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Maldonado trying for title once more

CLOVIS — Jerrick Maldonado won the New Mexico Activities Association’s Class 5A state cross country race last fall, then he didn’t.

After watching film, Maldonado and then-Clovis High coach Mark Bussen discovered a photo finish should have gone to Piedra Vista senior Triston Charles. They reported it to the NMAA, which subsequently awarded the gold medal to Charles.

Maldonado had the lead for much of the race, but admittedly he struggled at the end.

“I feel like the mistake I made last year was I kicked a little bit too soon,” he said. “Triston just had that extra gear at the end.”

Now a senior, he has another crack at the title this year, although the coronavirus pandemic has made things different in preparing for the season.

“It’s a little tough with COVID going on,” Maldonado said as the Wildcats and Lady Wildcats prepare to open the campaign in a triangular at Carlsbad with Artesia next Saturday. “But that’s not going to stop me from trying my best.”

The Cats were ninth as a team in last year’s state meet at Rio Rancho, buoyed by Maldonado and then-senior T.J. Gregg, who finished fourth.

“He’s been working really hard,” said first-year coach Liz Ledezma, an assistant under Bussen last season. “Our boys and girls have been working hard in the off-season program since June. Even with everything going on, they’ve been doing a good job of staying positive.”

Maldonado should get help from senior Colton Wolf, who missed much of last season with a foot injury, along with senior Maxwell Aiello and junior Kyle Richardson. Aiello is a military move-in from Florida.

“I think we’ll have five runners who may be pretty quick,” Maldonado said. “I think we have a shot at getting a state trophy (top 3 team finish).”

Ledezma also thinks eighth-grader Sammy Fuentes could help.

“All the boys are really close,” she said.

The Lady Cats are looking to improve on last year’s 12th-place team finish at state. They graduated their top runner, Anni Hamlett, who was 18th individually.

“We all have goals to go to state and improve our times this year,” sophomore Odalys Olivas said. “We’re just ready to go out there and run our best.”

Senior Katarina Arbogast, who has run track in the past and is out for cross country for the first time, can give the Lady Cats a big boost. Sisters Shylee and Ali Tree, who were the team’s 2-3 runners at state last fall, are back and joined by a third sister, eighth-grader Kara Tree.

“I think the girls are going to do better than last year,” Ledezma projected.

CHS squads have two home meets on the schedule — Oct. 24 with Lovington and Roswell Goddard, and Nov. 21 with Artesia and New Mexico Military.