Clutch performances propel Red Demons runners to state
By: Shelton Burch
Courtesy of Dodge Globe Sports Editor
The Dodge City Red Demons girls and boys cross country teams both qualified for the state tournament with clutch performances at Regionals Saturday.
The event which took place at the Wichita-Cessna Activities Center in Wichita, Kansas. There, the boys team finished second behind Garden City.
“The team ran Saturday with the confidence that Coach Yoder and I have had in them from the start of the season,”Red Demons boys cross country coach Buc Bolmer said via email. “This was by far their best race of the year; this should give them the confidence to carry over to state.”
Javier Marquez finished sixth, finishing in 16:56. Quest Weller finished just nine seconds behind him, in seventh place with a time of 17:05. Giovanni Valverde was the last Red Demon in the top 10, finishing ninth in a time of 17:10.
Outside of them, Israel Rojas finished 11th with a time of 17:12. Jesus Solis finished 25th with a time of 17:41. Jair Martinez finished 26th in a time of 17:43. Montel Love finished 37th, in a time of 18:23, completing the field as the final Red Demon out there.
Despite how well the boys team did, it was the girls team that finished best of the two.
The Dodge City Red Demons girls cross country team took home first place
in their regional race, which took place earlier in the morning at the same location as the boys’ race.
“We’ve been focused on this meet all season and it showed,” Red Demons girls cross country coach Brian Lenz said via email. “The girls were all mentally focused on what needed to be done and were able to show what we are capable of doing. We had two of our younger girls (Karina and Denise) really st
ep up and run great, our top two (Luz and Ayanna) ran very solid races as they have all season.”
Luz Lopez finished fifth overall, completing the 5K course in 20:50. Ayanna Hensley was next both for the Red Demons and overall, finishing sixth in a time of 20:56.Karina Herrera and Denise Dominguez finished next for the Red Demons, crossing the finish line in the 14th and 15th spots in 21:41 and 21:44 respectively.
Caroline Williams finished not far behind Herrera and Dominguez, finishing in 17th place in a time of 21:46. Elizabeth Dorado finished 32nd in a time of 22:33. Lucy Lozano finished 33rd with a time of 22:44.
Because of the effort, the team will head to Lawrence, Kansas on Saturday to compete in the state tournament at the Rim Rock Farm. The 6A girls race is scheduled to start at 10 a.m., while the girls race is scheduled to start at 11:45 a.m. that morning.
