Lady Hornets carry edge to state championship

PHOENIX

It was theirs to lose.

That was the mentality the Ganado girls’ cross-country team had going into last Saturday’s Arizona Division III state cross-country meet at Cave Creek Golf Course in Phoenix.

During the regular season, the Lady Hornets entered 10 meets and won half of them so they were one of the favorites to win the state title.

Ganado coach Anna James, however, still had some reservations on whether her team could do just that, considering the strong field of contenders.

“We knew that Sal Pointe Catholic, Coconino and all the 3A North teams were pretty good,” James said. “They pushed us but I thought we overcame that.”

Led by the 10th- and the 11th-place finish from sisters Janaya and Jayla McIntosh, the Hornets edged Coconino by eight points for the team crown as Ganado racked up 101 points.

“It’s been a long time since Ganado has won a state title,” said Janaya McIntosh, who was clocked in at 19:54. “We were able to do that because of our family bond. We like to encourage one another and that is what made us a state championship team.

“I want to thank our parents and God for giving us the ability to run,” she added.

The Hornets also got a 17th-place finish from freshman Kayla Beck (20:36) and to complete the team score senior Camille Uentillie (21:16) edged teammate Shaunda Yazzie (21:17) for 37th place.

“There were a lot of good runners here and it feels good to run against them but it feels even better to come back home with a state title,” Uentillie said.

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