The Mancos cross country teams traveled to Colorado Springs on Friday for the Cheyenne Mountain Stampede.
The Blue Jays runners got a taste of the course that will later hold the state championships, and both the boys and girls teams found success.
"This meet is always tough, as it attracts some of the best teams in the state," said head coach Brady Archer. "And it's the first chance to see how everyone is running. We had some good races. Two of our varsity girls have never run cross country before, and they finished 13th and 20th."
Leading the girls was junior Emma Most, who finished 11th with a time of 24:51. She was followed by Brittney Peacock in 14th place (25:11) and Kaylee Rose in 20th (26:25). Hannah Skinner rounded out the varsity at 23rd with a time of 28:00.
In the team standings, the girls finished fourth, just two points behind eighth-ranked Peyton.
Ro Paschal was the first Blue Jay to finish among the boys, and his 17:25 time was good enough for third place overall.
He was followed by Simon Kearns in eighth place (18:27), Jake McKie in 24th (19:42), Asa Kearns in 29th (20:54), Caleb Yoder in 32nd (21:16), Nic Arhuleta finished in 36th (21:27), Zane Goodell in 42nd (21:53) and Vincent Grego in 45th (22:12).
The boys also finished in fourth place as a team.
"One of our runners on the boys side got pretty sick on the course," Archer said. "However, the runners behind him really stepped up and kept us close to the top teams."
With their first meet in the books, the Blue Jays are now focused on their next meet.
"I always feel like this is just a starting point for us," said Archer. "Both teams will grow from here as the season moves along."
Next, Mancos will travel to Monticello on Wednesday, Sept. 2 for the Lloyd's Lake Classic.
