Maricopa High School’s boys’ cross country team finished 24th in the state championships Saturday.
Amid 31 Division II teams on a hot day at Cave Creek Golf Course in Phoenix, the Rams were swallowed up in a shockingly fast start. Maricopa ran seven runners in the 5-kilometer race, with the top five scoring points for the team.
Junior Jesse Gaines led the Rams by finishing 50th in a field of 228 runners on a difficult course.
It was not a day for personal best times. Gaines clocked in at 17:36, his fourth fastest result of the season.
Sophomore Alec Kramarczyk was again the No. 2 runner for Maricopa, finished 114th in 18:26. Senior John Blodgett ran 131st in 18:36.
Junior Sam Coles ran 153rd in 18:59. Senior Mark Mwangi, like Blodgett finishing his high school cross country career, was 161st in 19:06.
Also running were Brady Hunsaker, a junior who finished 218th in 21:15, and junior Giovanni Hernandez, who was 224th in 21:36.
Three teams were packed tight at the top of the leader board. Flagstaff High School won Division II, with a combined time of 1:24.10. Campo Verde was second and Buena third.
The individual champion was Buena senior Manuel Olivo-Quinones, who won easily in a blistering 15:41.
