By IAIN MCMURRAY
The Progress
Distance runners from all across Nevada gathered in Sparks last week for the NIAA State Championship meet held on Saturday, Nov. 6.
Although the weather was certainly colder than southern Nevada athletes were used to, the race went on. Runners from both Moapa Valley High School and Virgin Valley High School were competitive in their respective races.
For MVHS, both the boys and girls team placed second in thestate.
In the boys meet, the margin between first and second place in the state was paper thin. The Pirates matched points with the #1 team, Spring Creek with both teams earning 48 points. But the tiebreaker in the match was each team’s sixth fastest runner’s time where Spring Creek pulled ahead.
“Our team put up a fight at state this weekend and ended up walking away with the second place trophy,” said Pirate runner Marcus Shambaugh. “We all did our best and I can’t wait for next year. We have something to work towards and it should be a blast!”
On the girls side, the Pirates scored 66 points. The Spring Creek girls team won the meet with 50 points.
“Our girls did amazing!” said Pirate junior Kenzie Hughes. “We all ran as hard as we could and left it all on the course and came out with second place! I’m thankful to our coaches who trained us all season and helped us get there. It was an amazing experience and I’m glad we were able to go! It wasn’t the most ideal weather, but we made the most out of it, and I hope we can go again next year!”
Neither of the Virgin Valley High School teams had enough runners to compete as a team. But they had individual runners who competed well in the final state meet.
In the boys race, it was a MVHS junior Cyrus Katich who was first to cross the finish line with a time of 17:37. Following closely behind him was Marcus Shambaugh in third place with a time of 17:52. Next up was Ethan Witter, who placed eighth, clocking in at 18:17.
Also running for the Pirates were Trevor Witter (18:49), Joseph Boss (19:15), Kayden Dixon (19:18), and Jedidiah Stephens (19:40).
From Virgin Valley, it was junior Owen Rappley who crossed the finish line first in 23rd place with a time of 19:07. Also competing for the Bulldogs were Gavin Hughes (19:52), Isaac Greig (19:53), Michael Anderson (22:38) and Riley Averett (22:54).
The girls state race was led by Lowry runner Jovi Kuskie with a time of 20:17. Right behind her was MVHS senior Emma Humes in second, clocking in at 20:35.
Also in the top ten were VVHS runners Kelly Denninghoff, taking 4th with a time of 21:16; and Jenna Walters in 6th place at 21:20.
Kenzie Hughes placed 11th for the Pirates at 22:17. Other Pirates competing were Linn Englegren (22:45), Sasha Barnes, (23:43), Julie Vallat (24:38), Beverly Potts (25:12).
MVHS Girls Coach Heather Humes was proud of the Pirates’ efforts at the state final. “As coaches, we’ve watched most of these runners work hard, not just this season but for the past year and a half as they navigated a covid season and constant changes,” Humes said. “Through it all, they stayed positive and continued to put in the work. The state competition is really a test of all that hard work. These runners proved to themselves how tough they are, how capable they are, and how they can achieve their goals if they are willing to work.”
“These young men and young ladies that represent MVHS for cross country ran extremely well,” said MVHS Boys’ Coach Gary Watkins. “They faced this competition with great courage and determination. We love them.”
VVHS Coach Marianne Leavitt was also pleased with her team’s performance. “We are so proud of our kids!” she said. “They had a great season and all of them improved over the season. We are looking forward to what next year brings.”
