Since we last peeked in the Savage Cross Country scene, the team seemed to be having a positive outlook on the rest of the season, with high hopes of achieving their personal best.

The team traveled to Johnson, Kan., on Sept. 25. They ran only a 2.8-mile course, just short of the usual 3.1 mile stretch. The girls took 4th place and the boys took 2nd.

Next, came the La Junta meet, the day after homecoming, on Oct. 2, and Rampart on Oct. 5, a nationally certified course, included the top runners from 4-5A Divisions.

After that, they traveled to Limon on Oct. 9, where the boys grasped 3rd place and the girls triumphed in 2nd. Then came the Tri-Peaks League meet, the Canon City Riverwalk, on Oct. 16, where the boys took sixth place.



On Oct. 23, Varsity Regional meet took place at Fountain Valley. A large variety of teams showed up; including CSCS, Florence, La Junta, Limon, St. Mary’s and Classical Academy. The boys kept up with 8th place and the girls stormed to a 4th place finish.

The state qualifiers, boys team, for the Savages and their best season times are Gino Figlio (18:46), Jim Anderson (19:00), Humberto Calvillo (19:01), Shahn Monson (19:13) and Johny Carillo (19:27).

The girls team qualifiers are Kayla Harris(21:32), who also has four of the five best times on the team, Janice VanGalder (22:37), Jenna Foster (23:51), Beatriz Portillo (24:02), and Nicole Clark (24:11). “I feel really good about going to State. I hope to achieve my goal of running in the low 17:00’s. State was Oct. 30, in Colorado Springs.

“I think we started running better as a team. We had spectacular morale at the end of the season,” said Lance Clark, senior.

The boys team received 12th place while the girls team placed 18th. Kayla Harris, junior, lead the girls’ effort with an 18th place individual finish with a personal best time of 20:46. Jim Anderson, senior, placed 53rd with a time of 18:07.