Cross Country teams host 'Carlsbad Invitational'By Don EskinsThe Cavemen and Cavegirl cross country squads will entertain a field of at least twelve teams at this year's 'Carlsbad Invitational', set to get underway on Saturday morning (Sept. 18). The meet will take place at the Carlsbad Beach Park at 10 a.m.. According to CHS head coach Dave Gonzalez his kids are ready to run."Our kids are really looking forward to being able to run at home, in front of their own families, friends and fans," said Gonzalez. "They're a little nervous right now but they're ready to run.""It really is a big meet for our kids," he said. "It's the only time this year that they'll be competing at home so we hope to see a lot of cross country fans out to support them."Holding CHS's annual meet at the Carlsbad Beach Park appears to be a perfect marriage for both CHS and the Beach Park."It is a great place to hold a cross country meet. That's why we enjoy taking all the kids down there to run," said the CHS coach. "The atmosphere is so different. It's just such a beautiful area for the kids to compete in. Parents and cross country supporters enjoy it because they can actually see a lot of the race there.'CHS entered the 2021 cross country season both young and inexperiened. But they are improving. The Cavemen and Cavegirls will take the line for Saturday's meet coming off one of their best performances of the year at last week's NMMI Invitational."They've seen a lot of competition this year and they've learned a lot about pacing themselves and how to run a 5K race," said Gonzalez. "Last week's race at NMMI was a good one for them. Their times came down and that's encouraging. They're making progress, moving in the right direction."Next up for the CHS cross country teams will be the Organ Mountain Invitational in Las Cruces. The meet is set to begin at 9:00 a.m. on Saturday Sept. 25. NMMI Results Cavemen top times: 1. Luke Peters 18:22, 2. Rafael Espinosa 18:47, 3. Sawyer Johnson 19:09, 4. Isaac Williams 19:25 and 5. Jeff Lara 19:40.Cavegirl top times: 1. Elena Reed 23:43, 2. Rae Ann Carrasco 24:00, 3. Anahi Barrera