San Juan opens season with strong runner-up finishes at Boggy Draw Bear Chase in Dolores

by Jessica Walker
Contributing Writer
A lot has changed for the San Juan High School girls cross country team. Gone are top varsity contributors Saylor Perkins and Leah Castellon, but the team has welcomed six new freshmen.
Five of those girls finished the Boggy Draw Bear Chase in Dolores, CO this past Saturday, August 19 in varsity spots. The other two varsity slots were filled by sophomores.
With a varsity team composed entirely of underclassmen, the Lady Broncos got a promising start to their season at the opening meet with a fine second place result, just behind Durango.
Freshman Sincere Nez led the team with an impressive time of 24:20. Nez’s time, the fastest for the girls since 2021, earned her an 11th-place finish and made it evident that Nez is a competitor to watch this season.
Crossing the finish line less than 30 seconds later was Brittany Jensen in 14th with a time of 24:48. Brinley Jones finished next, knocking over two minutes off her previous best on the Boggy Draw course with a 25:58 for 20th.
Ada Lyman and Leah Johnson followed in 22nd and 23rd with times of 26:59 and 27:12 respectively. Rose Kartchner and Sierra Black rounded out the performance in 32nd and 33rd with times of 30:14 and 30:41.
In contrast to the girls, the landscape of the boys team looks remarkably similar to last season with only one freshman claiming a varsity spot.
After a sixth-place finish at state last year, the experienced Broncos showcased their talent and hunger at the Boggy Draw Bear Chase, also grabbing second and a bundle of personal bests.
Leading the team with a speedy time of 18:21 and a second-place finish was Edward Lyman. Lyman, a senior who has consistently led the team over the last four years, finished nearly a minute ahead of his 2022 time on the course.
The next six runners were separated by just over a minute. The tight pack consisted of Abe Lyman, Ryan McCullough, Noah Begay, Austin Pincock, Platte Lyman (the sole freshman of the group), and Rosendo Martine in seventh, ninth, 11th, 16th, 17th, and 19th.
Every runner in the pack who had previously run the course bested their previous course time, many of them by several seconds. Their times were 19:21, 19:40, 19:48, 20:04, 20:06, and 20:25 respectively.
Following the very strong start in Dolores the Bronco harriers are headed to Spanish Fork this Saturday, August 26 for the Utah Interscholastic Athletic Administrators Association (UIAAA) Invitational.