Ganado XC could have banner year

WINDOW ROCK

In a span of two weeks, the Ganado cross-country program has set itself up for a banner year.

The varsity girls’ program is a perfect 3-for-3 in team titles, having won the Hopi, Window Rock and Canyon de Chelly invitationals.

The boys’ team isn’t too far behind with a pair of team titles at both the Window Rock and Canyon de Chelly meets.

“Our team has been working well together,” first-year Ganado coach Leandra Thomas said. “I think the Number One thing we’re building on right now is teamwork. Lately the teamwork that they’ve been showing has been making a lot of progress and along the way we’re making improvements.”

Thomas said the team aspect is what’s holding them together and so far it’s paid dividends. With encouragement, she said the entire team is running as a group, rather than individuals.

“I think it helps with their motivation,” she said. “A lot of that has to do with getting to know one another and that just goes back to teamwork and respecting each other.”

Despite carrying six freshmen on the two squads – four on the boys’ team – Thomas said she is not all that surprised with how they’re performing.

“We had a young team going into this year but I know their potential and I know their talents,” she said. “I’ve worked with these runners before when I was the middle school coach so I know where they’re at. They know the expectations and they know the workouts.”

Thomas said her new batch of runners – Alfred Reid III, Cauy Curley, Alzayin Kee, Jimson Wilson, Marissa Shorty and Lasundrai Baldwin – had no problem transitioning into the high school program and she credits the feeder system for getting them ready.

“We graduate seniors every year but we have others that replace them,” she said. “It all starts at the middle school and it helps (that) they are helping build our running program.

“We’re just making sure their training is where it needs to be,” she added. “I’m just so proud of what they are doing at this point. They’re hard workers and the efforts they are putting is showing at their races.”

In their first meet outside of the area, the Hornets will be tested at Saturday’s Four Corners Invitational in Flagstaff. The following week they will take part in the Nike Desert Twilight Cross-Country Festival in Casa Grande, Arizona.

Thomas said they are looking forward to those two meets as the past few weeks have brought some much-needed confidence to her squad.

“At this point of the season I think we’ve prepared ourselves for what’s to come,” she said. “We’re going to stay humble with where we’re at and just focus on our team. As long as we have teamwork I think we’ll be OK.”

At the recent Canyon de Chelly meet, which was hosted by Chinle, the Hornets girls’ team placed five of its scoring members in the top 18 for a team score of 47 points with Coconino trailing 15 points back.

The boys, meanwhile, had four harriers in the top 10 with their fifth runner placing 12th overall. As a team, Ganado finished the 12-team meet with 42 points as they distanced themselves from the field.

Monument Valley and Tuba City came in next as they both finished with 112 points but the Mustangs earned the tiebreaker based on their sixth runner.

Individually, the third-place finish from ReShaun Curley (18:08) paced the Hornets as he finished behind Tuba City’s Demetrius Daw (17:54) and Piñon’s Daniel Biakeddy (17:57).

To help with the team score, Ganado took up the No. 8 to the No. 10 slots with Reid (18:24) finishing ahead of his teammates. Junior Marquez Smith was clocked in at 18:32 followed by Cauy Curley (18:33).

To round out the team score, junior Chance Yazzie (10:44) placed 12th.

On the girls’ team, the 3-4 finish from senior Jayla McIntosh (21:19) and sophomore Whitney James (21:28) paced Ganado.

Both runners trailed meet champion Aisha Ramone (20:56) of Kirtland Central and Chinle’s Temyra Bia (21:16).

Other Ganado finishers included: Marissa Shorty (10th), Laundrai Baldwin (13th), Kayla Beck (20th) and Marissa Smith (27th).

---