COZAD – The fall sports season was officially in full swing this week, as many teams began their fall seasons the first week of September.
The Cozad Country Club was host to the first cross country meet of the season for Dawson County teams, as the golf course hosted the Cozad Invite.
For the girls meet, Lexington and Cozad both put on strong showings in the opening meet of the season, as Lexington took fourth and Cozad took sixth place.
Lexington’s Odaliz Santoyo was the top runner for the Minutemaids in the wind-stricken race, as Santoyo finished in sixth place.
Cozad also had a strong runner in the field as Cydney Christner took 14th place. Christner was one of four Cozad runners finishing in the top 30, which helped vault the Lady Haymakers into the sixth place spot.
One of Lexington’s stronger runners Vanessa Ambriz ran a steady race, taking home 22nd place, while many of her teammates followed closely behind her. Daisy Lopez and Emily Metzger finished side-by-side in 28th and 29th place respectively, while Ericka Cardosa finished in 41st and Isabel Arredondo took the 57th position.
“The girls had a solid start and many positives were achieved,” head coach Sam Jilka said. “All veteran runners set personal records for that course.”
Other finishers for Cozad were Elizabeth Vazquez (34th) and Candy Hermosillo (44th).
Kearney took the overall team title with 26 points, while McCook finished in second with 32 points.
A lot of attention was focused toward the boys’ meet, with defending state champion Lexington, along with powerhouse Kearney in the mix.
The Bearcats dominated  from the opening gun, but Lexington, along with Cozad were both showing they could hang with the best.
Kearney’s Jacob Olsen was the individual winner of the boys’ meet, while Lexington’s Franklin Ibarra took third place with a time of 16:41.
Matthew Van Pelt ran the best race of his career Thursday afternoon, as the senior ran under 17 minutes for the first time, finishing in seventh with a time of 16:52.
Dereck Rosas of Cozad was the Haymakers’ top runner at the Cozad Invite, as Rosas took home ninth place with a time of 17:13.
Mauricio Calmo finished right behind Rosas in 11th place, as Calmo ran in a time of 17:18.
Jacob Refior and Jalen Grant took 23rd and 25th places respectively, while Juan Perez rounded out the Lexington runners, finishing in 30th place.
“The race gave us a baseline to work with and we definitely need to work the second portion of our races,” Jilka said. “It was an encouraging start, but we need a stronger 4-6 finish.”
Only three Cozad runners were on hand for the boys’ meet, as Bernardo Revelo was the final runner for Cozad to cross the finish line, finishing in 43rd place.
The Lexington Cross Country team will host the Lexington Invite on Sept. 7 at 5:15 p.m., while Cozad will also take part in the Lex Invite.

• Cozad Haymakers
• Lexington Minutemen

Support your favorite teams and athletes by leaving a comment below