Hunter Robbie goes cross county title hunting for Niwot

With a mile to go Hunter Robbie lurked just over the shoulder of Niwot teammate Ryder Keeton.

For the first two miles of the race, Robbie hunted the field, lingering in the shadows of the lead pack, waiting for the opportune moment to step out push the pedal to the floor.

The moment came in the final mile, when Robbie The Hunter threw down the hammer well before any sight of the finish line. Teammate Quinn Sullivan gave chase while the once-thick pack thinned down drastically.

The move was decisive, as Robbie went on to claim the boys Class 5A/4A race at the St. Vrain Invitational just off the course record, clocking 15 minutes, 19 seconds.

“Today was our first real race, so we were really excited,” Robbie shared. “I love getting back into cross country. We’ve got an amazing coach, an amazing team, it just makes it all the better.”

On the topic of an amazing team, Sullivan was a close second, finishing in 15:23.

“Hunter kicks farther out,” Sullivan shared after the race to a nodding Robbie. “I’m more of a short-distance kicker, so we kind of feed off each other. I try to stay close to him, but he kicks out far.”

Robbie and Sullivan gave Niwot the 1-2 punch, which led a wave of more Cougars across the finish line.

Breaking up the Cougar party was Thompson Valley’s Trent Gabrielson, who finished third in 15:36.

The defending Nike Cross National Champions Niwot put all five scoring runners inside the top-9, with Keeton finishing fourth, Gabriel Marshall finishing seventh, and freshman Jude Ritzenhein — the younger brother of 2023 Nike Cross National Champion and two-time defending state champion Addy Ritzenhein — who finished ninth.

Needless to write, Niwot dominated the team race tallying just 22 points. Erie took second with 80, while Thompson Valley finished third with 94.

It’s of additional note that Niwot’s Rocco Culpepper — the 4A 800- and 1,600-meter state champion — did not race.

In the girls 4A/5A race Maddy Lange telescoped away to pick up the first big win of her young high school career.
The Cherokee Trail freshman led a pack of nearly 10 runners through the opening mile before gradually pressing the pedal to the floor.

Lange stretched the pack through the second mile, then simply ran away with the victory, clicking 18:22.

Coming in second was another freshman, and definitely a runner to keep an eye on the coming months.

Brush’s Evelyn Lapp took the runner-up spot, finishing in 18:39. What was perhaps nearly as impressive as her finish was how she ran the race.

The Brush freshman saw in 28th at the mile, then moved up to 11th at the two-mile, before kicking down almost everyone else in the field — except for Lange — to finish second.

Lapp’s performance has elevated her into the conversation among who’ll be on the podium at the 3A state cross country championships.

Rounding out the top-three was Mountain Vista’s Addison Baker, who finished in 18:44.

The team race saw a slew of mixed lineups, as several squads sat most of their varsity out to save their legs for next week’s Desert Twilight in Arizona.

Regardless, spectators got to witness just how deep these squads are, as Mountain Vista took the victory with 45 points, while Niwot was second with 62, and Fairview was third with 116.

In the boy’s 2A/3A race Englewood’s Silas Strawbridge timed his kick to perfection, clocking a 16:23 the day after climbing a 14er. Soroco’s Nick Clark led much of the early race, and held on to finish second in 16:29.

The team competition was insanely tight — just six points separated first from third.

Prospect Ridge Academy took the victory, tallying 56 points, which was just one agonizing point ahead of Forge Christian, who tallied 57, while Jefferson Academy took third with 62 points.

Meanwhile, the girls 2A/3A race belonged to Resurrection Christian’s Carrisa Johnson. She dominated the field, clocking 19:31 — a 43-second victory.

Wray’s Addison Jones finished second in 20:14, which was just ahead of Liberty Commons’ Joelle Knowles, who took third in 20:19.

Similar to the boys team race, the girls race came down to just one point.

Peak to Peak tallied 44 points, which was just ahead of Jefferson Academy’s 45. Kent Denver took third with 69.

Run Around The State

Anna Banana Invitational: Central (GJ’s) Broly Watts took a decisive victory, running 15:59, leading Central to a dominating team title.

Coal Ridge’s Effie Fletcher — 3A 800 and 1,600 state champion from last spring — dominated the field, running 18:41, a victory of over a minute and a half.

Northfield Nighthawk Invitational: Regis Jesuit freshman McKenna Groen ran away with the victory, clocking 18:40. Northfield freshman Lasen Decamp was second in 19:00.

Northfield’s Ayuub Hassen claimed the boys race, clocking 15:56.

Windsor Wizards Invitational: Eaton’s Delaney Reuter torched the field, clocking 17:15.

Coronado Cougar Classic: Coronado’s Oliver Horton kept his unbeaten streak alive by lighting fire to his own course record, clocking 14:38. Horton’s performance led the home team to victory, as they tallied 27 points.

Air Academy’s Chamorra Cooper kicked to win the girls race in 17:40, which was just ahead of The Classical Academy’s Vivian Jack, who finished second in 17:46, leading TCA to the team title.