Henderson, Vause live it up at cross country Jamboree

Sep. 21—RIO RANCHO — They lined them up in the middle of the field at the Rio Rancho High football stadium, the top 20 boys of the championship division of the Rio Rancho Jamboree cross country meet.

That was a definite green tint at the front of that line.

Indeed, the host school, Rio Rancho, had the top three finishers, and five of the top eight as Class 5A's most dominant team continued as such on Saturday morning.

And as the meet champion, senior Charlie Vause, reflected on what mattered more to him, his individual victory or the way the Rams ran collectively, he was quick with a response.

"I think the teammates," he said after his second victory in as many weeks. "As much as I love to win a race, I know they're working so hard, just as hard, if not harder. It's a wonderful feeling."

Vause's winning time was 15 minutes, 42.3 seconds. Then teammates Cody Sullivan (16:06.4) and Mateo Herrera (16:22.2). Xavier Martinez and Alejandro Casaus finished seventh and eighth, respectively.

Rio Rancho's 19 points were far ahead of runner-up Cleveland (77).

Vause also won last week at the UNM Invitational.

He said watching Martinez and Casaus dueling it out as they approached the finish line exemplified the type of culture Rio Rancho fosters.

"That's the kind of culture we try to build, the kind of work ethic we try to build," said Vause, last season's Class 5A state champion.

"I'm so proud and grateful for this culture," Vause continued. "I don't think it's necessarily a winning culture ... I think it's more a culture of hard work, and feeding off each other."

Vause said he'd had a difficult week physically leading up to Saturday's Jamboree, which is one of the largest regular season meets in New Mexico, with both a varsity division and a championship division. And, he said, the course, although familiar to him, was harder than usual, citing the softness of the sand. Vause, like Eldorado's Gianna Rahmer, is planning to compete at a high-profile meet in Arizona next week.

Rahmer was not on hand Saturday, but one of her top rivals in the metro area, Sandia Prep senior Kate Henderson, had a strong run as she won the meet.

Henderson won comfortably on a warm morning in Rio Rancho with a time of 19:19.5. It was nearly 50 seconds later when Volcano Vista's Carysa Marquez crossed the line.

"I just feel like the mindset, trying to stay positive in my races, and training, so I can get the most out of my work," Henderson said after her second victory in three meets this season. "With my training at the moment, I'm definitely improving a lot and I can definitely expect to PR a lot by the end of the season."

Rio Rancho, led by Mariah Galbraith, who was third individually, won the team portion of the championship division. The Rams scored 41 points, 20 less than Cleveland. La Cueva (72) was third.

The Marquez siblings from Oak Grove Classical Academy both had excellent showings. Olivia was fourth, Joshua sixth.

The next major meet locally is metros, in two weeks.