When Alex Eustace and his Zuni teammates break a sweat, everyone gets to feel the heat. Photo by Alan Versaw.
Frankly, we came expecting a better contest out of 2A boys. What we got was a complete, unmitigated rout. Apparently, Zuni read the media reports about how Laguna-Acoma had closed the gap on their little party at the top and decided it was time to defend their party.
And defend they did. In so doing, the made their party at the top a good deal bigger.
After L-A’s Isaiah Kelsey crossed in first in 16:24, a tidal wave of blue and gold came cresting behind him—Alex Eustace in second, Tre’ Riley in third, Jeron Chavez in fifth, then a respite, then Cody Latone in 13th, and, finally, Tyano Pinto in 16th. Zuni’s final team tally stopped at 39 points. It was simple, effective, and thorough.
The final results illustrated just how far Zuni has come in the last year. Cody Latone went from 22nd last year to 13th this year. Tre' Riley went from 25th this year to third this year. Alex Eustace went from not running as last year's state meet to second this year. Jeron Chavez went from not running at last year's state meet to fifth this year. Yes, indeed, a lot can happen over the course of a single year.
And anyone who was paying the slightest attention as the race developed saw this one coming long before any runners closed in on the stadium for the finish. Laguna-Acoma held a strong presence among the early leaders, but that presence faded as the race wrapped its way around the course. After about a mile, it was clear this one was moving decisively in Zuni’s direction. Everyone else was powerless to stop the avalanche.
Between mile one and mile two, Zuni moved smartly through the ranks of the field. Photo by Alan Versaw.
Laguna-Acoma would salvage a second with 97 points, with Austyn Salvador joining Kelsey in the top 10.
East Mountain finished a solid third at 107. Alex Heffelfinger paced the Timberwolves’ effort with a fourth in 16:43. East Mountain's finish from this year stands in stark contrast to their finish last year, where--on the heels of a midseason injury to a key runner--the failed even to qualify a team for state.
Estancia’s Jacob Bernal would lead the finishers from teams that didn’t win trophies in sixth at 17:02.