman Kenia McCabe finished 21st (24:31.79), junior Kylee Logan 44th (27:11.11), freshman McKenna Rogers 47th (27:32.78), sophomore Chasinee Stanley 51st (27:47.26), and freshman Marilyn Guardado 61st (30:13.47). The other two Apaches, junior Kayla Olivar, and senior Taylor Cobb and were 69th (39:08.35) and 70th (39:09.33), respectively.
Personal bests are 24:02.00 (Sept. 25) for McCabe, 24:49.00 (Sept. 25) for Logan, 24:53.00 (Sept. 25) for Rogers, 25:32.00 (Sept. 25) for Stanley, 28:22.00 (Sept. 25) for Guardado, 31:15.00 (Sept. 25) for Olivar, and 32:16.00 (Sept. 25) for Cobb.
Safford finished seventh of seven teams in the Division III – Section I meet.
Freshman Emilee Baker paced the Bulldogs with a personal best 27:00.35 clocking for 35th of 53 participants, junior Madelyn Hatch was 38th (27:39.31), junior Koree Villareal 45th (personal best 29:05.27), sophomore Lauren Montierith 46th (20:05.74), and freshman Olivia Madrid 48th (29:46;11). Sophomores Karoline Hansen and Laurel Hargis were 50th (30:55.12) and 51st (31:50.86), respectively.
Personal bests are 24:57.10 (Sept. 27) for Hatch, 26:29.50 (Sept. 27) for Hansen, 27:15.90 (Sept. 27) for Madrid, 27:48.10 (Oct. 19) for Montierith, and 31:45.90 (Sept. 27) for Hargis.
Greenlee/Graham Boys
Thatcher was first of 10 teams with 40 points, Morenci second (81), San Carlos fifth (127), and Fort Thomas did not field a full team. There were 82 individual runners.
San Carlos junior Brian Cassa (17:34.64) and Morenci senior Jordan Mares (17:47.82) were first and second, respectively. Cassa was 46th (20:48.34) and Mares third (18:16.65) in 2018.
Morenci junior Conrad Aguallo was ninth with a personal best 19:13.56, senior Matthew Webb 15th (19:28.84), senior Cameron Bailey-Garcia 29th (20:11.27), and senior Dante DeAnda 30th (20:17.27). Senior Phillip Provencio turned in a personal best 20:00.42 for 35th and junior Damian Billy was 61st (22:45.40).
Personal bests are 16:45.30 (Sept. 27) for Mares, 17:26.00 (2017) for Bailey-Garcia, 17: 29.00 (2018) for DeAnda, 18:59.70 (Sept. 27) for Webb, and 22:04.00 (Sept. 27) for Billy.
Thatcher senior Wesley Pena was fourth (18:33.71), sophomore Dean Haller fifth (18:35.69), sophomore Joby Rojas 8th (19:03.35), sophomore Tanner Palmer 11th (19:20.95), and senior Matt Orr 12th (19:23.26). Senior Talon Brown was 19th (21:04) and sophomore Dathan Kartchner 26th (19:59.90).
Personal bests are 17:06.00 (2018) for Pena, 17:23.00 (2018) for Brown, 17:30.60 (Sept. 27) for Haller, 17:31.70 (Sept. 27) for Rojas, 18:23.00 (2018) for Orr, 18:37.50 for Palmer, and 18:44.50 (Sept. 27) for Kartchner.
San Carlos senior Keshaun Noline seventh (18:53.57), junior Maurice Anderson Jr. 39th (20:53.92), sophomore Reppert Cassadore III at 40th (20:55.49), and Jeremiah Kenton 49th (21:31.17). Braves number six and seven, sophomore Xavier Hooke and freshman Ken Church were 62nd (22:33.68) 67th (23:18.97), respectively.
Personal bests are 17:28.00 (Oct. 9) for Cassa, 17:41.30 (2017) for Noline, 19:45.00 (Sept. 25) for Cassadore, 20:14.00 (Oct. 9) for Anderson, 20:52.40 (2016) for Kenton, 22:00.00 (Oct. 9) for Church, and 22:26.30 (Oct. 11) for Hooke.
Fort Thomas freshman JayShawn Rambler set a personal best 25:25.67 for 74th.
There were 12 teams and 81 individual participants in the Division III – Section I meet. Safford finished third with 72 points.
Senior Jacob Urrea placed fourth with 17:49.73, senior Duncan Walker fifth (17:57.04), senior Sy Hargis 15th (18:55.12), freshman Jack Hackett 20th (19:09.38), and freshman Brenden Lines 32nd (20:10.70). Sixth man freshman Bronson Hatch was 45th (20:54.12).
Personal bests are 17:49.73 (Sept. 27) for Urrea, 17:57.40 (Sept. 27) for Walker, 18:55.12 (Sept. 27) for Hargis, 19:09.38 (Oct. 19) for Hackett, 20:10.70 (Sept. 27) for Lines, and 19:58.30 (Sept. 27) for Hatch.
