Junior Luis Valdez ran his first two 5K races in less than 21 minutes each to pace the Camp Verde High School cross-country teams going into their first home meet at 4 p.m. Wednesday, Sept. 17.
Valdez finished 20th out of more than 70 runners Sept. 3 at the Payson Invitational with a 20:29 finish on the nearly 3.2-mile Payson Golf Course, then followed that up three days later with a 20:49 Ascent Race run at Flagstaff’s Buffalo Park in the Peaks Invitational, where the seven CVHS girls runners finished 11th overall Sept. 6.
“Luis, he should qualify for State,” head coach Mike O’Callaghan said. “He’s been working harder this season than the previous two years. Now, he’s running better than he was at any time last year.”
Going into the Cowboys’ triangular meet Sept. 17 against Coolidge High School and Arete Preparatory Academy, of Gilbert, Valdez’s times have not only paced both CVHS cross-country teams in their first two meets, they have carried a tiny boys team consisting of just one other full-time runner, sophomore Alyious Beauty, and part-time freshman soccer player Chase Decker.
In contrast to last season, in which the Cowboys ran in six Wednesday meets but qualified just one runner for the Division IV state finals at Cave Creek Golf Course, all meets after Sept. 17 will be on Fridays or Saturdays — which should at least help Valdez and senior Rayana Chatter run well enough to qualify at the sectional championships, Friday, Oct. 31, at Hidden Cove Golf Course in Holbrook.
For the full story, please see the Wednesday, Sept. 17, issue of the Camp Verde Journal.
