San Luis Valley Roundup by Eric R. Flores
SAN LUIS VALLEY—Another action-packed week of San Luis Valley athletics delivered plenty of weekend excitement.
CROSS COUNTRY
In Alamosa, Adams State University hosted the 31st Annual Joe I. Vigil XC Invitational at Cattails Golf Course, renowned as one of the fastest cross-country courses in the state. Over 1,000 runners participated, including 561 high school athletes.
Cheyenne Mountain claimed the boys’ team title with 38 points, as all five of their runners finished in the top 20. Alamosa was the top SLV team, finishing sixth with 175 points. Centauri came in 11th with 328 points, Del Norte placed 19th, Sierra Grande finished 27th, and Centennial was 28th.
Freshman Ethan Merrick was the top SLV boy, crossing the 5,000-meter finish line in 16:24.36. Centauri senior Carson Bagwell finished 23rd with a time of 17:07.76.
On the girls’ side, Alamosa senior Elizabeth McQuitty dominated her home course, winning the 257-girl race by more than 30 seconds with a time of 18:09.73. She was the only SLV runner in the Top 20.
Cheyenne Mountain won the team race with 87 points, narrowly defeating Manitou Springs, which scored 89 points. Centauri was the top SLV team, finishing ninth with 244 points, while Alamosa was tenth with 270 points.
FOOTBALL
SLV football teams had a strong week, going 6-3 overall.
Alamosa led the charge with a dominant 51-0 victory over Banning Lewis Academy. The Mean Moose allowed just 71 yards of offense, with 33 passing and 38 rushing yards. They amassed 391 yards of offense, with senior Dyson Woodward throwing two touchdowns on 7-of-17 passing for 111 yards. Five players combined for 280 rushing yards and four touchdowns. Alamosa, now 2-0, will travel to Pueblo Central High School on Thursday.
In Class 1A South Central action, Monte Vista bounced back with a 43-7 win at Rye. Despite giving up 208 rushing yards, Monte Vista excelled offensively. Senior Kaden Madrid completed 12-of-17 passes for 303 yards and six touchdowns, while seven players rushed 25 times for 170 yards. Senior Jacob Pacheco led the ground game with 119 yards on 15 carries. Monte Vista, now 1-1, will host North Fork at 7:00 p.m. on Friday.
In La Jara, the Centauri Falcons secured a 21-20 win against Pagosa Springs. The Falcons aim to stay undefeated when they travel to Buena Vista, which is also 2-0, on Friday.
The Center Vikings fell to 0-2 after a 41-16 loss. They will host Cedaredge on Friday at 1:00 p.m.
The Del Norte Tigers had a bye this weekend and will return to action on Saturday at 1:00 p.m. against Roaring Fork.
In 8-Man football, the Sargent Farmers lost 58-22 to Hayden. The 1-1 Farmers will look to rebound on Friday at 7:00 p.m. when they face Hoehne.
The Sanford Mustangs recovered from their opening-week loss with a dominant 52-6 victory at Swink, leading 46-0 at halftime. Sanford, now 1-1, will host Haxtun at 7:00 p.m. on Friday.
In 6-Man action, the Sierra Grande Panthers maintained their perfect record with a 59-7 win over Deer Trail. The Panthers accumulated nearly 300 yards on 28 offensive plays. They will travel to Kiowa on Friday at 7:00 p.m.
Sangre de Cristo rebounded from their first game loss with a 50-14 win over Soroco. The Thunderbirds will play next Saturday at 1:00 p.m. against Dove Creek.
Antonito fell to Bethune 55-7 and is now 0-2. They will host the Sierra Grande Panthers at 3:00 p.m. next Friday.
SOFTBALL
Since last Tuesday, the Alamosa Mean Moose have played five games, going 3-2. They started the weekend with a 14-4 win over Montezuma-Cortez, followed by a 10-9 loss to Falcon. They then defeated Pueblo East 10-5 before falling to Pueblo County 10-0. They ended the weekend with an 8-5 win at Mesa Ridge. Alamosa will play Rocky Ford on Tuesday and Southeast Colorado on Saturday.
VOLLEYBALL
Alamosa had a perfect week, sweeping Pueblo County, Delta, and Pagosa Springs with 3-0 wins. The Pagosa Springs match was a conference game. The Mean Moose, now 6-2, will host Bayfield on Thursday for another conference match before traveling to Hoehne on Saturday.
Centauri played four matches this week, winning their first against Coronado with a 2-0 sweep but then losing to Windsor (2-0), Bayfield (2-1), and Durango (2-0).
Monte Vista’s sole home match ended in a 3-0 loss to Buena Vista.
The Center Vikings’ only game resulted in a 3-1 win over Sierra Grande, while the Sanford Mustangs earned a 3-0 sweep of South Park. The Del Norte Tigers secured a 3-2 win over Custer County to round out the 2A teams.
In 1A action, the Panthers fell to Deer Trail 3-2, but the Sargent Farmers continued their perfect season with a 3-0 record, defeating Creede and Antonito in straight sets. Centennial was swept by Questa (N.M.) 3-0.
MileHigh Prep Report 