Rio Rancho boys and girls have good shot at state cross country titles

The proof is in the finish. Especially a finish at the season's first prestigious cross country event. Based on that, the Rio Rancho boys and girls teams both have a good shot at winning New Mexico state titles this fall.

With most of the state's premier schools in the field, the Rio Rancho girls won the Lobo Invitational in Albuquerque with four runners among the top 16 finishers and a total of 81 points. The boys were a distant second to Mountain Vista (Highlands Ranch, Colo.), but still the top in-state finisher.
 
The Rio Rancho boys won the Class 5A (now 6A) crown last year, while the girls placed fourth.

Rio Rancho coach Sal Gonzales, who has just one senior among his top 15 girls and two seniors among his top 15 boys, told MaxPreps, "A lot of young kids stepped up. Our boys have a more established top seven, but we're definitely deeper in girls."

A nice "bonus" for the girls team was the transfer of Andrea Almodovar, a freshman who transferred from a small, private school. She finished third in the Lobo race, which is a big measuring stick for success in the long run. They also have standout sophomore Molly Klein and eighth grader Reina Paredes.

MORE GIRLS' HIGHLIGHTS

The Lobo Invitational produced a big surprise champion when unheralded La Cueva (Albuquerque) senior Natasha Bernal crossed the 5K finish line with a time of 18 minutes, 44.29 seconds. It was the first-ever cross country race for Bernal, who played soccer last year.

The La Cueva girls return six of their top seven from last year's surprise Class 5A state champion. Coach Nick Martinez calls Bernal "a special kid" and he also is quite high on senior Mackenzie Everett, who is the defending state champion in the 3200-meter run.

* Another strong contender for the girls individual state title is Jessie Hix, a junior from Eldorado (Albuquerque), who placed eighth in the state cross country meet last fall before capturing state track titles in the spring in both the 1600 and 400. However, she is not happy about her sixth-place finish in the Lobo meet.

"It wasn't the best race for me," she admitted, "but I've still got a lot more time."

Hix has made some interesting decisions. She may be the state's No. 1 soccer player, but is doing cross country only this fall because she did both in the same season last year and it took a big physical toll. However, next year she will do only soccer and then play soccer at the University of Colorado.

She knows Bernal definitely will give her plenty of competition, pointing out, "Her times are pretty impressive already - especially for this being her first year running cross country."

MORE BOYS' HIGHLIGHTS

The Lobo Invitational boys division also had a surprise winner in junior Niles Thomas from Miyamura (Gallup). He finished in 16:03.18.

Coach Robert Torres says of Thomas, "With him it's mostly natural talent. He's very dedicated to what he does. He is a 3.6 (grade point average) kid."

Thomas may tangle with senior Chris Harlow of Cibola (Albuquerque) - who placed second in the state last year and could be the favorite this time around - at the Rio Rancho meet in October.

Cibola coach Blaine Clarke revealed why his team did not compete in the Lobo meet.

"We don't run in that, because it's too big of a meet for early in the year," he said. "About five years ago it taught our kids how to lose (for the rest of the season)."

Clarke added that Harlow "Definitely could be (this year's favorite). He's one of the hardest workers I've ever had, very dedicated. He's a hard worker in the classroom (3.9 to 4.1 GPA) and that carries over onto the field."

* The Los Alamos boys have won the last three Class 4A titles and now are in 5A due to the new reclassification.

Coaches Rob and Kathy Hipwood return five of their top seven boys. Bidding for the top spots are John Rees,  Greg Ahlers and Cameron Staples. Another top performer is Forrest White, who did not run in the Lob meet but was 16th in the state last year.

* Albuquerque Academy, which placed second in the state last year to Los Alamos, also will be strong, led by sophomore Jordan Lesansee, who finished third in the Lobo meet.