Badger, Gorczyca make Bulldogs favorites to win Sunset Region meet

Centennial’s Sydney Badger hasn’t been beaten in a cross country race in Southern Nevada since November of 2010, the year Katie Gorczyca led Palo Verde to its first state championship. Gorczyca and Badger both were freshmen.

Two years later the two are teammates and a major reason why the Bulldogs are the favorites in the Division I Sunset Region meet on Friday at Veterans’ Memorial Park in Boulder City.

The meet starts at 8 a.m. with the Sunrise Region boys race, and will include boys and girls races from both Division I regions as well as Division I-A and Division III. The final race is set for 1 p.m.

Badger beat all comers in Southern Nevada last fall, but finished sixth at state in the thin air of Reno. Gorczyca didn’t run at all, having left the Palo Verde team at midseason.

Gorczyca, who attends West Career and Technical Academy (which has no athletic programs), was granted varsity eligibility at Centennial by the Nevada Interscholastic Activities Association in the spring. This fall Badger and Gorczyca have been unbeatable against local competition and excelled at invitationals in California.

Badger has been turning in times that haven’t been seen in Southern Nevada since four-time state champ Abby Miller graduated from Green Valley in 2000. Gorczyca has been running faster times than when she won state in 2010.

The Bulldog duo is ranked No. 1 and 2 in the state by athletic.net. And the team is more than just Badger and Gorczyca.

“I don’t like putting the focus all on Sydney and Katie even though they are two of the hardest-working athletes,” Centennial coach Roy Session said. “We also know it takes five to win and seven to compete and no team can do it without a strong seven.”

At the recent Southwest League Championship, Centennial’s Shelby Gibbons, Arden Holden, and Gabbie Altmansberger finished third, fourth and 12th, respectively, to help the Bulldogs win with a  team score of 22 points. Cimarron-Memorial was second with 59 points.

Arbor View, led by Zanae Jones, and Palo Verde, led by Marissa Suan (who finished third at state in 2011), are favored to join Centennial as the Sunset’s three team qualifiers for state. Shadow Ridge is not far behind.  

“(Our) girls have been running really well in the last few meets and hope to compete for their fifth consecutive trip to state,” Arbor View coach Tyrel Cooper said. “Centennial, Palo, and Shadow are all tough and we aren’t taking anyone for granted. There are four good teams running for three spots in the state meet.”

On the boys side in Sunset, 2011 state runner-up Centennial returns two runners who were in the top five at state a year ago in George Espino and Jackson Carter. Those two, along with newcomer Dajour Braxton, make the Bulldogs a favorite over Shadow Ridge.

Nick Oberdin and David Peters, who turned in the two fastest times at the Northwest League Championship, lead the Mustangs.

Palo Verde, a team based on depth and a tight pack, is favored to join Centennial and Shadow Ridge at state. The Panthers’ top six runners had a time spread of only 29 seconds in their runner-up finish to Shadow Ridge at the Northwest League Championship.

In the Sunrise Region, Coronado’s girls stand head and shoulders above the rest of the competition. Junior Sara Dort, the defending region champion who hasn’t been beaten by a Sunrise runner in two years, leads the Cougars, who are seeking their sixth straight region title.

“The girls still have only six and are looking for a seven,” Coronado coach Mark Tondryk said. “So we run our main six and hope for the best.”

The six that Tondryk is referring to are formidable. At the recent Southeast League Championship, Coronado dominated the opposition placing all five of their scoring runners in the top seven.

Green Valley and Foothill should both easily qualify their girls teams for state. The Gators have a solid quartet of runners behind Lindy Eskin, while Foothill has a solid top six, led by Ryanne Baily and Alyse Vanek.

The race for state among Sunrise boys teams mirrors their female counterparts with Liberty added to the mix.

Alan Ekanger leads Coronado, the Sunrise frontrunner for most of this season. Green Valley dominated the Northeast League meet, placing five runners in the top six with a time spread of less than 24 seconds.

The third spot at state will likely come down to Foothill or Liberty, each of whom scored 68 points in the Southeast League race.

In Division I-A, the top three teams qualify for state.

On the girls side, Faith Lutheran, Desert Pines, Clark, and Pahrump Valley appear to have the best shot at qualifying.

The Crusaders, led by 2011 state qualifier Hannah Pavlov, should have the inside track.

Among the Division I-A boys, Tech clearly leads the pack. Martin Ponce and Zach Zimdars, who went one-two in the Sunrise League meet, pace the Roadrunners. Clark and Faith Lutheran are favored to join Tech at state.

In Division IIII, one team from the South will advance to state. The Meadows, led by Jeneke Heerema, would appear to have the edge over Laughlin on the girls side.

Lincoln County is favored to grab the ticket to state on the boys side.