Arizona Division III state cross country

Page boys three-peats, Chinle’s Hardy earns second consecutive title

PHOENIX

Page’s boy’s and Chinle’s Santiago Hardy continue to dominate.

Page’s boy’s chalked up 77 points, while placing its five scoring runners in the top 24 positions to post a three-peat.

Hardy closed out his high school running career by nailing down his second straight state championship.

Competing before a large audience, the Sand Devils and Hardy proved they are the best in Division III in the state of Arizona. Hardy toured the 5K course in 15:27, well ahead of his 15:58 he posted last year.

Page chalked up 77 points, while Scottsdale Saguaro netted 99 points, followed by Ganado with 123 points. Chinle tallied 124 points for fourth place and Tuba City rounded out the top five teams with 135 points.

Page head coach Mac Lane said the Sand Devils worked hard all season, despite hitting some speed bumps along the way.

“The guys came to race today,” he said. “There are tough teams and tough individual runners. The guys were focused and ready to race when they laced their shoes up. It was a team effort. We didn’t have a frontrunner, but they raced in a pack. We had two runners in the top 11, four in the top 18 and five scoring runners in the top 24 positions. We proved that we are strong enough and have the depth to overcome any speed bumps.”

Dorian Daw was Page’s top finisher, claiming seventh place, turning in a 16:29 time. Morgan Fowler (16:40) garnered 11th place. Page’s other scoring runners included Bowen Martin (17th, 16:51), Jevon Yazzie (18th, 16:52) and Justin Billy (24th, 17:04).

Hardy said he trained throughput the summer. He said his training allowed him to become stronger when the season started.

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