CORTEZ – The Panthers swept the spotlight Friday at Panther Stadium, claiming the boys team title and a runner-up finish for the girls at the Bob Archibeque Invitational.
Mancos High School earned nine first-place finishes and 26 top-three finishes between the boys and girls teams, building momentum heading into the final month of the season.
The Mancos girls and Dolores boys positioned themselves as contenders for the San Juan Basin League title later this month, while Dove Creek’s boys also factored into the standings. The Mancos girls led SJBL teams and placed fourth overall, while Dolores finished second among league competitors, narrowly edging Mancos.
Competing in the meet named for their head coach, the Montezuma-Cortez boys scored in 17 of 18 events to pull away from runner-up Bayfield, 148.5-102, and repeat as Bob Archibeque Invitational champions.
Seniors Wyatt Oliver and Parley Smith delivered two individual victories for M-CHS. Oliver won the 110-meter hurdles in 16.50 seconds, and Smith claimed the triple jump by more than 4 feet with a mark of 39 feet, 10 inches. Junior Trey Hall added another title in the high jump at 6 feet, 3 inches, while the Panthers won the 4x400 relay in 3:45.06 and the 4x800 in 9:59.35.
In addition to the five victories, M-CHS scored heavily in the throws. Junior Diego Muniz led four Panthers in the shot put with a runner-up mark of 37-3. Sophomore Nate Brown placed third, junior Kyler Wyatt fourth and sophomore Cade Phillips sixth.
M-CHS also finished second in the 4x100 (46.42) and 4x200 (1:34.71). Junior Cruz Plewe placed third in both the 1,600 (5:06.35) and 3,200 (10:45.30), while senior Micah Stembridge added a third-place finish in the 110 hurdles (18.01) as the Panthers showed depth across all disciplines while pursuing an IML title later this month.
Much like the boys, the Panthers girls used a balanced scoring approach, placing in 16 events on the way to 165 points to finish second behind Monticello, which scored 183.
Seniors Taylor Johnson, Tatum Endres and Aubrie Matthias won the discus (85-3), pole vault (7-0) and triple jump (31-11 ½), respectively. Sophomore Tessa Jackson added a field-best leap of 5-3 in the high jump to cap a strong day in the field events.
Sophomore Aubrieana Forsman posted a runner-up finish in the long jump at 14-1½. Faith Muzzy and Hayden Matthias went second and third in the 300 hurdles, finishing in 51.63 and 51.82 seconds. Sophomore Addison Spitzer finished fourth in the 100 (14.22), while classmate Addalynn Nielson placed fifth in the 3,200 (17:07.35). Senior Danielle Billie matched that placing in the discus (73-5).
The Panthers placed in all four relays, led by runner-up finishes in the 4x200 (1:58.61) and 4x400 (4:43.04).
Mancos seniors Jacob Martin and Jonah Ritter accounted for the bulk of the Bluejays’ points, combining for three victories. Martin won the shot put with a mark of 38-1 ½, while Ritter swept the sprints, winning the 100 in 11.33 seconds and the 200 in 23.39.
Sophomore Levi Priestley added points for the boys with a fifth-place finish in the long jump at 17-3. On the girls side, freshmen Carly Kroll and Tymbri Priestley won the 1,600 (5:57.58) and 400 (1:02.71), respectively, to lead MHS to 58 points. Junior Chelsey Kramer scored in three field events, sophomore Laney Palmer placed in both hurdle races, and senior Destiny Kramer finished sixth in the high jump at 4-9.
Depth across events helped the Bears finish midpack. Senior Michael Rantz won the long jump at 19-11 and the 400 in 51.74 seconds. The Dolores boys also scored with sophomore Joseph Padilla in the 3,200 (fourth, 10:48.23), Levi Rantz in the 110 hurdles (fourth, 19.09), senior Aidan Sweat in the triple jump (sixth, 35-2½), senior Aaron Nielson in the long jump (sixth, 17-3), junior Corvin Smith in the 1,600 (seventh, 5:19.66), freshman Bodie Fischer in the 800 (eighth, 2:24.60) and junior Korey Ng in the high jump (eighth, 5-5).
The girls followed sophomore Emilynn Hill’s runner-up finish in the 100 (13.79). Junior Eleri Brown placed fourth in the discus at 75-11. Freshman Arabelle Arps finished seventh in the 800 (3:16.05), and sophomore Addy Thompson took eighth in the 300 hurdles (55.19). Dolores won the 4x800 relay in 12:17.01. The Dolores boys totaled 58.5 points, while the girls scored 35.
The Dove Creek boys scored in nine events, led by senior Daniel Gray’s runner-up finish in the 110 hurdles (17.90). Nicholas Aragon placed third in the long jump at 17-10, and Jonathan Davis finished fourth in the 800 (2:14.25).
Senior Mason Forst placed fourth in the 1,600 (5:08.97), and junior Gavin Gill took third in the discus at 110-8. Freshman Conner Horn-Beanland finished eighth in the long jump (17-¼) to help the Bulldogs score 44 points.
The Dove Creek girls were led by sophomore Ayla Coffey’s fourth-place finish in the shot put (27-7) and senior Ambrynn Huffaker’s eighth-place effort in the long jump (13-¼).
