MANCOS – After missing last year’s home meet due to a land dispute, the Bluejays looked right at home Saturday.
The Chicken Creek trail system has long been a staple on the Southwest Colorado cross-country circuit, and the latest crop of Bluejays made sure to leave their mark on the 2025 edition of the Chicken Creek Challenge.
Freshman Carly Kroll led the Jays – and all Montezuma County girls runners – by placing 10th in the field. Her time of 24 minutes, 12 seconds paced a trio of Bluejays, as seniors Maddie Swortwood-Green and Tyla Henry competed in their final home meet. Swortwood-Green took 22nd in 28:08, and Henry crossed five spots later in 29:59 for head coach Brady Archer’s squad.
Dolores sophomore Emilynn Hill was second among local runners and 14th overall in 24:59, while Montezuma-Cortez senior Camryn Oliver finished 23rd in 28:49.
In the boys race, Dolores sophomore Joseph Padilla pulled away from a pack of four runners to earn his best performance as a high schooler. Padilla’s time of 18:12 won the event by six seconds, while his teammates helped secure the team title.
Juniors Corvin Smith (8th, 19:17) and Owen Lowe (12th, 20:05) claimed top-12 finishes, while junior Orin Samulski and freshman Bodhi Fischer crossed in a dead heat for 21st and 22nd, respectively, both in 20:38.
Mancos sophomore Cuinn Archer paced the hosts with a 20th-place finish in 20:33, joining junior Alekzander Bianchi (48th, 25:56), sophomore Colter Dennison (49th, 26:19) and freshman Max Morris (59th, 32:55) to help the Jays earn eighth place as a team.
Montezuma-Cortez junior Cruz Plewe led the Panthers with a ninth-place finish, helping the orange-and-black to sixth place overall.
Dolores won the meet by nine points (59–68) over regional foe Ignacio, while Ridgway cruised to the girls team title. Telluride senior Austin Cook won the girls race by nearly a minute in 19:08.
As the regular season winds down, Mancos looks ahead to the Class 2A Region 4 meet in Ignacio on Oct. 24, where the Bluejays will join Dolores and a tough field of 2A talent vying for coveted state berths. Montezuma-Cortez will prepare for the Class 3A Region 2 meet in the coming weeks with similar ambitions.
