Tiger cross country beats most 5A teams at Norman

September 11, 2012

On Friday the varsity boys and girls cross country teams traveled to Norman to compete in the OK Runner Classic. This meet featured some of the best teams in class 6A and a few 5A teams. Our team ran in the boys and girls 5A-6A races. This was the only meet in which we were able to run on the regional course before Regionals in late October. Temperatures were in the low 100’s and times were slower at this meet.
The boys ran the 5K course and although we did not run very good times, we were still able to beat all of the 5-A teams there except Deer Creek. Derek Portillo (SO) led the way with a 44th place finish, running a time of 18:47. Kassius Urquiza (SO) was close behind with an 18:48 in 46th, followed by Baily Homan (FR) with a time of 19:47. The other three finishers were Jose Figueroa (FR)-20:09, Cory Nunez (JR)-20:26, and Angel Vega (SO)-20:39. The boys placed 10th out of 18 teams competing and second out of the four 5A teams competing (Deer Creek, Piedmont, Shawnee, Duncan).
The girls ran two miles and it was freshmen Annie Pierce leading the Lady Tigers as she ran a 14:30 good for 51st. Kasey Garcia (SR) ran a 15:20. Alejandra Alvidrez (SR) and Paige Nelson (FR) both ran under 16:00. Glenda Barboza (SR) and Karina Mejia also competed. The girls placed 13th out of 16 teams competing and were the fourth of four 5A teams competing, but within 52 points of Piedmont and Deer Creek, two of the 5-A teams.
On Saturday the junior high and junior varsity Tigers traveled to Perryton, Texas, to compete in the Annual Wolf Creek Classic. We had JH and JV runners competing in four events. We brought home nine medals and a first place trophy (JH boys).
The junior high girls had the pleasure of kicking off the day as they competed on the two-mile course. Again, it was Keiry Fernandez leading the pack as she placed 14th. She was followed by Kendy Salinas (18), Caprice Graham (31), Gabby Ramos (65), and Charee Graham (68). There were 160-plus runners in the race and our girls placed fifth out of 14 teams, three points from Dalhart who was third, with a 15:29 average for the two-mile course.
The junior high boys extended their unbeaten streak another week, as well as winning this meet for the fourth year in a row, as they defeated 10 other teams by scoring a total of 38 team points to grab the championship with a 12:27 team average, which was well ahead of Clarendon in second with 121. The boys placed five runners in the top 17 out of a total of 151 runners. Eli Herrera paced the Tigers with a fifth place finish with a time of 12:09. He was followed close behind by Justin Stonecipher (8), Dylan Portillo (9), Angel Valle (14), Jorge Hidalgo (17), and Kevin Lozano (26). Our team had 34 of the 151 total runners competing.
The junior varsity girls race was next and it was Nayeli Mesta (SO) leading the way for the Lady Tigers with a 13th place finish. She was followed by Rebecca Lozano (22), and Ami Torres (41). The girls placed fifth of 11 teams competing with a 15:49 team average for the course.
The junior varsity boy’s team was led by Brandon Alvarez as he ran a time of 19:26 placing 10th. Alex Cortez (21), Christian Reyes (38), and Michael Galvan (41). The boys placed third out of four teams with a team average of 21:38 for the three mile course.
This Friday the boys and girls varsity teams will travel to Edmond and compete in the 19th Annual Edmond Dog Pack Run. This will give the teams a chance to compete on the state course and compete against other 5A teams. On Saturday, don’t miss out on your chance to see the JH and JV Tigers run close to home as they compete in the Hugoton meet on the 16th at the golf course West of Hugoton. The running starts at 9 a.m. Complete meet results can be found on ohstrack.com for Oklahoma meets and directathletics.com for the Perryton, Texas meet. For team information visit the GHS cross country facebook page at Guymon Tiger Cross Country.