Early mornings in late August in Oklahoma are not the most pleasant, but throw in running multiple miles and it was just another Thursday for our Lawton Public Schools’ cross country runners. Not only did they have to battle each other, but also the humid temperatures and rough terrain as they flooded the area next to Wolf Creek to compete for the annual LPS City Championships.
Previous years at the city races have resulted in a clean sweep for the Eisenhower High School Eagles in the high school races, but this year, the MacArthur High School Lady Highlanders got on the board with a win in the girls race.
The morning started with the girls race, a two-lap stroll around Cameron University’s McCord Field and up along the edge of Wolf Creek. Eisenhower freshman Claire Trachte, who had won the middle school girls race the two previous years, paced the field and came away with the individual win for the Lady Eagles, finishing with a time of 21:12.97. However, it was the Lady Highlanders who placed five runners in the top-10 and seven in the top-15 to win the team title with a total time of 24:40.83. Senior Emma Kirby led the group with a second place finish and a time of 23:32.84. She was followed by Madelyn Ferguson (11) and Allena Cotanny (10), who both had sub-24 minute times. Christin Miller (9) and Madalyn Stickland (12) also ran top-10 times for MHS.
Trachte’s finish paced EHS to a 24:57.87 team time, which was also helped out by four more runners inside the top-10. Senior Danielle Tomah, who is a previous City Champion, placed third with a time of 23:44.53 while Brandy Barnett (12) and Callee Roberson (11) landed in the top-10 as well.
“I’m very satisfied because I put in a lot of work and effort,” Trachte said about her win. “It feels pretty good, this is my second first place of the season. I won this same race in middle school, but this one is a lot longer and more difficult. It is more competitive, running against the other two schools, and directed towards the competition between the schools.”
Lawton High School finished with a total team time of 32:47.61 led by sophomore Avigail Lackey, who came in with a time of 26:41.15. Xitlali Moctezuma-Roldan (10) and Olivia Malveaux (10) also placed in the top-25 finishers during the girls race.
In the high school boys race, the Eagles kept the crown on the west side of time with a team time of 19:41. Senior Garrett Roberts claimed his second individual title with a time of 18:47.25, followed by six of his teammates who finished in the top-10. Parker Pulzin (10), Rober Duron (10), and Cameron Raymond (12) all finished with sub-20 minute times, followed by Justin Keys (11), Maxwell Emerson (10) and Aiden Blackburn (10).
“It feels pretty awesome, this is my second time winning [the city championship],” said EHS’s Roberts about winning the high school boys race. “It gives me some drive, if no one is out in front of me, someone is also chasing.”
The MacArthur Highlanders finished second with a time of 21:45 led by senior Trevin Shelton, who placed second with a time of 19:42.03. Levi James (10) finished eighth with a solid time of 21:33.84, with teammate Alex Martinez (11) closely behind in 10th thanks to a 21:54.56 finish. Joel Lee (12) and Joe Martinez (12) also finished inside the top-15.
Freshman Jessie Silverhorn was the top finisher for Lawton High, coming in with a time of 23:36.28, good for 15th place.
The middle school races had two more teams join the fold as Eisenhower Middle, MacArthur Middle, and Central Middle, competed with The Lawton Academy of Arts and Sciences and Bishop Middle School.
The EMS Lady Vikings were the top LPS team in the middle school girls race. They had eighth grader Gabriella Prescott (7:27.25), seventh grader Carley Wolf (7:38.53), and seventh grader Galilea Aguilera (7:40.87) finish in third, fourth, and fifth place respectively. MMS seventh grader, Ashlyn Anderson was the top finisher for the Lady Scots, running a time of 7:42.72, good for sixth, while Maliah Williams (7) paced the CMS squad with a seventh place finish and a time of 7:47.28.
Eisenhower dominated the boys race with 35 points thanks to their fourth top-10 finishers. The Vikings had the individual winner, eighth grader Ayden Ellinger, who ran a time of 12:44.28, while Gilbert Hernandez (8) finished fifth, Noah Hinton (8) placed seventh, and David Monroe (8) came in ninth place. Additionally, Cedric Johnson (8) led the Cougars with a fourth place finish and a time of 14:28.50 while eighth grader Eli Tahhahwah-Martinez led MacArthur Middle with an 11th place finish and a time of 15:44.78.
The city championship sets the table for a great cross country season for the LPS student-athletes that culminates with the OSSAA State Championship later this fall.