Martin, Crane 1-2 at the Ignatius Invitational
James Martin (162) and Trace Crane (163) of Ignacio finished 1st and 2nd in the high school boys race of the 2024 Ignatius Invitational in Ignacio on Friday morning. (Joel Priest/Special to the Herald)
Even in what essentially became a cross-country duel, the conclusion of the 2024 Ignatius Invitational was as competitive as any major competition. As he approached the finish line Friday morning, James Martin knew he wasn’t alone… and he didn’t even need the cheers of fans to realize how close his pursuers were.
He felt his lead shrinking and knew his teammate Trace Crane was catching up.
“I could feel his breath on my neck the whole time,” Martin said. “I could hear his footsteps and that really motivated me to keep going.”
Although rains from the previous days ultimately necessitated changes to the difficult Jack-a-lope Acres course on race day, the two Bobcats not only managed to break the 20-minute mark, but also finished within two seconds of each other – a sight that definitely pleases new head coach Kent Gillin, who took over the reins from his predecessor Karri McCarter.
Martin — who is now effectively the IHS’ No. 1 seed since 2023 standout Cayson Burcham also plays football — completed a run from more or less start to finish, posting a winning time of 19 minutes, 22.40 seconds. Crane, also a junior, finished in 19:23.99, while sophomores Thunder Windy Boy (21:20.83) and Judah Ashley (21:30.07) took fifth and sixth. And in the invitational’s Score-4 system, the 14 points, the IHS’ lowest score, were better than Montezuma-Cortez’s 22.
“It’s a great opportunity,” Crane said when asked what Burcham’s decision means for Ignacio’s returning runners this fall. “But I was in a weird mood… getting used to a course and then changing in the morning. It was pretty hot out today… but it was OK.”
Sophomore Cruz Plewe led M-CHS with his third-place finish in 19:50.98 and senior Corbin Myers took fourth in 21:19.81. Senior William Blair took seventh in 22:37.42, junior Roberto Sauzameda took eighth in 25:52.35 and junior Kenai Cotonuts took ninth in 27:48.60.
The Bobcats and Panthers are scheduled to compete in the Durango Invitational on Saturday.
BAYFIELD STARTS IN SILVERTON
Bayfield Cross Country, which also competes in Durango, traveled to the less formal Silverton Scramble hosted by Ouray/Ridgway/Silverton on Saturday to establish a joint footing.
Senior Sawyer Flinders beat his 2023 time by nearly five minutes to record the BHS boys’ best time of 20:24.6. Junior Porter Sutherlin clocked a time of 21:29, comparable to his 20:31 in 2023, and senior Will Kennedy-Jones improved from 24:01 to 22:32. Freshman Travis Taylor clocked 22:38, junior Parker Perkerewicz 22:56 and freshman Carter Lamb 22:57.
Second-grader Abigail Robertson was the fastest of the Bayfield girls at 24:37, while third-grader Wrenalee Moore finished at 28:29. Third-grader Mila Feely finished at 29:46 and third-grader Kamala Smith finished at 31:42.
