Relatively favorable weather conditions on Saturday hinted at the beginning of the fall season as the Denver East Angels competed at the Northfield Nighthawk Invitational at Central Park. The Central Park course offers a mix of surfaces, from “squishy” grass to concrete, and topography, which while flat most of the way does throw in a notable hill late in the race. The teams for this meet came from a mix of classifications, including a few teams that we would expect to see at State Meet, though not all seemed to be running their usual varsity. For the second meet of the last three, the East Angels held out their usual varsity runners, and this week most of the JV1 runners, in favor of pushing the next seven fastest runners up to varsity competition and testing the rest of the team’s depth in JV competition.

The Varsity Girls faced a competitive field in the first high school race of the day. and Denver East’s squad put together a steady pack performance. Junior Lola Kinsella got out confidently and led the Angels, running 21:25 for 15th. Sophomore Imogen Nemitz continued to have a good season with her 38th place finish in 23:18. Senior Helen Love provided veteran presence in the middle of the scoring five, finishing 50th in 24:07. She was followed by junior Abby Forsberg, 58th in 24:40, and ninth-grader Clementine Wolpert, pushed up to varsity on short notice, took 60th in 24:50. Ninth-grader Rachel Jackson added key depth in 62nd at 25:01, with junior Emmalou Weidmann close behind in 63rd at 25:06. The Angels finished 10th of 12 teams, gaining valuable experience.

The Varsity Boys lined up against a strong field, and Denver East put together a gritty team showing. Freshman Sam Schmidt paced the Angels running a smart race to finish 44th in 19:37. Senior Alexandros Mays followed in 48th at 20:05, with sophomores Owen Van De Velde and Tyler Villanueva coming through for the Angels in 53rd in 20:13 and 62nd in 20:59, respectively. Ninth-grader Tyce Weber rounded out the scoring five in 64th at 21:10, and junior Jackson Ruedi, another last moment varsity addition, added depth in 71st at 21:49. The Angels finished 10th of 14 teams, mixing contributions from veterans and underclassmen.

In the JV Girls race, junior Addy Everhart led the way for the Angels, placing 19th in 25:08. Ninth-grader Olivia James followed in 23rd at 25:41. Ninth-grader Molly Wren continued her steady rise with 26:53 for 34th, a seasonal best. Yet another ninth-grader Nyla Robinson and sophomore Sierra Payne rounded out the scoring in 35th (27:04) and 36th (27:06) – both seasonal bests on a day those were not coming easily. Seniors Audrey Flege (27:43, 40th) and Maria Cervantes (27:47, 42nd, seasonal best) provided depth just behind. The JV girls placed 5th of 9 teams, a solid result against a deep field.

In the JV Boys race, junior Brady Cooper led Denver East with 20:10 for 29^th; Cooper has been grinding away with cross training most of the season, so throwing down a personal best on this course was an impressive way to open the season. Senior Hutton Zimmerman, who missed most of summer training due to illness, followed in 35th at 21:30, with freshman Jack Terch clocking 22:00 for 38th. Junior Wyatt Jackson was next across in 22:22 for 42nd, and freshman Otto Schumaker closed out the scoring in 22:53 for 48th, a seasonal best. Junior Aldo DiGiacomo (23:02, 52nd) and freshman Evan Johnston (23:20, 53rd) added depth. The JV boys finished 5th of 13 teams, underscoring the group’s developing depth.

The Varsity and JV1 teams will travel to Kansas this weekend for the Rim Rock Invitational on September 27^th, where they will compete against many of the best teams from Kansas, Missouri, Oklahoma, and Iowa. All the team will come together for the final invitational meet of the season, the Flyin’ Ryan Invitational in Greeley, on October 3^rd, where the Angels will scout the regional course on the eve of championship season.