If it weren’t enough to earn some hardware for their latest race, the members of the Moffat County cross country program also got to do it on their home course.

MCHS boys took the 3A Region 1 championship Friday afternoon as they sped along the familiar paths of Loudy-Simpson Park with plans to qualify for the state event.

The group victory marks the first regional team title for Bulldog XC in a decade, with the last gold honor for the girls team in 2015.

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MCHS boys have regularly gone to state in that time — the top four teams at each regional event all move on to the next level — but a 10-year streak of placing second or third ended abruptly as the guys put their best foot forward Friday.

Guys go for the gold

This marked the third time this fall Bulldog boys have finished in first, having also won the Moffat County Invitational and the previous week’s Whistle Pig Invite — both held at Loudy-Simpson — a feat that may never be accomplished again, unless Craig plays host to the regional event again in the future.

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MoCo senior Haven Carr took the silver for the day individually, not far behind regional champ Towler Scott, of Basalt.

Carr’s 16:43 at regionals was far from his best time; the Bulldog senior hit a personal record of 15:40.3 and notched one of the fastest times in school history — second only to 2011 state champ Alfredo Lebron’s 15:36 — during Oct. 10’s Warrior Classic Mountain States Challenge at Grand Junction’s Lincoln Park.

“The goal was to go out there quick and see what I could do at the end,” Carr said. “Around mile two, Towler kind of pulled away, and then I looked back and saw third and fourth were behind me, so I just did what I had to so we could get first as a team. Now we just need to keep that momentum going into state.”

Had they not qualified as a group, the MCHS boys group had three more of its ranks make the state-bound top 15 results Friday, with freshman Jonas Pressgrove 6^th at 16:58.76, junior Zach Womble 9^th at 17:21.74 and freshman Dominic Groce 13^th with a PR of 17:49.01.

Junior Daniel Gomez rounded out the point tally in 17^th (18:07.79) with sophomore Ryun Pressgrove 42^nd (19:48.75).

Both the Pressgrove brothers employed the tactic of clustering among other runners, a tactic their parents — both of whom have coached MCHS and Craig Middle School running teams — have ingrained in them.

“Today we had people to stick with, and it always helps to have them there to push us,” said Jonas Pressgrove.

Senior Brady Nunez was unable to run with his squad during the regional event, but he was honored alongside fellow upperclassman during Senior Day at Oct. 17’s Whistle Pig.

“It feels like it’s still the same since my first year,” he said. “I’m gonna miss these guys and just hanging out with this team.”

Making strides

Hayden sophomore Sydney Wattles will make her second consecutive appearance at the state meet running for Moffat County, gaining the bronze at the regional event.

While first-place finisher Effie Fletcher was nearly uncatchable Friday afternoon — her Coal Ridge Titans also claimed the team championship — Wattles had to battle it out down the final stretch with runner-up Scarlett Jones, of Basalt.

“She came up behind me and we were really close at the finish, but I think she got me,” Wattles said.

Wattles’ season goal of cracking the 20-minute mark was reached in Grand Junction two weeks prior, but the 19:56.95 regional time was still satisfying.

While Wattles is the only MCHS girl who will go to state, Abby Fraher was pleased with her best time yet on the Loudy-Simpson course at 22:48.24, placing 29^th. She and fellow freshman Layla Bolton, who followed her at 30^th, have kept the same pace most of the season and frequently finish one immediately after the other, but not always in the same order.

“We’ve got friendly competition going, and whoever has the bigger kick at the end just has it,” Fraher said. “We push each other, so if one person’s hurting the other one drags along. It’s good to have a race partner like that.”

Senior Kimber Hume finished 45^th and junior Haley Duran 48^th, while senior Aubry Downs placed 56^th as part of a sixth-place finish for the girls.

“It’s challenging when we have a small team like this, but they’ve improved a lot this year,” Trapp said. “They were small, but the way they worked, the time they put in, the attitudes — that’s what we look for.”

During the Whistle Pig, Downs said that she was a late addition to the program this season and has been fighting through injuries.

Even so, it has meant the world to her.

“I decided randomly to join the team, and I feel like this is the best team I’ve ever had in any sport, just a really encouraging, healthy environment,” Downs said. “I’ve enjoyed it even though it’s tough.”

Next stop, state

The 3A CHSAA State Championships get underway Saturday, Nov. 1 at Norris Penrose Event Center in Colorado Springs, with the full boys roster and Wattles attending.

The notoriously challenging course is one that Carr has run twice already, and he’s feeling good about this third and final go. He aims to reach the top 5 among 3A distance runners and expects the Bulldog boys team will be in the upper echelon of the group standings.

“Right now I’m ranked fifth in the state, and there’s two kids around eight seconds in front of me, that would be cool to catch up with them,” he said. “I just want to place as high as possible and see what our team can do.”

Trapp said the performance at regionals showed the capabilities of his runners and their determination to improve upon last season’s performance at this stage in the season.

“Last year we were pretty frustrated and didn’t have our best race in Granby,” he said. “They were pretty excited to do it on our home turf, and they put in the work. It starts in the track season and carries over into the summer, which is a lot of time for these guys to work toward a big goal. We’re just going to keep doing what we’re doing and hope for good results.”