San Juan cross country boys get four top-ten finishes at home, win in Pagosa

by Jessica Walker
Contributing Writer
John Thornton was a talented athlete and inspirational leader who exemplified dedication and kindness to those around him. Just over three decades after his passing, Thornton’s legacy lives on every year at the John Thornton Cross Country Invitational in Blanding.
Held at Pacheco Trails behind the Blanding Visitor Center, the challenging dirt course features minimal shade and a large, rocky hill halfway through. Nearly 200 runners descended on the course this past Wednesday, October 2.
Many of those athletes and teams came to preview the course in anticipation of the Region 15 Championship which will be held in just under two weeks at the same location.
The boys were first to face the daunting course and four San Juan runners mustered top-ten finishes in their home race. Abe Lyman took fifth, Austin Pincock was sixth, Rosendo Martine was ninth, and Platte Lyman came home tenth.
Promising Bronco sophomore Jack Kartchner finished next in 18th. Just ten seconds later Keegan McCullough crossed the line in 20th. And Ethan Francom rounded out the San Juan boys runners in 24th.
Brittany Jensen led the girls team to a fourth-place finish in their home race. Outkicking Grand County’s Elisabeth Knight by four seconds, Jensen earned tenth. Sincere Nez finished next, seizing 15th place.
After Nez, Brinley Jones and Ada Lyman finished consecutively in 26th and 27th. Braylyn Eddie was 37th, Harmony Oshley took 40th, and Rose Kartchner rounded out the girls squad in 41st.
The Bronco harriers finished the week at the McGinn Memorial in Pagosa Springs, CO on Saturday, October 5. It was a beautiful, but extremely hilly course in the mountains overlooking the town of Pagosa Springs.
Abe Lyman led the boys team to victory with an impressive individual third-place finish. The team collectively bested nine other teams to earn the first-place trophy.
Platte Lyman joined Abe in the top ten, nabbing tenth individually. Austin Pincock and Jack Kartchner were next to finish in 11th and 12th. Remarkably, only nine seconds separated the three runners.
Jeraden Hurst and Noah Begay followed Kartchner across the finish in 19th and 21st. Kyle Begay followed his twin, Noah, finishing 41st to complete the boys team performances.
For the girls Brittany Jensen and Sincere Nez crossed the finish line almost simultaneously to earn 20th and 21st. The two athletes helped lead their team to a seventh-place finish overall.
The next two athletes, Brinley Jones and Ada Lyman finished in almost identical fashion as Jensen and Nez with times less than half a second apart. Jones took 43rd and Lyman was 44th. Harmony Oshley finished next in 50th followed by Sierra Black in 60th and Taryn Nielson in 67th.
As previously stated, the San Juan cross country team is hosting the Region 15 Championships on Monday, October 14. This will be the Broncos’ first time hosting a region championship since 2017. The boys race is set to begin at 2 p.m. with the girls running at approximately 2:30.