DOLORES – Long gone are the days where the Dolores High School boys cross country team entered races without enough competitors to generate a complete team score. This fall, head coach Angie Lowe might struggle to find enough uniforms to suit up her entire team.
DHS enters the season as a major force in the 2A scene, having taken 13th at state in 2024 and 11th one year later – fielding virtually the same roster from the year in which they broke through the glass ceiling with the program’s inaugural state appearance. The Bears have progressively moved up with each passing year, and now a group of instrumental seniors make their curtain call at the end of careers that transformed the face of the program.
The roster expanded to 16 this year, including some additions from M-CHS after the Panthers dropped their program this year, meaning the pool of Bears talent gets even deeper. Four-year Bears varsity runners Owen Lowe, Corvin Smith and Orin Samulski lead the charger, joining the reigning San Juan Basin League runner of the year, junior Joseph Padilla. All four student-athletes were featured in the Bears previous state runs – where Padilla, Lowe and Smith all finished in the top 60 in the state field last year.
Adding to the upperclassmen arsenal, seniors Cruz Plewe and William Blair look to make an immediate impact as they switch from orange to red for their final high school cross country season. The duo were the top two runners for M-CHS over the past couple seasons.
“They have been logging miles together all summer to really build their aerobic engines,” Lowe said. “But it’s also boosted team camaraderie.”
Junior Nathan Gaddis and sophomore Bodie Fischer also made state debuts a year ago at Cheyenne Mountain’s Norris Penrose Event Center, while a wave of incoming freshmen make Lowe’s program into one of the most vaunted teams on the Western Slope – regardless of classification.
“I believe that the depth and numbers are really going to benefit us this season,” Lowe said. “They're having fun, pushing one another and putting in the hard work.”
Indicative of the raise in expectations, the Bears also have the foundation for an increase in workload, with the hope of big personal bests as the season heads into the latter stages.
“The challenge of the workouts will increase in pace or duration, and the boys have some strength and mobility training that we’ll be adding to the program this year,” Lowe said.
DHS also returns two-time state qualifier Emilynn Hill on the girls side, building off her all-state 50th place finish last November.
DHS will get an immediate test of their standing in the 2A when they travel to the pre-state meet at Bear Creek Regional Park on Aug. 22, a proving ground for teams aspiring to be at the state championships in late October. From there, the Bears will head to Durango on Aug. 29, Antonito on Sept. 3 and then Alamosa on Sept. 12.
Dolores hosts their annual Bear Chase on Sept. 25 at Boggy Draw before heading to Chicken Creek for the SJBL meet hosted by Mancos on Oct. 10. The Bears will also return to Chicken Creek for the regional meet Oct. 23, with the hopes of qualifying for the state championships on Halloween.
