Raymundo Frasquillo Photo/Gila Hearld: Morenci girls start a run during a recent practice session. The quintet is, from left, freshman Hazel Salinas, sophomore Emma Kerrigan, freshman Karol Escaloya, sophomore Alice Ahumada, and senior Valeria Zegarra. Morenci will be at Discovery Park on Wednesday, Oct. 11, and at the Greenlee Golf Course a week later.
Discovery Park course slated to have 14 schools
By Raymundo Frasquillo
SAFFORD – The purpose of cross country is to get from point “A” to point “B” along a given course in the shortest amount of time possible. The participants race against the clock.
The Chris Cook-coached Division III Thatcher Eagles will be joined by 12 other teams for a 5K run in Discovery Park on Wednesday, Oct. 11. The starting time for varsity boys is 2:30 p.m., varsity girls 2:35, and an open run is 3:15
Registered teams include Division I Queen Creek, Division III Globe and Safford, and Division IV Benson, Fort Thomas, Morenci, Saint David, San Carlos, Sells Baboquivari, Tombstone, and Willcox. New Mexico Bayard Cobre and Silver are also scheduled to participate.
Thatcher Eagles
The Thatcher boys, with personal or season best times according to MileSplit Arizona, include Max Barron 17:50.00 (SB), Gene Huish (), Gavin Reed, Callum Winkler, Laethan Nelson, Cade Winkler, and Wallace Haller.
Girls competing for the Eagles include Jade Richardson, Brooklyn Dorr, Sophie Welker, Sedona Nelson, Danielle Welker, London Rhoton, and Emily Welker.
Baboquivari Warriors
Baboquivari has senior Devin Antone (17:20.50), junior Mariano Francisco (18:21.10), sophomore Noah Segundo (18:42.80), senior Jacob Antone (19:42.50), senior Aiden Joaquin (20:17.60), senior LaAunzae Antone (20:28.00), and senior Keanue Stevens (21:33.90) on its boys team.
Girls in the sport include sophomore Kya Dolores (28:31.90), freshman Alazae Weger (28:44.00), sophomore Jessica Ortega (31:02.70), sophomore Amayra Gomez (33:18.60), junior Lamyra Juan (34:10.70), senior Summer Baptisto (37:37.10), and senior Alma Johnson (39:23.20).
Benson Bobcats
The Benson boys have senior Ezekiel Crowley (17:21.81), freshman Jace Myatt (18:29.10), senior Aaric Myatt (18:35.00), sophomore Syric Ramirez (18:38.61), freshman Solomon Crowley (19:22.90), freshman Kolton Maxwell (19:56.50), and sophomore Logan Vance (19:57.57).
Girls running for the Bobcats include senior Willow Pralgo (22:50.24), sophomore Olsen Rayleigh (23:23.50), sophomore Araya Stanley (23:47.50), senior Ella Allred (23:54.50), sophomore Violet Cluff (26:51.68), junior Shannon Frost (26:18.00), and freshman Ireland Towne (26:35.20).
Fort Thomas Apaches
Fort Thomas has senior Darius Miles (18:50.43), sophomore Kobe Hunter (19:56.67), sophomore Aiden Victor (20:4765), and senior Kyle Secody (23:09.89).
The Apaches have a girls team made up of sophomore Sadie Harvey (24:17.62), senior Tyesha Wilson (26:84.25), senior Kayrie Kindelay (27:30.66), freshman Corey Cody (28:44.12), senior Andryanna Talgo (29:33.00), sophomore Kenna Rope (33:28.17), and Talia Pike (36:48.11).
Globe Tigers
The Tigers have a boys roster with sophomore Andy Tarango (22:47.20), sophomore Easton Phillips (23:35.50), sophomore Barbarino Gilbert (23:36.40), sophomore Orion Beason (24:05.50), freshman Michael Hogan (24:57.00), freshman Karmyne Dude (21:27.00), and freshman Adriano Bitsue (28:42.40).
Globe has sophomore Isabel Rascon-Perez (26:46.20), senior Nihtyiah Wright (27:22.82), freshman Carina Garcia (27:27.40), sophomore Mariah Logan (28:52.66), junior Nevaeh Guerrero (29:47.50), senior Brianna Seletstewa (31:11.60), and sophomore Kiera Thompson (31:49.54) on its girls team.
