The first week of September brought the Pomona Panther Cross Country Team out of hibernation. The Panthers ran two races back to back on Friday and Saturday. The long summer of work finally gave dividends as the Panther Boys took first in the Horizon Invitational and fourth in the Pre-State meet hosted by FossilRidgeHigh School.
The Horizon meet will be the only 4k race of the season. The course winds its way around the Adams County Regional Park & Fair Grounds. Adam Sinda led team mates, Ian Harkreader and Vaugh Olona, to a one, two, three finish.
The Panthers finished their team scoring with ninth and tenth place finishes from Desmin Ramierez and Avi Kohen. Senior Logan Shefelbine just missed a top 10 coming in 12 th.
The Panthers have 4 seniors on the squad this year and 4 new comers who should make the season more interesting. Our seniors are: Adam Sinda, Ian Harkreader, Logan Shefelbine, and Jordan Gallegos. Two talented juniors who are new to cross country are Vaughn Olona and Avi Kohen. The Panthers found two freshmen who have the talent to challenge the team in Desmin Ramierez and Thomas Varvik. Three other panthers to watch are sophomores: Dylan Hayes, Tom Want, and Michael Rainey.
The Pre-State meet hosted by Fossil Ridge featured many strong teams that the Panthers will see through out the season including conference rivals Dakota Ridge and Bear Creek.
Adam Sinda placed second behind Cherry Creek's Walter Schafer. Pomona managed a 4th place team finish.
Dylan Hayes led the Panthers in the open division. In both races, the Panther girls were led by Ashlee Gallegos.
The Panthers would like to thank Horizon and Fossil Ridge for hosting the meets. This week, Pomona will compete in the Centaurus Invitational at WanekaLake in Lafayette.