Longhorns 7th at state cross country

Logan’s first-ever boys cross-country team finished seventh in the Class 1A-2A state championships Saturday at Albuquerque Academy.

Two Tucumcari runners finished in the top 40 individually, as did a girl from San Jon, in 1A-2A.

Devin Kotara was Logan’s top runner, finishing 39th individually in 18 minutes, 30.2 seconds.

Other runners for the Longhorns were Bill DeLuca (55th, 19:02.0), Mitchell Wall (72nd, 19:31.9), Christopher Lucero (77th, 19:37.3), Connor Moore (92nd, 20:04.08), Kale Griffiths (105th, 20:22.4) and Kaden Bongers (139th, 21:25.4).

The Logan boys finished with 295 team points.

“They did incredibly well,” Logan co-coach Amy Terry said. “I was so proud of all of them. They knew there were a lot of talented runners at the starting line. They met my best expectations.”

Terry said she would miss Kotara and DeLuca, who both are seniors.

Pecos, with three runners finishing in the top three, captured the team title with 41 points. Oak Grove was runner-up with 61 points, and Laguna Acoma finished third with 101 points.

For the Rattlers, junior Fernando Ureste edged senior teammate Alex Bueno De La O on the 5,000-meter course, finishing 28th individually in a time of 18 minutes, 9.6 seconds.

Bueno De La O finished 31st in a time of 18:14.5.

Tucumcari coach Tim Clark said Bueno De La O was in 23rd place after the 2-mile mark, and then …

“He said that last mile, something happened,” Clark said. “He just kind of hit a wall. He was upset with himself.

“But they ran their hearts out. It was an extremely fast field. They gave their all and their best. You couldn’t ask for more.”

Ureste’s time at the state meet was a personal best.

Clark said it took seven hours to drive his runners from Tucumcari to Albuquerque on Friday due to traffic snarls from a severe winter storm.

Tagoye Pedro of Laguna Acoma was the top boys runner in 1A-2A, finishing in 15:50.2, about 10 seconds faster than runner-up Brandyn Encinias of Pecos.

In girls competition, Reyna Sena of San Jon finished 37th individually in a time of 23:26.5. It was her second straight qualification to state.

Olivia Marquez won the 1A-2A individual crown with a time of 19:25.9, winning by 16 seconds over the No. 2 runner.

McCurdy won the team crown with a score of 56 points. Oak Grove was runner-up with 70 points.