Runners Headed for Regional Competition
    From Staff Reports ~~ The Monahans News, 10-27-06

The Monahans Loboes will sent their boys cross-country team and one runner from their girls team to Region I-3A competition in Lubbock next week, as the boys won first while the girls had one finisher in the top 10 on Monday at the District 1-3A meet at the Ward County Golf Course.

The Loboes scored 32 points and had four of their runners in the top 10, beating out second place Fort Stockton by 47 points.  The girls qualified runner Monica Ortiz, who placed fourth out of 26 runners at the meet, but were edged out by Pecos for the third and final regional team berth.

"Getting first place was the goal for the varsity boys," said cross country coach Treasure Thaggard.  "Last year they had a little disappointment.  They had success early, but they were not as successful at district.  This year they were bound and determined to reach our goal and worked harder and longer."

Freshman Bryan Azuaje placed second out of 25 runners, covering the three-mile course in 18:36.62.  Fort Stockton's Sam Franklin won the meet, with a 17:33.22 time.  Phillip Green and Josh Munoz were fourth and fifth on the day, with times of 18:52.44 and 18:56.66 respectively, while Chad Harris rounded out the Top 10 with a 19:50.22 time.

Aaron Forest was 11th, running a 19:59.41, while Cameron Lynch had a 20:31.97 and was 15th and Aldo Leyva was 18th, with a 21:15.34 time.

"One thing that also helped was we ran harder meets this year and got to see some harder terrain," Thaggard said.  "We ran Big Bend (Alpine), and Big Spring, which has some hills.  We also didn't run all flat courses."

Pecos took the third place spot on the boy's side with 58 points to 89 for Presidio, while the Blue Devils girls won that side, with 36 points, to 49 for Fort Stockton, 62 for Pecos and 75 for the Lady Loboes.

The Top 10 individual finishers advance to Lubbock, and Ortega earned her trip to regionals with a 13:35:22 time, 23 seconds in back of division winner Rela Bernal of Fort Stockton.  "Monica had her best time of the year.  She hadn't run a 13 all year, but it was just a matter of getting her there," Thaggard said.

Monahans had six other girls entered in the meet.  Lyndsay Wright finished 14th over the two-mile course with a 14:51.31 time; Crystal Bartlett was 16th with a 15:08.66; Eliza Vidana was 18th with a time of 15:16.84; and Selena Balderas, Alyssa Roark and Sarah Oyerbides were 23rd, 24th, and 25th with time of 16:16.34, 16:34.25 and 17:06.72.

The Loboes also had five of the six girls entered in the junior varsity division, which was won by Eueka Roy with a 15L55.62 time, with Danica Hicks second, at 16:19.53.  Alexia Armendariz, Amber Lucas and Alejandra Valenzuela placed fourth through sixth.

Monahans had the only runners in the JV or junior high divisions on the boys' side.  C.J. Harris won the JV race with a 22:29.12 time, 10 seconds up on Jerome Ranillo, with Jeremy Brown third and Seth Salinas fourth, while Zachary Villasenor won the junior high race, with Justin Taylor second, Haesten Wood third, Tyler Ybarra fourth, Collin Beard fifth, Darian Vidana sixth and Aaron Carols seventh.  No times were listed on the junior high results.

The junior high girls edged Pecos for first by a 28-27 point margin, with Abby Marquez getting second, Brittany Armendariz fourth, Monica Ortiz fifth, Alex Rodriguez sixth, Lauren Green 10th and Jennifer Madrid 11th.