Devils, Huskies harriers shine at Eagle Valley Invite
Justin Q. McCarty | Special to the Daily |
Eagle Valley Invite
Boys
7. Brandon Sheard, EV, 17:19.82
9. Aiden Branch, EV, 17:27.86
13. Franklin Reilly, BM, 17:35.46
18. Isaac Sotelo, BM, 17:43.85
20. Nathaniel Badger, BM, 17:46.38
22. James Moran, BM, 17:52.09
31. Bailey Beckum, EV, 19:05.87
37. Jack Neifert, EV, 18:18.11
39. Matt Jordan, EV, 18:31.83
43. Patrick Johnson, BM, 18:40.82
47. Max Grimaldi, BM, 18:47.49
50. Conner McCabe, BM, 18:51.92
52. Dean Smith, EV, 18:52.71
54. Kuke Morrisey, 18:55.71
Girls
4. Lizzy Harding, BM, 20:10.66
10. Shawna Adams, EV, 21:01.87
13. Naomi Hardind, BM, 21:14.83
14. Melissa Delgado, BM, 21:16.31
18. Avery Doan, EV, 21:30.43
23. Anabel Johnson, BM, 21:37.20
25, Isabelle McMurrain, BM, 21:46.30
33. Taylor Hermosillo, BM, 22:15.36
35. Alondra Aguirre, BM, 22:24
44. CoCo Spangler, BM, 22:47.03
48. Michaela Mitchell, EV, 22:59.66
53. Katy Grewe, EV, 23:08.13
68. Brynn Mehan, EV, 23:35.51
70. Shelby Essex, EV, 23:40.01
GYPSUM — You can’t buy that T-shirt. It must be earned.
Finish in the top 10 at the Eagle Valley Invite, and you get that prized tie-dyed T.
That was the motivation for the Devils as they hosted their cross-country meet on Saturday at the Gypsum Creek Golf Course.
Brandon Sheard, Aiden Branch and Shawna Adams are styling new threads.
In team finishes, Battle Mountain cross-country won top local honors, as its boys and girls finished second. The Devils, whose gents were third and ladies fifth, however, did put on a good show in what was the best-attended Eagle Valley Invite to date.
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“Having a home meet is a really special thing,” Devils coach Melinda Brandt said. “It’s a phenomenal boost for the kids while they’re running.”
The Eagle Valley girls team got off to a slow start, but that didn’t stop Adams from surging.
“Shawna finished her race really well,” Brandt said. “She just moved up. She ran down her goal.”
Six Personal Records
All the guys did was record six personal records with their seven varsity times. Sheard and Branch were both in the 17-minute range. That’s a good portent. Remember that Eagle Valley has been running hilly courses and Gypsum Creek, while flatter, is still not a track meet. Those are fast times for this time of year. Come Delta, the site of regionals, those numbers should drop.
The Hosses were Sheard and Martha Huffman.
This was also Senior Day for the Devils. The 11 are Brandon Sheard, Matt Jordan, Isaac Yoder, Michael Bennett, Seth Kuhn, Ryan Hanson, Magda Alderete, Judy Torres, Claytie Crabb, Jaycey Beard and Lydia Widhalm.
Battle Mountain gave most of its top-tier runners the week off. The strategy is rest, but it also has an added side benefit. The Huskies get to see the load of talent piled up behind varsity in action in a race.
“It gives us a chance to see up-and-coming runners to be in leadership roles before, during and after the race,” Huskies coach Rob Parish said. “Sometimes, we get into pecking order. This gives us a chance for athletes to work on race strategy.”
The Huskies Lizzy Harding certainly made some noise finishing fourth overall.
Battle Mountain is at the Dave Sanders Invite at Columbine on Friday, while Eagle Valley is at the Anna Banana in Fruita on Saturday.
Sports Editor Chris Freud can be reached at 970-748-2934, cfreud@vaildaily.com and @cfreud.
