CHS Harriers Take Their Marks at State

kmarksteiner0

11 hours ago

2 min read

By Don Eskins

The New Mexico Class 5A Cross Country State Tournament will get underway in Albuquerque on Saturday, November 7.

The Carlsbad Cavemen, coming off a runner-up finish at the District 4/5A Meet on Saturday, October 31, expect to push this year’s field of state championship hopefuls and be a legitimate contender for this year’s Class 5A state title.

“We may have come up a bit short on our goal of winning this year’s District 4/5A title,” said CHS head coach Michael Sims, “but the boys on our roster have proven to be very resilient.

“They’ve been groomed to be contenders in big tournaments all season,” he said. “Throughout 2026, they’ve stepped up to do just that. We expect them to do the same in Albuquerque on Saturday.”

Ranked No. 1 by Milesplit earlier this season, Sims feels that, with their best effort, his kids will have a great shot at bringing home the Class 5A New Mexico Big Blue State Championship Trophy.

Javion Scott, who placed second at last week’s district meet, and Kaleb Vasquez, who placed third, are expected to be frontrunners for the Cavemen in Albuquerque.

Although the Cavegirls aren’t expected to contend for the Big Blue Trophy this year, Sims expects the meet to be a great experience for them.

“Still very young, like the Cavemen, all of our girls have improved a great deal this year,” said Sims. “Although contending for a state title is still a bit down the road for them, the experience they’ll get competing in this year’s state meet should prove to be invaluable for them in their development.”

Pacing the Cavegirls’ effort in the Duke City will be Rainelle Ruiz. Only a sophomore, she placed seventh at district.

CHS Goes 2-3 at District Meet

The Cavemen cross country team, behind Javion Scott’s second place effort and Kaleb Vasquez’ third, placed second at the District 4/5A Tournament in Clovis on Saturday, October 31.

Hobbs, with 30 points, grabbed this year’s conference title. The Cavemen, only four points back, scored 34.

Scott, in placing second, turned in a time of 17:13.92. Vasquez, en route to finishing third, crossed the tape at 17:15.46.

The Cavegirls placed third at the conference meet. Turning in CHS’s top time and place was Rainelle Ruiz, who posted a 20:02.12 to finish seventh.

By finishing among the District 4/5A top three teams, both the Cavemen and Cavegirls qualified for state.

As Top 10 finishers at the conference meet, Cavemen Javion Scott, Kaleb Vasquez, Mason Medrano, and Rex Reynolds, along with Cavegirl Rainelle Ruiz, earned All-District 4/5A Honors.

District 4/5A Results:

Boys’ Team: 1. Hobbs, 30; 2. Carlsbad, 34; 3. Clovis, 58; 4. Roswell, 120.

Cavemen: 2. Javion Scott, Jr., 17:13.92; 3. Kaleb Vasquez, Sr., 17:15.46; 7. Mason Medrano, 8th, 17:28.96; 10. Rex Reynolds, Jr., 17:35.34; 12. Josiah Waddle, So., 17:37.51; 20. Kleyvin Hernandez, So., 18:29.37; 21. Caisen Smith, Jr., 19:00.09.

Girls’ Team: 1. Clovis, 24; 2. Hobbs, 50; 3. Carlsbad, 77; 4. Roswell, 87.

Cavegirls: 7. Rainelle Ruiz, So., 22:02.12; 14. Harmonie Frye, Fr., 23:06.53; 16. Alessandra Aguilar, Jr., 23:14.04; 17. Soledad Martinez, So., 23:34.00; 23. Jocelyn Baca, Jr., 25:03.84; 24. Chaleesta Gonzalez, Jr., 25:24.53; 28. Jeannette Gonzalez, Jr., 28:09.89.