Morenci Wildcats
Morenci has junior Anthony Heathman (17:15.57) who turned in a personal best during the 2023 state meet but did not place. The other five Wildcats have largely run in open or junior varsity meets. They are freshman Zac Heathman (21:01.00), junior Aaron Esquivel (21:41.00), sophomore Lyndale Waterhouse (22:10.00), sophomore Logan Billy (26:26:46.00), and sophomore Tristan Burke (24:41.00).
The Wildcats have a girls quintet of freshman Hazel Salinas (23:01.00), freshman Karol Escaloya (23:05.00), senior Valeria Zegarra (23:09.95), sophomore Alicia Ahumada (23:31.00), and sophomore Emma Kerrigan (27:43.00).
Queen Creek Bulldogs
The Queen Creek boys have senior Zachary Ripperdan (15:59.20), senior Quintin Myers (16:17.90), junior Tyler Larson (16:39.60), sophomore Brody Rogers (17:05.30), freshman Nathan Moreno-Guardado (17:13.30), senior Uriel Saucedo-Lopez (17:27.90), and junior Dayson Marrow (17:49.40).
Girl runners include sophomore Hadlee Hardt (19:51.20), junior Madison Hunter (21:35.10), freshman Amelia Ripperdan (21:36.60), senior Danika Douglas (22:04.50), senior Nadia Rosales (23:04.70), sophomore Jolie Hatch (23:25.80), and freshman Kestal Polivka (23:42.40).
Safford Bulldogs
The Bulldogs have senior Kody Gluyas (16:48.60), sophomore Grady Lackuer (17:47.50), junior Andrew Ortega (17:58.80), sophomore Noah Gonzalez (19:32.70), freshman Drew McBride (19:57.30), freshman Kendrick Fritz (20:40.40), and junior Tyrell Yazzie (22:45.10).
Safford is not fielding a girls team.
Saint David Tigers
The Tigers have junior Corban Fry (18:51.50), freshman Ezra Fry (25:13.58), freshman Zak Barten (25:55.90), freshman Jaryn Brogan (33:37.68), and freshman Nathan Merrill.
Saint David is not fielding a girls team.
Tombstone Yellow Jackets
The Yellow Jackets list a boys roster with junior Landen Pease (18:15.79), senior Anthony Piro (19:03.30), freshman Jason Whipple (20:03.40), senior Valen Morales (20:46.70), junior Ethan Bercot (20:57.70), freshman Colten Thursby (21:27.00), and junior Danary Jackson (21:27.10).
Tombstone girls include senior Cora Lehman (21:43.10), freshman Kianna Yocupicio (22:35.50), freshman Ayrianna Canez (23:51.60), senior Elya Wildgen (24:12.10), and freshman Trenae Nucci-Penn (35:18.70).
Willcox Cowboys
The Cowboys have sophomore Thomas Sawyer (19:20.78), senior Lane Whetten (19:51.93), sophomore Johnathan Rodarte (19:57.83), freshman JD Whetten (20:17.48), freshman Nathan Riggs (20:55.64), freshman Mark Wilson (25:18.51), and junior Kyle McClaine (29:12.67).
Willcox does not have a girls team.
Cobre Indians
The Indians have senior James Castanon (19:08.92), senior Ismael Dominguez (19:25.43), freshman Santiago Peru-Subia (20:37.00), sophomore Cayden Flores (20:44.00), sophomore Jacob Arias (21:07.00), freshman Azael Escobar (21:56.00), and sophomore Donald Wofford (26:17.02) on their boys roster.
Cobre has junior Analissa Tovar (23:40.52), junior Elijah Gavaldon (24:19.73), sophomore Itzel Valdez (27:47.00), junior Alexis Carrillo (27:29.00), eighth grader Yalexi Valdez (27:47.00), and sophomore Micah Joe Huerta (28:49.30) on its girls team.
Silver Fighting Colts
The Fightings Colts have a boys roster with sophomore Brock Anderson (17:29.73), senior Rafael Torres (19:23.94), freshman Zeke O’Loughlin (19:27.00), sophomore Julian Sanchez (19:42.00), senior Joe Diaz (19:50.00), freshman Andres Placencia (21:04.37), and freshman Alex Ratliff (21:06.00).
Sliver has senior Alaina Sedillo (22:44.86), sophomore Areena Rogers (23:26.47), sophomore Zenelle Rendleman (23:50.00), junior Kathryn Woodward (25:39.64), eighth grader Juliana Licht (27:03.00), junior Addison Drennan (27:37.00), and eight grader Ruth Perkins (33:56.00) on its girls team.
