Serving Clovis, Portales and the Surrounding Communities
Serving Clovis, Portales and the Surrounding Communities
ROSWELL — The Clovis High cross country teams have been pretty good most of the season when at full strength.
They weren’t too bad while shorthanded on Saturday.
Despite resting three key runners, the Clovis boys took first and the girls second in team competition at the Goddard Pecos Valley Invitational.
Jon Fuentes won the meet, finishing the 5K in 16:57, and Clovis took three of the top four finishes and scored 27 points to easily best second-place Carlsbad (60). The boys were racing without Jerrick Maldonado, who is nursing a leg injury.
In his absence, the Wildcats posted five runners in the top 10, with T.J. Gregg third (17:19), Jose Salas fourth (17:30), Elias Calderon ninth (18:19) and Kannon Brooks 10th (18:30). Kolton Wolf made it six runners in the top 18, finishing at 18:49.
Meanwhile, the Clovis girls were running without Analysse Hamlett (minor knee injury) and Ali Tree (sickness). Shyli Tree was fifth overall at 23:26, and Clovis had three in the top eight with Faith Hays seventh (23:49) and Veronica Perez eighth (23:55). Layla Walley (18th, 25:05) and Sofia Rico (22nd, 25:48) rounded out scoring.
Carlsbad took the team trophy with 43 points to Clovis’ 60, and Roswell’s Martiza Alvarez was medalist at 21:50.
“What’s amazed me is how the kids step up. I think things happen for a reason. When your No. 1 girl is out, sometimes a team folds. But they all ran really well, and they got a trophy. I still think the girls will have a shot at district when they’re healthy, and that’s our goal.
“The kids who didn’t run get a little hungrier. We could run them and probably be OK, but it’s not worth it when we’re looking at district and the state meet. The kids understand that.”
Clovis races again Oct. 25 in the District 4-5A preview meet in Carlsbad. The district meet is Nov. 2 at Ned Houk Park.
