By: Ben Veloz, Head Coach
Dust kicked up into the desert air of the Clark County Fair and Rodeo Grounds in Moapa as a handful of Rosemary Clarke Middle School runners spent the morning cheering on their high school siblings. After hours of eagerly watching from the sidelines, the middle school athletes were energized and excited to finally get their turn on the course for their very first race of the season. Coaches Mr. Ben Veloz and Ms. Katie Floyd were thrilled to watch their squad step up for the season opener hosted by Virgin Valley, starting as a field of 62 runners packed the line for the boys’ race.
Leading the charge from the very beginning was seventh-grader Paul Clouser, who aggressively established himself near the front of the pack. Running with a smooth, relentless rhythm, Paul navigated the tight bends with total focus and surged across the line to earn an outstanding 6th place finish, proudly earning a medal for his school. A thrilling battle took shape further back between seventh-grader Edward Shemp and eighth-grader Conner Nelsen, who locked into a tight stride-for-stride rhythm across the dirt terrain. Edward dug deep in the final stretch to secure a hard-fought 28th place finish, while Conner followed just a split-second behind in 29th place. Eighth-grader Marzelo Nunez ran a smart, balanced race, steadily picking off tired competitors in the 62-runner field to grind out a commendable 42nd place finish. Completing the boys’ inspiring effort, seventh-grader Parker Johnson kept his eyes fixed ahead through the punishing pace, sprinting all the way through the chute to claim 52nd place.
As the dust settled, the stage was set for 57 eager female athletes to take their mark in the girls’ race. With medals awarded to the top 15 finishers in the field, three Rosemary Clarke seventh-graders rose brilliantly to the challenge. A’riyah Ruffin powered through the open flats to capture an impressive 7th place finish and secure her medal. Not far behind, Monica Littau broke into the top ten to cross the line in 9th place for the team’s second medal, while Ellie Allen ran a remarkably composed race to claim 15th place, snagging the final medal spot in dramatic fashion. Further back, a strong wave of Rosemary Clarke uniforms surged through the mid-field turns as sixth-grader Delilah Haver grabbed 30th place, closely followed by eighth-grader Sophia Maurillo in 31st place. Eighth-grader Charlaine Maurillo drove through the fatigue to cross in 36th place, with seventh-grader Gracelyn Goodbeau right behind in 37th place and seventh-grader River Carson claiming 40th place. Showing immense grit through the back half of the course, sixth-grader Brooke Menjivar dug deep for 49th place, seventh-grader Abriella Oryem crossed in 51st place, and sixth-grader Scarlett Blumer sprinted through the final stretch in 57th place, bringing every single runner home.
Seeing all four medalists celebrate alongside their hard-working teammates capped off a triumphant start to the year. With a fun first meet now under their belts, Coaches Mr. Ben Veloz and Ms. Katie Floyd are deeply impressed by their squad’s performance and look forward to taking them to their next race this Saturday in Las Vegas at Desert Breeze Park.
