The Battle Of Battle Mountain: Le Roux, Congdon take titles


Freshmen Erik LeRoux took his first individual win on his high school career to lead Cheyenne Mountain to the title. File Photo.

Boys Race

The gun fired first for the boys race.  he early portion of the race took the runners across and around the athletic fields at the school before heading out onto the golf course. The first 800 to 1000 meters were flat before the racers embarked on the hills heading up the Northeast side of the course. Nearly the whole race was run on soft and manicured golf course grass, which while easy on the body, in combination with the 7,400 feet of altitude contributed to slower times.   

The Glenwood Springs duo of Henry Barth and Gavin Harden promptly moved to the front, followed closely by Cheyenne Mountain's Erik Le Roux. Also in the mix early on were Ben Swanson from Coronado, LeRoux's teammate Chris MontrossIsaac Roberts of Lyons, and Jayson Peranni from Smoky Hill.  

Leroux, fresh off his 2nd place performance at the Cheyenne Mountain Stampede last week, seemed content to allow the pair from Glenwood to set the pace. The freshman, who won the Middle School State Cross Country Meet last fall, made his move around 1.75 miles.  His surge was strong and he pulled away swiftly between the second and third sections of this looped course stopping the clock at 17:21. Holding on well for second was Barth in 17:32. Swanson took third, just nipping Montross, both runners timed in 18:16. Gavin Harden rounded out the top-5.

LeRoux's stick set up the team victory for Cheyenne Mountain; they totaled a mere 57 points. Host Battle Mountain was second with 100 points and Golden third with 126.  

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