Peñasco runners, teams fare well at John Grimley Invite
After a week off, the Peñasco Panthers made the trip to Santa
Fe to test their rested legs at the 2023 John Grimley Cross-Country Invitational Oct. 7. With just under 25 teams in attendance, and with a total of 129 individual runners
entered in the varsity boys’ race, the Grimley Invite, hosted by Santa Fe Indian School, paralleled the Rio Rancho Jamboree in size and competitiveness.
Peñasco boys XC
The course, which utilized the various outdoor fields and open spaces, differed from other largeformat races in the way the race started. The course begins with a very short funnel and 90-degree turn, which strung out the field in the first few seconds. Conditions were calm with warm temperatures in the sun and a pleasant chill in the shade.
Overall, the boys garnered an 11th-place finish, with 278 total points. Jude Martinez led all Panthers, coming in 12th (11-points) with a time of 18:39. His brother, Jeremiah, followed in 28th-place (26-points) at 19:34. Freshman Dylan Garcia claimed the Panther’s third spot with 66 points, followed by another freshman, Michael Romero, who garnered 84-points. Rounding out scorers for Peñasco was Kaileb Atencio with 91-points.
Among smaller school teams in attendance, the Panthers finished fifth behind the Laguna Acoma Hawks, who placed third overall with 108 points; Pecos earned a fourth-place finish with 131; Mesa Vista came in fifth with a score of 185; and Legacy Academy, who placed ninth, had 214 points. Peñasco bested Jemez Valley and McCurdy, who finished 12th and 14th, respectively.
Peñasco girls XC
Coming off a major win at the Rio Rancho Jamboree, the Lady Panthers sought a strong followup showing at the Grimley Invite, building momentum in the final stretch of the 2023 season. With considerably fewer teams entered in the varsity race than the boys, the girls team managed a seventh-place finish as a team, despite not being at full strength for the event.
Also impacting competition was the inclusion of 20 runners who participated independently (without a full roster of teammates). In all, 14 teams were entered in the showcase event — the first race of the day, which featured an equal balance of small and large schools from the region.
Continuing the season trend, Charnelle Gonzales topped all Lady Panthers with a fourth-place finish overall with a time of 21:46, an exact time earned at the Rio Rancho Jamboree two-weeks ago, leading all Northern New Mexico runners and district 5-A/2A competitors in attendance. Coming in second for Peñasco with a time of 24:47 was Maddisyn Rodriguez, who earned 33 points for the Lady Panthers. Amy Muñoz garnered 42 points; Tristanee Lucero secured 50 points; and Katalina Atencio added 76 points to Peñasco’s total.
The McCurdy (Española) Lady Bobcats, who did not field a full team at the Jamboree Sept. 23, finished fourth as a team to lead all small schools with 116 points, including two runners in the top-15.
The only other small school scoring and placing above the Lady Panthers was the Legacy Academy Lady Silverbacks, who came in fifth with 167 points. Peñasco beat Jemez Valley, Pine Hill and Pecos, which finished 9th, 12th and 14th, respectively.
Next up for Coach Sanchez and company is the Los Lunas Invite on Oct. 14, followed by the Academy Extravaganza (Albuquerque) on Oct. 21. The district 5-A/2A meet is tentatively scheduled for Nov. 4. Location and times TBA.