By GABRIELLE SHIOZAWA
Moapa Valley Progress
Heading to the Clark County Fairgrounds to compete in a footrace in the middle of a triple-digit heat wave doesn’t exactly sound like a walk in the park. Yet there were plenty of participants and an abundance of successes at the MVHS-hosted Cross Country meet on Wednesday, August 30.
During the 2016 season, the Pirate runners decided to move their competition from their usual, famously treacherous, course near the high school over to the fairgrounds.
“It’s more accessible for all of the spectators,” Coach Gary Watkins explained. “We wanted to make this event so the spectators could get the maximum amount of participation.”
The teams are also hoping to host division or regional competitions in the future, and the flatter, more accessible course at the fairgrounds can make that dream a reality.
The usual 5k course around the fairgrounds, ballfields, and fire department was shortened for the weekday meet to a 3.4k race. Their invitational, coming up on September 16, will feature the standard 3.1 mile course.
At last week’s event, the boys were the first to race. Standing at the finish line, onlookers watched as the first three boys, all decked in gold and blue, crossed one after another. Nathaniel Thompson, an MVHS senior, led the race with a time of 11:55. Right behind him, finishing at 12:04, was Jerrick Stastny. In third place, beating out Virgin Valley competitor Victor Colmenero by only one second, was Bryton Dorsey, who crossed the finish line at 12:42.
Samuel Jolley placed fifth with his time of 12:52. Zachary Anderson and Gavin Henrie led a close race, finishing with respective times of 13:22 and 13:29, placing eighth and ninth. After Nathan Waite took 11th place with his time of 13:54, Garrett German finished in 12th place at 14:05. Placing 17th with a time of 14:34 was Maximus Shambaugh. Taylor Landini placed 20th with his time of 14:54, and Gabriel Leavitt finished the race for the Pirates in 22nd place at 17:01.
The boys’ team won by a landslide, earning an overall score of 16 points. They beat their second place competitors from Legacy High School by 31 points.
In the girls’ race, Legacy’s Imee Rose Dichoso finished first with a time of 14:45. Moapa Valley’s Andrea Mogren crossed the finish line at 16:02, placing fifth. Right behind her in sixth place, with a time of 16:08, was Zoe Zubia. Hannah Watson took eighth place when she finished the race at 16:51, beating Virgin Valley competitor Brook Helsten by only two seconds.
“It felt really good,” commented Andrea Mogren, a sophomore. “It was tough because it’s so hot, but I had Zoe in front of me, so I had a goal to run with her.”
Emma Thompson finished in 11th place with her time of 17:55. Miranda Robison and Kennadie Burt ran a close race, with Robison pulling ahead at the end for a time of 18:21 and Burt finishing only a second later at 18:22. They placed 13th and 14th, respectively.
Annabel Lounsbury placed 17th when she crossed the finish line at 19:31. In 18th place with a time of 20:06 was Samantha Thompson. She was followed by Gabrielle Shiozawa, who placed 19th at 20:16. Isabella Bustillos and Laura Adams took 20th and 21st places with their respective times of 20:43 and 20:51. After Kayli Thompson’s time of 22:22 put her in 24th place, Haley Bush finished 25th at 22:43.
Finishing the race for the Pirate girls with a time of 24:30 was Alexa Canfield, who placed 28th.
The MVHS girls’ team placed third overall with their score of 43. They were only five points behind Virgin Valley, who took first place with 38 points.
“I look at our team this year, and I am just thoroughly excited about the prospects for both boys and girls,” Coach Watkins remarked. “I think we have as good of a chance for both teams to go to state that we’ve ever had in the history of Cross Country in Moapa Valley.”
“So,” he chuckled, “go Pirates!”
MVHS runners will compete at the Larry Burgess Las Vegas Invitational at Sunset Park this Saturday.
