ALAMOSA – Montezuma‑Cortez entered the championship portion of the season on a high note, using a series of strong performances to earn a third‑place finish for the girls and fourth for the boys at the IML championships during the High Altitude Challenge.
The M‑CHS girls scored 66 points, finishing behind host Alamosa with 125.5 and runner‑up Gunnison with 69. The Panthers boys totaled 54.5 points, while Pagosa Springs claimed the league title with 128.
The Panthers produced several top‑five finishes on the girls side, led by junior Tessa Jackson and sophomore Addison Spitzer in the high jump. Jackson won the event and Spitzer placed third as both cleared 5 feet, 1 inch. Spitzer’s season‑best mark moved her into contention for Class 3A state qualification.
The girls 4x400‑meter relay remained on track for another state appearance, lowering its season‑best time to 4 minutes, 19.72 seconds while winning the IML title. The 4x200 relay also made a significant leap, running 1:50.87 to place second and move inside the top 18 in the state standings.
Individually, Hayden and Aubrie Matthias each ran season bests in the 100‑meter hurdles. Junior Hayden Matthias dropped her time to 17.15 seconds to place third and strengthen her position in the state qualification field, while Aubrie Matthias finished fifth. Hayden Matthias added another third‑place finish in the 300 hurdles, cutting her time to 50.07 seconds.
The Panthers added a fourth‑place finish from the 4x800 relay in 12:40.61 and a fifth‑place mark from sophomore Aubrieana Forsman in the long jump at 14‑8¾ to round out the girls’ top‑five performances.
On the boys side, junior Cruz Plewe continued his strong season by winning the IML title in the 3,200 meters. Plewe edged his nearest competitor by two seconds with a time of 10:56.78. The Panthers 4x200 relay also claimed first place, improving its state standing with a time of 1:32.92.
In the high jump, a familiar state‑level matchup emerged as Bayfield’s Tanner Vyborny, owner of the top jump in Class 3A, and M‑CHS junior Trey Hall went head to head. Vyborny cleared 6‑7 to win, while Hall placed second at 6‑5.
Senior Parley Smith finished third in the triple jump at 39‑11, matching third‑place finishes from the Panthers 4x400 relay in 3:39.38 and the 4x800 relay in 9:39.10. Junior Asher Bennetts added a fourth‑place finish in the 110 hurdles in 17.10 seconds.
Montezuma‑Cortez has several meets remaining over the next two weeks to continue improving its state qualification prospects, beginning with the Pueblo Twilight on May 1 and the Doherty Spartan Invitational on May 2 as teams make their final push toward Lakewood.
