Santa Fe Prep both its boys and girls will challenge for the state cross country team championships Saturday

Wrap-up of the District 2-3A cross country run Saturday morning had Individually, St. Michael’s winning both the girls and boys races. Team-wise, it was Santa Fe Prep winning both genders and looking right in step as a contender for the 3A state championship.

In the 5,000 meters raced over the Pendaries Golf and Country in Rociada, it was quite a surprise to have Horseman freshman Jaden Perea finish ahead of pre-meet favorite Santa Fe Prep senior Joshua Abeyta, and it turned into a tight finish. Perea, in his best race of this full season, ran 18:58.80 and on his heels was runner-up Abeyta in 19:03.90.

That left third place to Raton senior Chase Kamp, who ran 19:28.31.

In the team scoring, the Griffins led the boys field with 35 points, 24 better than second place Santa Fe Indian School. Third was Raton with 73, St. Michael

scored 80, and host Robertson tallied 105.

Prep had the 2nd, 4th, 7th, 10th, 12th, and its other two runners placed 19th and 21st.

Fourth to finish was Griffins’ junior Gabe Cordova in 19:36.96, fifth went to St. Michael’s rising 8th grader Jeremiah Rodriguez in 19:39.18, sixth was Indian School senior Russell Coriz in 19:59.89, and those were the harriers to go under 20 minutes.

There were five other 8th-graders who traveled the course, In 8th was Raton’s Logan Sisco in 20:14.09, 16th was Indian School’s Brian Madalena in 21:21.86, in 23rd came St. Michael’s Caleb Perea, the younger brother of victorious Jaden Perea, and he clocked 22:82.75, then came the Horsemen’s Mateo Guevara in 26th place in the time of 22:22.85, and back in the pack was Raton’s Owen Kelley in 28:58.54.

Jaden Perea ran real well as an 8th-grader last shortened season, and is now running his best times. Abeyta has been racing his best in his final high school campaign and cameclose to a photo finish with Perea.

There were 42 in the field. The state championships will be run in one day, and that’s Saturday Nov. 6 at Albuquerque Academy, starting at 9 a.m.

The schedule for state has the 2A boys getting off the mark first at 9, the awards next followed by the girls 2A and their awards. The 4A boys toe the line next at 10:30, the 4A girls at 11:35, and both receive their awards after crossing the line.

Up next are the 3A boys at around 12:40 p.m.,the awards at 1:10, the 3A girls at approximately 1:25 and followed with their awards. In the final run, it’s the 5A boys scheduled to start at 2:30, the awards are next, then the 5A girls followed by their awards.

If it was a guessing game, it would be safe to say the championships will wind up at around 4 o’clock.