Just 48 hours after competing in Balko, Okla., on Thursday, the Pampa Harvester cross country program was back on the course Saturday, Aug. 29, traveling to Perryton for the annual Wolf Creek Classic.
The meet also marked the season debut for Pampa’s junior high boys and girls, who competed in fields averaging approximately 165 runners.
“We had a very successful meet at Balko, and 48 hours later we were back in action in Perryton for a doubleheader week,” Pampa Head Coach Otis Chunn said. “The junior high boys and girls made their debut with some pretty good stats. Both junior high divisions had an average of 165 runners.”
Junior High Recap
Eighth grader Tiago Silva led the Pampa junior high boys with a 21st-place finish, followed by eighth grader Wade Camden in 35th. Eighth grader Grayson Jones placed 81st, eighth grader Michael Williams finished 89th and seventh grader Kevin Dominguez was 155th.
The junior high boys finished seventh as a team out of 15 competing schools.
On the girls side, eighth grader Kaitlyn Resendiz led Pampa with a 52nd-place finish. Seventh grader Karen Hernandez placed 63rd, seventh grader Alexis Logan was 136th and eighth grader Kaylee Rivera finished 155th. The Lady Harvesters did not record a team score.
High School Recap
At the high school level, Junior Perla Hernandez paced the Lady Harvesters with a 24th-place finish. Sophomore Zoe Reynolds finished 46th and Freshman Alexis Valles placed 143rd.
The Harvester boys continued their strong start to the season with a third-place team finish among 17 teams.
Senior Ryan Resendiz led Pampa by finishing 10th overall and earning a medal. Junior Jesus Montano followed in 20th, while junior Said Saldierna placed 27th.
Freshman Dimarrio “Pancho” Ortega finished 38th, Senior Edwin Madrid was 42nd and Freshman Guillermo Robledo placed 68th. Freshman Benson Owen finished 79th, sophomore Max McClendon was 85th, Freshman Clark Campbell placed 128th and Freshman Jermiah Ojeda finished 144th.
“The teams continue to show improvement week after week,” Chunn said. “This week, a special shoutout goes to Dimarrio ‘Pancho’ Ortega. He went from the No. 5 position at Balko to No. 4 today. He has dropped his time from the 23s to the 19s, and that is a lot for a freshman.”
Chunn said that improvement is representative of what he is seeing throughout the Pampa program as the Harvesters continue working toward their goals.
“Everyone is trying to do their part for the team,” Chunn said. “We are getting closer to our goals every day.”
Pampa will now get a brief break from competition before returning to action at Lubbock Christian University during the weekend of September 12.
“Our next stop will not get any easier as we will be traveling to LCU in Lubbock the second week in September to continue our journey,” Chunn said. “It is great to be a Harvester. Go Green.”
