Cougars Take First and Second: Salida Cross Country Invitational
Erick White, 9, was the deciding factor and tie-breaker in the Cougar boys’ first win of the season. White was the sixth runner for the Cougars whose first five runners tied Alamosa. Behind White, Alamosa’s sixth man, a senior, struggles to the finish line but without enough speed to beat the freshman Cougar runner.
October 5, 2016
Two races, each decided by a single point: in one of the most dramatic conclusions in recent memory, Coronado’s men’s and women’s varsity cross country teams took first and second at the Salida High School Cross Country Invitational, each by a single point.
The race was over, and scores were tallied, it was a stalemate on the men’s side: Coronado men, 69 pts. total, Alamosa men 69 pts. total. The victory came down to the sixth runner on either team, for Coronado, freshman Eric White. White said, “When the host of the meet was going through the top 3 teams for boys and it came down to us and the other team, [Alamosa], he said it was a tie breaker for the sixth runner, which was me, and I freaked out and… [I] was overwhelmed with what ifs.” White continued, “When he announced the second place team and it wasn’t us, everyone started chanting and yelling “Eric!”,”Yeah I’m so proud of you man!” My coach came out of crowd and gave me the biggest hug.” By five seconds and a single place, Eric’s 19:13 and 36th place finish propelled the Cougars to victory, taking first place by a single point.
On the women’s side, the Cougars fell short, 57-58 against Aurora’s Regis Jesuit, despite three top-ten finishes: junior Taylor Dutton, sophomore Layla Roebke, and freshman Grace Abernethy, Dutton leading the Cougars in sixth place at 21:12, Roebke taking eighth at 21:28, and Abernethy coming ninth at 21:32. Other top-ten finishers included junior Conor Strizich on the boys side, taking fifth among 210 runners at 18:02.
In a meet largely influenced by freshman runners, Coronado cross country Coach Stoughton said, “The young runners on the team are working very hard. Both Grace and Eric were huge difference makers today. Eric being the deciding factor in the boys first win of the season was amazing. We’re all very proud of him. There was even talk of carrying him on the team’s shoulders!”
The Cougars are just two weeks from the post-season with only a single regular-season meet remaining, the Spartan Invitational on 10/7 at Bear Creek Park. Grace Abernethy said, “We are very excited to run on Friday and see how we stack up against the competition, as well as for our upcoming league and regional meets! The team is improving so much every day.”
Good luck and keep it up Cougars!
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