Serving the High Plains
Serving the High Plains
Tucumcari High School boasts a full boys squad — including two top-flight runners — as it begins its cross-country season on Friday.
The Rattlers begin the season at the Clovis Invitational at Ned Houk Memorial Park at 3 p.m. Friday.
The boys team is led by senior Alex Bueno de la O, who qualified for the state meet last year and remains a dedicated long-distance runner, THS coach Tim Clark said.
“I’m looking for big things from him if he stays healthy,” Clark said. “Now he has a running partner who pushes him.”
That would be junior Fernando Ureste, a state qualifier for two long-distance races in track last season.
Clark said he was hopeful Ureste can push Bueno de la O to run faster and increase his pace, and vice versa.
The rest of the boys squad consists of junior Paxton Smith and freshmen Bryson Klinger and Patrick Szaloy.
“We’ve had these kids for two to three years,” Clark said, referring to middle-school cross country, “and our program is starting to build up. The boys team, I’m pretty excited about them.”
Clark said he has four runners on the THS girls team — junior Heaven Mares Arellano, senior MiKayla Klinger, junior Rachel Mardo and freshman Ashlynn Box.
He said he’s hoping to add a girl or two so he can have a full squad by the time of the Clovis meet.
With realignment, Tucumcari sits in a 1A/2A district that includes Cimarron, Des Moines, Estancia, Maxwell, Menaul, Native American Community Academy, Pecos and Santa Rosa.
The state-qualifying district meet will be at Raton High School on Nov. 2. To help his runners familiarize themselves with the course, the THS teams will compete at the Raton / Maxwell Invitational at Raton Municipal Golf Course on Sept. 7.
The state meet will be at Albuquerque Academy on Nov. 9.