Look for Royal to dominate cross country again

ROYAL CITY — With only two boys and no girls graduating from last year’s teams, look for Royal High to dominate cross country again, especially in the league and district.

“The boys team aims to reload and has goals of capturing its fifth consecutive league title and improve on its seventh-place finish at state last year,” coach Ben Orth said.

The girls team, which competed at state last year, is intact. It too has goals of doing better at state this year, hopefully getting past Zillah at district. The Royal girls won the SCAC league title last year.

“Our staff is truly blessed to work with such a fantastic group of students,” Orth said. “They are hard workers, gritty, care about each other, and they are a ton of fun to be around.”

Leading the way for the boys varsity will be a host of quality runners who have state experience, including junior Victor Garcia, senior Salvador Horta, senior Cristian Garcia, sophomore Silver Beltran, and sophomore Eduardo Rodriguez.

Also in the mix will be junior Arturo Villa, sophomore Duckbill Hernandez and freshman Rudy Flores, among others. They know what pack running means.

“I’m really thankful for the team chemistry and look forward to the miles and life lessons that lie ahead,” Orth said.

The girls were nearly as dominant as the boys last year. They finished ninth at state and have pledged to surpass that mark this year.

The girls team will be anchored by a talented group of returning state veterans, including sophomore Kay Lester, junior Caitlin Diaz, junior Gracelynn Miller, senior Meghan Mianecki, sophomore Isabel Quiroz, senior Anahi Gomez, and sophomore Leslie Moreno.

These were the seven top runners on the team last year. Additional crack running prowess is sure to come from freshman Elizabeth Guadarrama and freshman Isabel DeLay.

Royal’s cross country teams will launch their season on Sept. 12 at the Moses Lake Invitational. Orth will have a better idea about his runners and the teams’ chances after that.