With the clock running out on the 2009 cross country season, nothing matters more than time.

The time is takes to complete
3.06 miles.

The time between teammates.

The time of your opponents.

Today, everyone will be keeping watchful eyes at the New Mexico State High School Cross Country Championships at Rio Rancho High School.

Before you finish, though, you must first start.


And still defending champions?

Not so fast.

"This is the toughest I've ever seen a three-A team race," Lenny Gurule,
St. Michael's head coach, says.

St. Michael's has the most the lose. The Lady Horsemen step to the starting line as four-time defending champions. That is the longest current win streak in the state, a distinction shared by the Navajo Pine boys.

"There are five teams that could legitimately win," Gurule says of Santa Fe Indian School, Zuni, Wingate, Miyamura and, of course, his Lady Horsemen.

St. Michael's nipped Santa Fe Indian School by three points for the District 2AAA title a week ago. The Lady Braves held the advantage through the first three runners before the Lady Horsemen overcame that deficit with their four and fifth finishers.

"Our one through seven need to keep it close," Gurule says of his team's pack time, "not just our one through five."

Santa Fe Indian School showed it could run with St. Michael's.

"We saw a lot of potential," John Grimley, Lady Braves head coach, says. "In the early part of the season, cross country wasn't as fun. But we've seen a little resurgence in the past couple of weeks."

If it continues at state?

"If we run a fair race, we won't make the podium," Grimley says of a top-three finish. "If we run a good race, we might. If we run a great race, we have a chance to win."

When it comes to winning, Kate Norskog is seeking her third individual championship.

The St. Michael's junior won as an eighth-grader and last season, when she posted the day's second best time overall of 18 minutes, 8.65 seconds. Only Clara Milne of Albuquerque Academy ran faster. The Class AAAA champ stopped the clock in 17:55.10.

Norskog is one of two state champions in the race. The other is Sophia Torres of Pojoaque Valley. Torres, a senior, interrupted Norskog's streak in 2007 and finished second last season.

Want another name?

Marlinda Pecos of Santa Fe Indian School, the second-best runner in 2AAA, if not the second best in AAA. Pecos was fourth a year ago.


The year 2006 was memorable for Los Alamos and for Julia Foster.

After Albuquerque Academy snipped Los Alamos' five-year win string in 2005, the Hilltoppers returned to their state championship ways, defeating the Chargers 38-52 to don the program's 13th crown.

Academy did not go away without a champion.

Foster became one of two eighth-graders that day to win individual honors. The other was Norskog. Foster also became the first girl in Academy history to cross the finish line first.

Foster, a junior, is the state's best this season, regardless of classification. The Chargers also are the pick to defend their title. But they are far from clear-cut favorites.

"It's pretty darn even," Kathy Hipwood, Los Alamos co-head coach, says.

When Los Alamos finished ahead of Academy at the Rio Rancho Jamboree three weeks ago, the Chargers no longer looked invincible.

"The Jamboree was definitely a big step for our girls," Hipwood says.

Academy, though, showed its resolve by winning the Los Alamos Invitational.

Los Alamos' Holly Walker, the lone member of championship past, will be hard pressed to beat Foster.

"Julia is likely to get her one point," Hipwood concedes. "As much as we can do to counteract that will help."

At the Jamboree, the Hilltoppers slotted three runners between Foster and one of the Throckmorton twins — Paige or Amanda. It worked once, it could work again.

"Certainly, that would be a big cushion for us," Hipwood says. "But that's not do-or-die."

The pack times are.


Thirty years ago, Santa Fe High School won the inaugural title for girls in what was then Class AAAA. It is one of six championship trophies legendary head coach John Alire compiled between '79 and 1986. Alire also coached the Santa Fe High boys to six state titles.

The Demonettes always competed in the state's highest classification. That will change when the school drops an "A" in 2010.

Santa Fe High ran fourth at the District 2AAAAA meet, one spot away from state qualification. Three Demonettes, though, qualified as individuals.

Kara Shain, Medora Allison and Erin Duncan are making their state debuts, though Duncan, a freshman, sprained her ankle during a trail run Tuesday and won't compete.

"It's unfortunate for Erin, but I'm happy for Kara and Medora," Peter Graham, Santa Fe High head coach, says. "Kara put in a great summer as far as working out and doing miles, and to crack the top 10 in our district against Sandia and

La Cueva says a lot for her and the amount of work she put in this summer."

Shain, a junior, finished ninth in district. That was a 12-spot improvement from her sophomore season. Allison, who is home schooled, joined the team midseason.

"She was a nice addition," Graham says of the senior.


Emma Hamilton is at New Mexico State University, Laura Hamilton is at St. Michael's, Billie Secular is at Santa Fe High.

Santa Fe Preparatory had to replace nearly half its state roster, the one that helped the Blue Griffins to their third straight runner-up trophy a year ago.

But with Jessie Talbert leading the way, and Kelsey Leonard, Tessa Schultz, Molly Quay-de la Vallee, Lyle Kotsch, Acadia Brooks and Alison Blaine staying loyal to the pace, the Blue Griffins could again be in the trophy hunt.

