Julie Gianinni of St. Piux X posted a margin of victory of nearly 18 seconds. All photos by Blake Wood.
Sue Cleveland High School superstar Luis Martinez kicked the dirt in frustration as he cooled down. While the culprit wasn’t his own performance (Martinez predictably broke away from the field and won by 23 seconds), he was experiencing some disappointment that no doubt affected his teammates similarly.
On Friday morning, the Albuquerque Journal ran a meet preview that centered on Cleveland XC, the defending 5A state champions for both boys and girls. Earlier in the week, the national news was centered on Hurricane Isaac – ominous given that Cleveland’s mascot is “The Storm.” Furthermore, the 2012 Lobo Invitational was contested uniquely – at night – under a blue moon, which would have fit perfectly with Cleveland’s “electric blue” uniforms. Coming in, it certainly appeared that the dominoes were in place for Cleveland to pick up right where they left off – dominating the New Mexico running scene.
Los Alamos had other plans.
Not surprisingly, the Los Alamos girls ended the team battle swiftly with a blitzkrieg pack attack. The girls in green posted a ludicrous 1-5 pack spread of exactly SIX seconds (and if you want to take it a step further, their 1-7 was just 17 seconds). Despite not having a runner in the top 10, the Hilltoppers returned home victorious, and appear to be very deserving of their ranking and hype.
Scary though the Los Alamos girls were, though, they did not go entirely unchallenged. In what some would consider a surprisingly close second place finish, the Sartans (AKA the “FlyGirls”) from St. Pius X had a race for the ages. Julie Gianni and Marissa Nathe – two very experienced, very lethal harriers – gave Pius a major boost with a 1-2 finish. Teammate Kelli Reagan finished in 8th before the counterstrike from Los Alamos.
The final margin was 83-87 for L.A. with Albuquerque Academy’s girls (under new head coach Adam Kedge) edging Eldorado for third 116-117. The top three schools all compete in the 4A classification in New Mexico.
In an anticipated individual showdown, Crissey Amberg from Eldorado outsprinted Malia Gonzales from Cleveland for 5th overall. The two were first and second at last year’s 5A state championships (with Gonzales taking the crown).
The big surprise came on the boys side, where the Cleveland boys were considered to be almost untouchable. Led by Martinez (already a two-time individual XC state champion), they are a squad that has gotten used to winning. That’s what made the result, as well as the margin, a shocker.
Again, it was Los Alamos who stole the show. Up-and-coming star Sean Reardon effectively neutralized Martinez by finishing in second overall, and then the Hilltoppers outplaced the Storm at every position to win easily, 38-77. Like their girls, the ‘Topper boys utilized a strong pack running style, posting the shortest 1-5 spread in the field – just 45 seconds.
Individually, Martinez’s victory was sound, and no one else was close by the time the finish rolled around. However, he didn’t run alone for most of the race. Running stride-for-stride for the first 2 ½ miles, Alonzo Chavez from Mora High School threw everything he had plus the kitchen sink at Martinez. Chavez’s ultimately faded to third as a result of his race, which was bold and risky, but he showed no fear in running against a much more famous opponent. If the two of them showdown again this season, it will be a marquee matchup.
And just like that, the 2012 New Mexico Cross Country season is underway. Future meets this season will be quite different (and have fewer glow sticks), as will results, undoubtedly. But the “Under the Lights” theme for the Lobo Invitational made for a memorable competition.
