Matt Galley and Ian Boucher controlled things at the front of the Salida Invitational throughout nearly the entire race. Photo by Alan Versaw.
Crested Butte? The Titans made a believer of me this morning on the hot, dusty trails surrounding Salida's Frantz Lake.
Crested Butte came to Salida with something to prove, and they proved it. Bouyed by a 1-3 finish from Ian Boucher (16:44) and Matt Galley (16:57), the team from Crested Butte topped Gunnison and host school Salida, and gave The Classical Academy all they wanted.
With 200 meters to go, Boucher and Galley were running 1-2, much as they had done through the entire race, but TCA's Conner Wilburn split the duo with a blistering finish of his own that stopped the clock at 16:54. TCA then took 6-7-8 to finish with 23, while Crested Butte added 29 points to their team score to finish with 33.
Bear in mind that Crested Butte haunts the ranks of 2A, where only three runners score at state. Forrest Smith, Cr...