Bosque School is favored to win its first team title, while Navajo Pine is looking to extend its championship streak to four.


"Ask me around noon Saturday," Allan Lockridge, Pojoaque Valley head coach, says.

Pojoaque Valley is one of the teams to beat.

Another is Santa Fe Indian School.

Zuni is part of the conversation.

As is Laguna-Acoma.

"There are going to be some racehorses in there," John Grimley, Santa Fe Indian School head coach, says. "Physically, everyone's about the same. It's going to come down to how mentally strong you are and how you'll deal with the pain, because it's going to hurt."

Pojoaque Valley suffered a stinging loss to Santa Fe Indian School at the District 2AAA meet. James Viarreal, the individual champion, and Lockridge made the same observation following the loss: The season ain't over.

For Viarreal, a senior, the district title was his first victory of any kind in cross country.

"Very enjoyable," Viarreal says of his championship. "It's nice to see that the hard work paid off. But it's not over. It's just the beginning."

Viarreal defeated Trevor Merhege of Santa Fe Indian School by five seconds at district. Both are in the running for individual honors. Neither has a target on his back.

Evan Bekes of Bloomfield enters with the bull's-eye. Eric Fenton of Albuquerque Hope Christian and Kevin Gia of Zuni also will be part of the lead pack.

A first-time individual champion will be crowned.

"Last year, we felt like we could have gotten Zuni," Merhege says of finishing third in the team race, which was won by St. Michael's. "It's in the past. This year is a new year."

The Horsemen graduated its top three runners from the team that added a bookend to their 2006 state championship.


This is the versus classification.

Los Alamos versus Albuquerque Academy.

Kyle Pittman versus Pat Zacharias.

Academy owns nine of the past 11 state championships. The two years the Chargers didn't win, Los Alamos did. The nine years the Hilltoppers didn't win, they ran second.

The Chargers, the top-rated team in the Southwest Region, are ranked third nationally by The Harrier.

Academy has been ranked higher. In 2007, the Chargers were top-ranked in the country. In 2007, Los Alamos upset Academy at state. The victory was only the second for the Hilltoppers over the Chargers since 2004.

Los Alamos chased Academy this season. The Chargers refuse to be caught.

"We expect that they are going to run well," Kathy Hipwood, Los Alamos co-head coach, says of the Hilltoppers. "Academy, too, certainly. But they've trained perfectly and are definitely motivated."

Pittman, the Los Alamos senior, had a nice little streak going. He was undefeated against New Mexico competition until the Los Alamos Invitational. That's where Zacharias, the Academy senior, defeated him.

There might not be a better individual showdown in any class as Pittman attempts to defend his individual title.

"Our prediction is that the fastest time of the day will come from that race," Hipwood, who shares the coaching duties with her husband, Robbie, says.

Successive championships would put Pittman in elite company. The only other Los Alamos runners to go back-to-back are Ric Rojas and Anthony Sandoval, who made it a four-peat beginning with Rojas' win in 1968.


One point.

That's what kept Santa Fe High School from sending a complete team to state. It would have been the perfect present for head coach Peter Graham, who
30 years ago won the individual title and paced the Demons to the team championship.

Graham was 16-0 as a senior. The Demons were undefeated in 1979. It was the second of three straight championships. Santa Fe High wore its last crown in 1980.

Graham was hoping to end the Demons' stay in AAAAA with a top-three finish at the District 2AAAAA meet. But Santa Fe High's 108 points were one more than Albuquerque Valley, the third state qualifier behind Albuquerque Sandia and Albuquerque La Cueva.

"Things just didn't go like we thought they would," Graham says.

Jesse Armijo, who placed 17th at district for the Demons, still qualified as an individual. It will be the second straight state trip for Armijo, a senior, who ran 91st in the 115-runner field in 2008.


Troy Madalena is the past, Tim Chee is the present, Antonio Varela is the future.

Madalena of Jemez Valley awaits as defending champion. Chee of Navajo Pine returns as the favorite. Varela of Pecos arrives with more potential than polish.

Each is running for more than family pride.

Navajo Pine has not lost at state since 2004. Jemez Valley, Pecos and Peñasco have the talent to usurp the Warriors.

"We're ready for the challenge," Clyde Sanchez, Pecos head coach, says. "Our fourth and fifth guys need to move up a little bit, but the kids are running good. Hopefully, it will be our day."

Chee, meanwhile, has gotten the better of Madalena and Varela this season.

Barely.

Chee, third at state a year ago, defeated Varela by 3.23 seconds at the Rio Rancho Jamboree, a dress rehearsal for state.

"Antonio could do it," Sanchez says of his sophomore. "He's worked really hard since the summer. I think he'll prevail."

Valera isn't the lone standout underclassman.

Santa Fe Preparatory is led by eighth-grader Jimmy Buchanan, the District 2A-AA champion.

This will be Buchanan's first time at state.

He's on the clock.

Everyone is.