MEMBERS OF THE Mancos High School boys and girls cross-country team get in some light sprints during a preseason practice session. The Blue Jays should have a strong boys’ team this fall. The girls, who lost a key member, will likely struggle early before finding their stride.

BY JIM THOMAS
Journal Sports Editor

It is hard to believe this is the fourth year of the cross-country program at Mancos High School. Coach Tim Dunham has been there since the beginning.

The seniors this year will be Levi Martinez, who started since the program began, and first-year cross-country runner Kyle Yeomans who has run distance in track.

Juniors are Alan Cummings, Clint Hill, and Preston Hennrich. All three of them have been with the program since they were freshmen.

"These guys will make up our good core of older kids," Dunham remarked. "But then our experience level drops off to some freshmen and sophomores with little experience."

Scott Yost, Justin Wince, and Logan Stiles are all youngster who all will battle out for that fifth spot. Ian Mullikin is a freshman but he has been running long distance races in local fun runs.

The girls will have a very young team with little experienced runners.

Senior Karena Dunham and sophomore Dorothy Edgerton have some experience. Three freshmen out this season include Aspen Hennrich, Lyndi Rousset, and Cassandra Kennedy.

"On the girls’ side, they definitely will have a young team. Those girls will be pressed to step immediately into on a varsity team. Those freshmen, if they stay with it, will be great by the time their seniors," he commented.

The Blue Jays open the 2001 season at Pagosa Springs this Saturday, Sept. 1. They visit Aztec, N.M., on Sept. 8 and go to Shiprock, N.M., on Sept. 15. New on the schedule this year is a meet at Farmington High on Sept. 21.

MHS competes at Bayfield on Sept. 29 and then they host their run up in the pines near Chicken Creek on Oct. 6. Another meet, which is yet to be announced, could be on tap for Oct. 14.

"Most of our local meets, we are usually the smallest school competing. We usually run up against 5A schools like Durango and some of the big Albuquerque schools. We get tough competition all year long. This type of schedule is great when we compete at Regionals," Dunham noted.

Regionals is set for Oct. 20 and State Oct. 27. The Blue Jays compete at the Class 3A level in this sport.

"I think the girls will do okay by the end of the season. The boys should do very good. We really lost a lot of good seniors last year. We will be young but the kids and I are looking forward to this season," Dunham added.