As dusk enveloped Durango on Friday, the Montezuma-Cortez High School cross-country teams paced near the starting line of the Southwest Sunset Classic.
Then, at the sound of the starting guns, the boys and girls teams took off for the rare evening race.
Setting the pace for the girls was senior Caisey Duran, who placed 27th with a time of 21:31. Ayanna Silas finished 53rd (22:49), Ridley Dennison placed 71st (23:23), Trinity Meyers finished 95th (24:29), and Cassandra McCully finished 96th (24:49).
As a team, the M-CHS girls finished 12th out of 15 qualifying teams. Durango High School finished first and captured the Top 3 individual placings.
The Panthers boys were led by John Whyte, who placed 56th (18:17). Trenton Bagge placed 81st (18:49), Will Brown finished 88th (18:55), Ben Castillo Calvillo placed 110th (19:34), and Isiah Pena finished 144th (20:27).
The M-CHS boys team placed 14th out of 16 qualifying teams. Durango High School placed first.
Next, the Panthers run at the Pagosa Springs Cross-country Challenge on Reservoir Hill on Sept. 23.