Cibola boys and girls both land gold, sweep City Championship cross country meet
Raiders' Ornelas and Irazola take top spots for individual times, lead teams to win
YUMA, Ariz., (KYMA, KECY) - Five Yuma area schools competed in another edition of the cross country City Championship on Wednesday afternoon for the last tune up before sectionals gets underway.
The boys took the 3.1 mile-long course around Kofa High School first with runners from Cibola, Gila Ridge, Kofa, San Luis and Yuma.
Right from the start, runners from Cibola and Kofa started to separate from the pack.
Once coming back into viewing distance after a trip down the canal and around Ray Smucker Park, Cibola's Alan Ornelas stood all alone down the final stretch. A couple hundred feet behind him was Gila Ridge's Eduardo Marquez.
Marquez was the only Hawk to finish in the top 14 which was dominated by all Cibola and Kofa runners.
In the end, it was Ornelas that polished off the first-place finish with a time of 16:35, almost stumbling across the finish line due to dizziness.
"For the last 100 meters, maybe 200, I blacked out," said Ornelas. "I knew what was happening around me but I don't remember a single thing when crossing the finish."
Marquez rolled in just 13 seconds behind Ornelas at 16:48. Despite the impressive second-place finish, the senior still was not too thrilled with his performance.
"I was really trying to get the top spot in my senior year. I gave my all and tried to push through. It was just a tough course. It was really hilly and it got to me mentally," said Marquez. "I'd like to congratulate Alan. He did beat me. He pushed it."
Cibola's Isaiah Lazaro rounded out the top three, with all Raiders and Kings racing down the final stretch to round out the next 11 spots.
Cibola would be crowned first-place as a team.
TOP 10:
- Alan Ornelas (Cibola) - 16:35
- Eduardo Marquez (Gila Ridge) - 16:48
- Isaiah Lazaro (Cibola) - 17:32
- Arturo Anaya (Kofa) - 17:49
- Damian Moreno (Kofa) - 18:13
- Micah Peynado (Cibola) - 18:34
- Manuel Heras (Kofa) - 18:35
- Gavin Bermudez (Cibola) - 18:35
- David Cavazos (Kofa) - 18:39
- Alex Figueroa (Cibola) - 18:44
Just after some of the top runners for the boys crossed the finish line, it was time for the girls to make their mark on this year's City Championship.
Right off the sound of the gun to take off, Cibola raced ahead of the pack.
Coming down the final stretch, Cibola's Isabella Irazola led the way with Kofa's Sabrina Anaya a few hundred feet behind.
At the end of the 5k that ended in the field behind Kofa High School, it was Irazola taking the crown as the girl top runner with a time of 20:56. A special moment for the senior after crossing the finish line.
"I'm just really tired. Honestly, I just wanted to throw up," said Irazola with a smile on her face. "But it feels good. It's my senior year and it's really exciting."
Amazingly enough, Irazola wasn't even a full 100% while taking the top spot on Wednesday. She suffered a stress fracture in her femur bone in the spring during track and has been making her way back ever since.
"I've been working all season after being injured, so I just pushed through that injury. I'm still recovering, so it feels amazing," said Irazola. "Even when I was restricted, I pushed through what I could do and stepped back when I needed to. I just paid attention to the injury."
Kofa's Sabrina Anaya finished right behind Irazola with a time of 22:10, followed by a pack of more black Raider jerseys.
Elvya Aguilar, Alaina Tracy and Lillian Kamm for Cibola rounded out the top five, giving the Raiders four out of the first five runners to finish all within 2:30 of each other.
And even though it was a major individual accomplishment for Irazola, she was even more excited for the team that brought home first-place for the team race.
"I'm really proud of them. They pushed hard throughout this whole season. We've worked together and we're really close," said Irazola. "I can't put into words how much I love this team."
TOP 10:
- Isabella Irazola (Cibola) - 20:56
- Sabrina Anaya (Kofa) - 22:10
- Elvya Aguilar (Cibola) - 22:47
- Alaina Tracy (Cibola) - 22:59
- Lillian Kamm (Cibola) - 23:08
- Samantha Luna (Yuma) - 24:02
- Emma Cuevas (Cibola) - 24:08
- Belinda Gradias (Yuma) - 24:16
- Gabrielle Avila (Kofa) - 24:17
- Sarah Marceau (Gila Ridge) - 24:32
