The Dolores and Mancos cross-country teams toed the starting line Friday in South Fork prepared to make history. Behind strong pack running, the collective Montezuma County wave of athletes did just that – earning results that will send a convoy to the 2A state championships.
The Dolores boys qualified for the first time in school history and next weekend will join the girls, who will make their second consecutive appearance in Colorado Springs.
The Mancos girls team will return to the state meet after missing out last year.
The Bears’ boys took third as a team on the 5K route at the Rio Grande Club Golf Course, while the girls matched that feat in their race. Mancos took the fourth and final qualification spot in the reformatted regional alignment. Add to the mix, the Ignacio boys team qualified as a team, meaning that the state meet at the Norris Penrose Events Center on Saturday, Nov. 2, will have a strong Four Corners flavor.
The Dolores boys, who missed last year’s state meet, left no doubt this year. The Bears finished near the top of the field in every race this fall, and without a senior on the roster, they’ve proved their staying power.
Three Bears in the top 10 paved the way for qualification, as freshman Joseph Padilla took his turn at the front of the DHS pack. Padilla took eighth overall in 18 minutes, 43 seconds, two seconds ahead of sophomore Owen Lowe (ninth, 18:45). Junior Aaron Nielson was on their heels, in 10th place at 18:50.
“The boys have really committed to their training and have been running solid all season,” said Dolores head coach Angela Lowe. “A big part of their success is how they challenge each other.”
A second pack appeared a minute later, with sophomore Corvin Smith claiming 24th (20:17) and junior Bridger Beyhan one spot back in 20:21. Sophomore Orin Samulski took 31st (20:56), and freshmen Levi Rantz (45th, 22:30) and Matthew Vega (49th, 23:56) sealed the Bears’ 47 points.
The Dolores girls displayed equally impressive pack running, with four Bears finishing in the top 15. Led by seniors Elia Lowe (23:12) and Maya Lowe (23:45) in seventh and 11th, respectively, the Bears finished in quick succession. Freshman Emilynn Hill took 13th (23:53), and senior Keira LaRose finished 14th (24:33). All top four runners would have qualified individually.
“For our seniors – Elia, Maya, and Keira – it was a goal all season to place in the top 15 at regionals,” said Lowe, “and with Emilynn also in there – it exemplifies the hard work they've put in all season.”
Freshmen Emma Nielson (20th, 26:04) and Heidi Beyhan (27th, 27:27) will make their state debut, after the Bears collected 39 points as a team.
Mancos was fourth in the team race and will return to Colorado Springs for the first time since 2022. Seniors Teagan Archer and Sarah Knezek, who ran in the 2022 meet, led the Jays in eighth and 17th, respectively. Archer crossed in 23:20; Knezek, in 25:22.
Juniors Maddie Swortwood-Green (19th, 26:00) and Tyla Henry (34th, 29:23) – will make their first state appearance for Mancos, which scored 61 points to beat out Monte Vista (96 points) for the final state berth.
“I told them to just race their race,” said Bluejays coach Brady Archer. “We didn't need anyone to have their best race ever – we just needed to be smart and run the way we had all season.”
The Jays had built off a strong race in the displaced Chicken Creek Classic at Boggy Draw, and the confidence was running high.
“It was special to have the whole team qualify after the injuries and disappointments we had last season,” said Archer. “These girls have had a great bond all season, and I can't wait to see them run at state.”
Bluejays freshman Cuinn Archer will miss out on the state meet, finishing 21st for the Mancos boys, while sophomore Alekzander Bianchi took 52nd.
“I really felt going into this season that it would be a special one, and it has definitely delivered,” said Lowe.
The 2A boys championship race is slated for 1 p.m., and the girls race, at 2:20 p.m.
