5A II Boys
"I cannot tell you how ecstatic I am," said Jay Edelson, coach of the Camelback Cross Country Team. He was talking about his team's second place finish in 5A Division II at the Arizona State Meet held Saturday, November 8th. For the many years Edelson has been coaching at Camelback, his team had never won a trophy......this season they won many, including a State Champion trophy for their top runner Alberto Tellez (pictured far left).
When Alberto was a freshman there were only five boys on the team and the team finished last at the State Meet. Each year the team grew in numbers and in strength with Alberto as their frontrunner. "Alberto was the leader and MVP all four years," continued Coach Edelson, "he is the consummate team player. It will be interesting to see who will pick up the leadership after Alberto leaves."
Newly crowned State Champ Alberto Tellez can look back on a very exciting 2008 season with wins at the O'Connor/Ken Denson Invitational, Los Mesquites Invitational, Phoenix Union Championships, the Metro Regionals and now the State Championship 5A II Meet. "I am so happy," said a very jubilant Tellez, "When I am old I am going to tell my grandchildren about this. This is the best season ever! I love Cross Country! I love my teammates........they are the brothers I never had!"
Tellez's race was not an easy one as Josh Espinoza (So, Deer Valley) pushed a fast pace in the first mile and a half. Tellez got to the first mile marker in 5:10 which is where his coaches wanted him to be. "I passed Josh at the half mile mark but couldn't keep up," said Tellez, "Fabian Romero (Jr, Sunnyside) was with me the whole race and at the two mile mark we were right next to each other," Telez continued, "When I took the last turn I sprinted. I kept trying to catch the guy on the bike."
Tellez has a lot of support from his teammates and his family. He also gets encouragement from many others, "Runners from Cesar Chavez and their Coach, Mr. Anderson were all rooting for me as I ran by. They helped me get through it."
Romero ran side by side with Tellez throughout the entire race fading to second place, however, his second place finish helped lead his Sunnyside team to victory. Freshman teammate Rene Suarez ran a strong 4th with junior Angel Camero finsihing 7th. Two seniors, Ismael Garcia (22) and Lestley Lewis (27) rounded out the top five giving the team a total of 62 points.
4A I Boys
In the 4A Division I race senior Alex Evans (pictured right) from Sabino was in 4th place at the mile mark, seven seconds behind leader Cody Smith (Sr, Shadow Mountain) who went through the mile in 4:59.30. At the two mile mark Smith had a slight lead over Evans and Kyle Short (Sr.) from Cactus Shadows. "I tried to pass the leader Cody Smith a little after the two mile mark and then he took it back again," said Evans, "then Kyle Short from Cactus Shadows came up and it was the three of us and then Kyle took the lead. With about 600 to 800 meters left I started to go but it was still close. I kept pushing hard." Evans won the race in 16:19.55 with Short in second (16:30.50) and Smith in third (16:38.25)Evan's win helped put his team into third place with 92 points with Cactus Shadows, led by Kyle Short, in second (85 points) and Catalina Foothills in first. Catlina Foothills had all five of their scoring runners in the top 20 with Sr. Tucker Wiedenkeller in 5th; sophomore Max Warneke in 7th; junior Rafael Gomez in 11th; senior William Harrison in 17th and sophomore Rex Woodbury in 19th.
4A I Girls
It was a great day for Sabino as junior Christina Price (pictured left) crossed the finish line in first place with a time of 19:16.20. At the one mile mark Price and sophomore Konnie Zuniga from Nogales were running side by side, matching strides, but by the two mile mark Price gained a 13 second lead over second place Zuniga. "I wasn't overly confident but I knew I could do it if I really had a good day," said Price, "I ran with Konnie Zuniga most of the race and I don't think I broke away from her until the last mile. We went down a hill and coming back up I passed her and that was it." Price was also excited for her team's 4th place finish, "I am so proud of our girls this year, we have a much stronger team than we have ever had and it was a really good year. Chloe Nielson got 20th and I am really proud of her," said a beaming Price.
Zuniga's teammate senior Adelilce Legleu was in a third place battle with junior Gloria Tello from Sandra Day O'Connor. Somewhere between two miles and the finish Tello surged ahead of Zuniga for a second place finish time of 19:38.80. Zuniga finished in 19:46.85 with senior Natalie Omundson (19:48.80) from Cactus Shadows in fourth and Chloe Newell (19:53.40) in 5th.
Saguaro took the runner up trophy with a total of 77 points by placing five runners in the top 27. Seniors Carolyn Brown and Loren Wynn placed 7th and 9th respectivley with junior Paige Lablonde in 16th; freshman Olivia Brancati in 18th and senior Allie Herriot in 27th.
Sandra Day O'Connor repeated as State Champions placing their top five runners in the top 29. Junior Gloria Tello took the second place spot with junior Kaily Rumbo finishing 8th. Senior Renee Peck placed 12th; sophomore McKenzie Brist took 15th and Senior Shannon Walsh finished 29th.
Memorable Sports Moment
Shortly after finishing her 4th place finish, Natalie Omundson (pictured right #1286) from Cactus Shadows stood at the end of the chute encouraging runners from every team as they finished their races. She would also assist runners who were struggling by putting her arm around them and helping them to a seat or a table. It's moments like this that put a smile on your face and remind you of why you love this sport so much.
Thank you Natalie for a memorable sports moment!