Boys cross country heads to state championships

For the fourth year in a row, the Maricopa High School boys’ cross country team will be competing in the Arizona state championships, with high hopes of a top five finish.

The boys, who finished third in the sectional championship last Saturday, will be led by senior Chris Lessard, who captured the sectional individual title. The MHS girls will be represented by sophomore

Jessica Beach who earned an individual spot at the state meet by placing 20^th at the sectional.

The meet takes place Saturday at the Cave Creek Golf Course. The boys’ race is at 11 a.m. and the girls’ at noon.

Head coach Duane Anderson feels his team has a good chance of finishing among the top teams Saturday.

“We didn’t think the boys ran as well as they could run,” Anderson said, reflecting on the sectionals. “We thought they had kind of a bad race and we were really excited when we saw we had third place and just 20-something place behind Ironwood Ridge.” The Rams placed just 21 points behind the Tucson school.

But as for the state championships?

“If we have a really good race, and everything falls just right, we’re hoping to get somewhere between second and fifth,” he notes. Tucson Canyon Del Oro is without question the top team in the state, with Ironwood Ridge right behind. Cave Creek Cactus Shadows and Phoenix Greenway will also challenge the Rams.

Lessard will be looking for a strong performance in his final high school meet. Anderson feels that he has a chance at the state title.

“Chris, and Edwardo Roa, of McClintock, should be running for first and second,” Anderson said. Those two hooked up earlier in the year at the Tumbleweed Invitational, with Roa pulling away to win in the final mile. Lessard had some illness problems earlier in the season, but seems in fine shape now.

***ADVERTISEMENT***Maricopa will have its top five runners available: Lessard, Matt Taylor, Gibran Aguilar, John Newman and Jonathan Dean. In addition, sophomore Eli Reynolds will have a chance to compete at the state meet. For Aguilar, it will be his fourth consecutive trip to the state finals. Lessard was unable to race a year ago due to a foot injury. Without him the Rams placed 14^th.

Beach, the lone representative from the girls’ team, has a chance to also finish well according to Anderson.

“The girls probably had an even tougher section to run in than the boys. Jessica is going to try to break 20 minutes this weekend. If she does that she could be in the top 30.”