COLORADO SPRINGS – The team’s steady progress over the past few years culminated in a strong showing at state for the Dolores High School boys cross-country team. With no seniors on the roster, experienced runners led the team as Dolores climbed the Class 2A rankings Saturday with an 11th-place finish – a new program-best at the state meet.
Five Montezuma County runners placed in the top 60 between the boys and girls races, capping a successful day for the area’s representation in Colorado Springs.
After a season filled with top finishes, the Bears regularly competed against top-ranked teams – and the preparation paid off. Sophomore Joseph Padilla has steadily climbed the ranks in Class 2A, and Saturday’s race at Bear Creek Regional Park added to his growing list of strong performances. Patience early in the five-kilometer race allowed Padilla to move up late, finishing a career-best 27th in 17 minutes, 51 seconds.
His all-state showing led the Bears to a 184-point finish, good for 11th overall and third-best among programs west of the Interstate 25 corridor. Padilla also positioned himself well for future success as the seventh-fastest underclassman in the 2A field.
The junior class provided strong support for their sophomore front-runner, as Class of ’27 runners Owen Lowe and Corvin Smith posted times of 18:33 and 18:35, placing 57th and 58th. A late charge from Smith improved the Bears’ position in the team standings.
“Joseph continues to impress with his consistently strong running,” said Bears head coach Angie Lowe. “And Owen had been battling injury all season, so for him to be able to run a strong race was a big help.”
Freshman Bodie Fischer placed as the fifth-fastest freshman in the race, finishing 108th to round out the Bears’ scoring pack. Junior Orin Samulski and sophomore Nathan Gaddis added times of 20:04 and 20:07, placing 119th and 121st.
“All of our boys had a course personal best, and both Bodie and Nathan finished the season with overall PRs on a challenging course,” added Lowe.
The Bears improved two spots from their 13th-place finish a year ago, with each DHS runner improving on their 2024 state placement. That included sophomore Emilynn Hill, whose 50th-place finish in 21:59 in the girls race earned her all-state honorable mention and marked the second straight year the Bears girls program placed a runner in the top 50.
“Emilynn had been tracking to run sub-22 minutes all season, so to hit that PR at the state meet says a lot,” said Lowe. “I couldn’t be prouder of all of our XC runners.”
Mancos freshman Carly Kroll continued the Bluejays’ tradition of state representation, placing 52nd in her debut with a time of 22:02.
The 2A boys team title went to Golden View Classical Academy (54 points), which placed four runners in the top 15. Sophomore Ethan Kiptui of St. Mary’s won a photo-finish state title over Soroco’s Nick Clark in 16:20. Ridgway’s Natasha Hessler captured the girls title in 18:49, leading the Demons to a dominant team victory with 89 points.
