Rio Rancho sweeps 5A state cross country titles

Rio Rancho’s coronation on Saturday as Class 5A boys state cross country champions seemed more of a formality than anything else.

With five runners in the top 12, Rio Rancho capped off its magnificent season with a 23-point victory (34-57) over district rival Volcano Vista at the state meet Saturday morning at Albuquerque Academy.

The Rams swept the 5A blue trophies, as the girls also finished first.

CLASS 5A: Rio Rancho junior Charlie Vause finished his fantastic season with a victory on Saturday. Eldorado’s Gianna Rahmer, an eighth-grader who attends Hoover Middle School, was dominant in taking the girls 5A crown.

Vause won all but one of his meets this fall. Vause’s time Saturday was 15:17.16. He beat teammate Mateo Herrera, the runner-up, by 14 seconds (15:31.41).

“I ran really hard, I pushed today,” said Vause, who transferred to Rio Rancho from Ohio during the offseason. The season, he quickly added, was not over. He has a regional meet next week in the Phoenix area and hopes to qualify for nationals later this year.

But against New Mexicans, Vause was the gold standard this season. So were the Rams. Not that some of Vause’s teammates didn’t try to take him down. Like Herrera.

“I was chasing the whole time, just trying to stick on him,” Herrera said. “I couldn’t. But he drove me to a second-place finish.”

As a whole, Rio Rancho was head and shoulders — or is that laces and soles? — better than all challengers this fall.

“We’ve all worked so hard,” Herrera said. “So many 6 a.m. practices, Saturday morning long runs.”

Said Vause: “I think I speak for our whole team, we’re so grateful for this opportunity … we’re just so happy, it’s great.”.

The Rio Rancho girls completed a sweep, defeating La Cueva 48-86. Eighth-grader Mariah Galbraith was fourth, junior Abigail Beam sixth for Rio Rancho.

“Being able to come out with a state title is such an amazing experience,” a tearful Beam said, “because we put in so much work. … Words can’t even explain (it).”

CLASS 4A: Albuquerque Academy’s girls pulled out a close 26-31 win over archrival Los Alamos in the day’s final race.

The Chargers had the individual state champion in Anna Hastings (18:17.17), with teammate Addison Julian (18:24.66) placing second. Academy went 1-2-6-8-9, Los Alamos went 3-4-5-7-12. The Hilltoppers were chasing their fifth consecutive state championship.

Judah Daffron of Taos (16:02.32) and Los Alamos were the boys champions. The Hilltoppers and the host Chargers had another great duel; Los Alamos won this one, 58-65.

Benjamin Sanchez was Los Alamos’ best finisher, in third, just in front of Academy’s Nicholas Ponte.

CLASS 3A: St. Michael’s swept the individual races, with Landen Sandoval and Chloe Grieco finishing first.

Grieco, like Rahmer an eighth-grader, won in a time of 18:15.24. Sandia Prep’s Kate Henderson, the pre-race favorite, faded over the last half mile, and struggled to the finish line. She placed third and moments later had to be carried to the training table.

“Coming into the race, I was pretty nervous, but I think right after I passed Kate (with about half a mile to go), I think I knew I had (it),” Grieco said. “Right when I passed her, I just went for it. I didn’t think, I just went. It hurt, but I was feeling really good mentally.”

Henderson and Grieco went 1-2 at the Academy Extravaganza last month.

Santa Fe Prep was the girls champion, scoring 57 points. Sandia Prep (73) and Cottonwood Classical Prep (101) were second and third, respectively.

Sandoval finished in 16:01.04 for the Horsemen, 12 seconds in front of Tohatchi’s Briley Dauphinais.

Zuni, by 10 points over Santa Fe Indian School (68-78) was the boys team champion.

CLASS 1A-2A: Albuquerque’s Oak Grove Classical Academy won a state title on Saturday afternoon, its first in the sport. Oak Grove won by a narrow two-point margin, 60-62, over Pecos.

Oak Grove put three runners in the top 10: Josh Marquez in fourth, Malakai Goldie in eighth and William Ryder McElveny in ninth.

Lucas Williams of Laguna-Acoma (16:18.92) was the individual champion, by five seconds over teammate Tagoya Pedro.

Oak Grove had another champion in Olivia Marquez, who completed her terrific season with a victory Saturday, crossing in 19:03.40 (which would have placed her third in the 5A race). She, like Rahmer and Grieco, is an eighth-grader. Josh Marquez is her older brother.

Saturday, Olivia made a departure from the last time she ran this course, at the pre-state extravaganza last month.

“So during the pre-state meet, my strategy was to stay with the leaders and let them pace me,” she said. “Today, I decided to go out ahead.”