Pomona Cross Country always travels to Broomfield for a small, professionally handled meet on a tough course. This year was a surprise. The course at the Broomfield Invitational was a test...more than a minute slower than last week's course at HeritageHigh School. The meet is, however, small no more. Twenty-three schools fielded 21 boy's teams and 19 girl's teams. Chatfield showed up in two charter busses and almost 150 runners!
When all the hub-bub settled and the dust cleared, Pomona Boys came away with the win.
In order to finish the meet before sundown, Broomfield only runs two heats: Boys & Girls. Pomona Boys toed the line with 393 fellow competitors. The wide starting line more than accommodated the crowded field. The Panthers used their knowledge of the course to break out as a pack and complete the first turn without being stuck in the crowd. Adam Sinda led all runners through the race to finish first. The team titled was secured with three more top 10 finishes and a 15 th place giving the Panthers 37 points. The scoring runners for Pomona were: Adam, Desmin Ramirez, Ian Harkreader, Vaughn Olona, and Logan Shefelbine.
This cross country season has had some surprises for the Panthers. At the beginning of the season, we knew that returning seniors would give a firm foundation to the team. The surprise came when 4 first year runners made the varsity squad.
Freshmen Desmin Ramirez and Thomas Vavrik have made huge strides in their running and racing abilities. Juniors Vaughn Olona and Avi Kohen started distance running during last spring's track season. They have continued their success and sharpened their skills this fall in cross country. A mix of sophomores and juniors on the "Beta" squad keeps the team's training honest and competitive. We can only hope that everyone stays involve and helps build a distance tradition at Pomona.
On October 2 nd, Pomona will be at Clement Park in Littleton for the Dave Sanders Invitational hosted by Columbine High School. Pomona is expecting to see many of its league rivals on Friday. The Clement Park course will host the Jeffco 5a League Championship later this year. Go Panthers!