MV/VV Teams Compete In Boulder City

By DAVE BELCHER

The Progress

Cross Country teams from all over southern Nevada gathered at Boulder City Veterans Memorial Park on Saturday, Sept. 11 for the Larry Burgess Invitational meet. This event is usually run at Sunset Park in Las Vegas. But that park was closed forcing the meet to be moved to Boulder City.

Teams from Moapa Valley High School and Virgin Valley High School attended the meet. Even Mack Lyon Middle School sent runners to the younger division race at the Invitational.

Nathan Carlin of Foothill High School won the Varsity A race with a winning time of 16:19.9. But the Moapa Valley boys’ team held its own in the race against all large and small schools with a 5th place finish overall and a 1st place ranking among small schools.

In the Varsity A small schools division, MVHS junior Cyrus Katich took first place, running a 17:34.8. Marcus Shambaugh, also a junior, took second among small schools with 7:43.3. Ethan Witter took 4th with a timne of 18:04.9. Other Pirate finishers were Trevor Witter (18:52.4), Preston Bushman (19:16.4), Jed Stephens (19:55.7) and William Anderson (19:56.2).

The Pirates ended up with the high team score of 29 points. All seven Pirate runners medaled in the race.
The Virgin Valley Boys team opted to run in the Varsity B race at the event as well as a number of Pirate runners.

MVHS junior Joseph Boss took 3rd in the B race with a time of 19:48.9. VVHS junior Owen Rappleye was right on Boss’ heels with a time of 19:50.4. VVHS sophomore Dylan Barnum took 7th in the race, running a time of 20:35.3. MVHS junior Joseph Barnes took 8th at 20:37.3.

Other finishers included Gavin Hughes (VV) at 21:22.2; Gavin Hendricks (MV) at 21:33.1, Isaac Greig (VV) at 21:35.2, Nicholas Leavitt (MV) at 21:41.2, Isaac Thompson (MV) at 22:14.3, Braxton Farley (MV) at 22.57.3, Grant Muhlstein (MV) at 23:03.5, Russell Hardy (MV) at 23:27.6, Cash Keller (MV) at 24:51.6, Stockton Humes (MV) at 24:52.9), Christopher Houston (MV) at 26:22.1, and Riley Averett (VV) at 26:23.

On the girls’ side, neither the Lady Pirates nor the Lady Bulldogs received placement as teams because only three raced for each team. But both teams ran well. All six girls on both teams medalled in the event.

MVHS senior Emma Humes placed 5th place overall but took 1st place in the small schools division with a time of 20:46.2. MVHS junior Linn Engelgren took 3rd among small schools at 22:06.7. Pirate junior Kenzie Hughes ran with a time of 25:07.

VVHS sophomore Jenna Walters took 5th place in the race among small schools with a time of 23:07.1. Kelly Denninghoff, a VVHS senior, took 6th with a time of 23:28.1. VVHS junior Avery Somerville finished with a time of 29:28.

The Mack Lyon Middle School athletes also performed well in their 1.3 mile race.

Drew Dixon led his teammates with an 8th place finish overall and a time of 8:34.8. Weston Ruiz was next with a time of 8:50.8 and an 11th place finish. Tommy Barnes ran a 10:56.9 to finish out the boys side. Madilyn Thompson finished in 9th place on the girls’ race with a time of 10:30.1.