By: Ben Veloz, Head Coach
On Saturday, Sept. 19, the Rosemary Clarke Middle School cross country program put on a strong showing at the Silver State 3k, held at Veteran’s Memorial Park. Both the boys and girls squads delivered solid efforts across the board, highlighted by medal-winning runs from seventh-graders Paul Clouser and A’riyah Ruffin.
In a crowded boys field of 197 runners, Clouser spearheaded the Rosemary Clarke lineup with an incredible pace, taking 13th place overall with a time of 12:05.5 to earn a race medal. Eighth-grader Ozias Ofseur put on an impressive display of his own, finishing 48th with a time of 13:06.1 to place two RCMS runners in the top 50. Seventh-grader Edward Shemp also earned a top-100 finish, crossing the line in 14:35.3 to claim 93rd place.
Also pushing through the course and delivering strong efforts for the boys team were eighth-grader Conner Nelsen (15:57.0), seventh-grader Parker Johnson (16:35.8), eighth-grader Matt Cruz (17:26.2), sixth-grader Noah De Santiago (17:58.4), and seventh-grader Pierre Oryem (19:44.6).
The Rosemary Clarke girls team matched that energy with a standout performance of their own. Ruffin led the charge for the squad, earning a medal with a 36th-place finish in 14:14.9. Eighth-grader Sierra Eichner followed closely behind, crossing the line in 15:10.1 to secure 52nd place.
The girls demonstrated perseverance, as seventh-grader Monica Littau captured 68th place (15:42.3), with sixth-grader Delilah Haver right behind in 72nd place (15:54.3). Sixth-grader Emma Fields crossed in 86th place (16:19.1), followed by seventh-grader River Carson in 96th place (17:02.1).
Completing the course for the girls squad were sixth-grader Brooke Menjivar (17:15.0), an eighth-grade pair as Sophia Maurillo (17:44.0) and Charlaine Maurillo (17:49.8) finished back-to-back, seventh-graders Gracelyn Goodbeau (18:40.4) and Maddlyn Scott (18:46.3), and seventh-grader Abriella Oryem (20:10.0).
Head coach Ben Veloz praised the team’s growth and looked ahead to upcoming meets following the race.
“We have seen improvements in strength and stamina from our runners as the season has progressed,” Coach Veloz said. “We will look to have a strong showing at our run this Saturday at Basic High School. We will also be running at home Tuesday, September 29th at 5 p.m. at Lakeview Executive Golf Course. We would love to see some of the community come out to support our team. The high school runners begin at 4 p.m.”
