If you like running on hills then you will love the course at the O'Connor/Ken Denson Invitational! The biggest hill looks like the "reservoir hill" at the Mt. Sac course. Add the sharp turns and the extremely hot weather and you have yourself a very challenging race.
For the winners of the varsity races, Rio Rico runners Aeoleone Bristow (Jr, pictured below right) and Jose Luis Munoz (Sr, pictured left), the course was just right. "We love hills because Rio Rico is all hills," said Bristow after the race. "I like this course because its in the middle of
nowhere; it's a nice course and it has hills. It really tests you out there," added Munoz.
Both runners used the first hill to take the lead and pull away from the competition.
In the girls varsity race, Bristow took the lead at the start of the hill. The mile mark was at the top of the hill where she took 10 strides…... then a downhill run into a turn. "I heard a girl behind me so that helped me push more on that hot back stretch," Bristow continued, "After the second mile Gloria Tello and Kailey Rumbo came up behind me. They did really well."
Bristow looked strong as she came around the final turn sprinting to the finish line, finishing in 19:45.94. "I have been training harder this year and I am more focussed. I am kind of fired up since I missed my whole track season (due to an injury)."
Gloria Tello (Sr., Sandra Day O'Connor, pictured right) finished 2nd in 19:55.20, followed by Pinnacle senior Christen Collins in 20:03.16 and Sandra Day O'Connor senior Kailey Rumbo in 20:11.50. Sophomore Lacey Kalinen rounded out the top five finishing in 20:15.67.The Pinnacle girls won the invitational with 48 points over Sandra Day O'Connor (62 pts). Rio Rico took 3rd with 88 points. Also scoring points for the Pinnacle team were 6th place finisher Kyndal Sorenson (20:30.86); Dana Stull who finished 10th (21:21.76) and Nicole Zampino who placed 25th (22:35.23).
In the boys Varsity race Munoz stayed around 9th place for the first 1200 meters. "I took the lead going up the hill right before the mile mark," said a very upbeat Munoz. "I felt pretty good," he continued. And he looked good coming down the final stretch, crossing the finish line in 15:59.79. Will Firth (Jr., Brophy College Prep, pictured left) took 2nd in 16:37.30 followed closely by Alejandro Valencia (Rio Rico) in 16:41.03, Camelback junior Eric Zuza (16:53.86) and Rio Rico senior Matt Diaz (16:57.55).With three runners in the top five Munoz was hoping his team won the event but Brophy had all five of their scoring runners in the top 15 and took the title with 41 points. Rio Rico took second with 46 points followed by Camelback (95 pts).
Brophy's top runners were Firth (2nd), sophomore Brock Ghelfi (6th, 17:04.49), junior Tommy Williams (9th, 17:35.07), senior Matthew Xuereb (11th, 17:49.21) and junior Patrick Wolf (13th, 17:58.06).
Brophy Prep and Rio Rico will not meet again during the regular season but both teams are looking forward to Regionals and State. "We have been training hard and hopefully when it counts we will put it together," said Munoz about his team.
Brophy College Prep winning team (below)
In the girls JV race Sandra Day O'Connor placed 4 runners in the top five earning 19 points. Leading the group was sophomore Jordyn Bentley with the win (23.11.31), followed by sophomore Stephanie Croker in 2nd place (23:32.41), senior Kelsey Ortego in 3rd (24:22.34) and junior Emily Arland in 5th (25:22.12). Maddie Dullard from Raymond S. Kellis finished 4th in 25:17.39.
Pinnacle girls winning team (below)
Boulder Creek had two boys in the top two spots in the boys JV race. Winning the race in 18:12.67 was freshman Jake Prickett. James Kuntz, also a freshman, took 2nd (18:37.67) followed by two Rio Rico boys, Michael Faircloth (Jr., 19:15.90) and Emilio Garcia (Sr.,19:18.00). Rounding out the top five was Sandra Day O'Connor Calvin Ritter (19:27.76).
Sandra Day O'Connor won the boys JV race with 46 points. Rio Rico took 2nd with 53 points.
In the freshman races, Gabriel Gomez from Camelback won the boys race in 19:07.46 and Mandy Bonsignore from Sandra Day O'Connor won the girls race in 23:03.77.