BOYS CROSS COUNTRY: Durango’s Frankie Bisacky has enough kick to win Southwest League title

Durango’s Frankie Bisacky saw his lead evaporate to Green Valley’s Omar Rubio in the final 300 meters of the Southwest League boys cross country race Saturday at Basic.

Luckily for Bisacky, the late lapse didn’t cost him.

Bisacky finished the 3.1-mile course in 16 minutes, 56.7 seconds to win the league title. Spencer Thomas of Spring Valley was second with a time of 17:52.6, and Liam Jones of Clark was third, finishing in 17:55.9.

The race included schools from the Southeast League and the Class 3A Sunrise League.

“I’m happy about winning (the Southwest League), but still there is no excuses for today,” Bisacky said. “I got passed up by Omar from Green Valley and another Omar (Aguilar-Espinoza of Silverado). All around, I worked pretty hard, and I’ll be ready for regionals.

“I’m going to race smart and not go out as hard and try to stick behind (Rubio) and stay on his shoulders as long as I can. I’ll also work on my finishing kick.”

Bisacky’s finish helped the Trailblazers take third place in the team competition. Clark won the league title with 51 points, Desert Oasis had 54 points, and Durango had 59 points.

“We have a strong team atmosphere, and Frankie is a big part of that,” Durango coach Rick Barry said. “He’s a good leader for us, and with his hard work, he is earning that spot. He needs to make sure his kick his better. He has to understand that when he falls behind that late in a race, it’s tough to get around those guys.”

The region meet is Oct. 28 at Craig Ranch Park.

Rubio passed Bisacky with about 150 meters to go in the race to win the Southeast League with a time of 16:54.6. Aguilar-Espinoza also was able to pass Bisacky to take second in the Southeast at 16:56.3. Green Valley’s Milton Amezcua was third at 17:08.3.

Rubio’s victory helped the Gators claim the team title with 34 points. Basic was second with 48 points, and Coronado was third with 61 points.

In the Class 3A Sunrise League, Tyler Campbell was the first across the finish line in 17:24.4. Tech runners Bruce Troncoso (18:03.9) and Matthew Clarke (18:26.6) placed second and third, which helped the Roadrunners claim the league title with 27 points.

Boulder City was second with 52 points, and Moapa Valley was third with 55 points.

Arbor View’s Ian Jackson led wire-to-wire to win the Northwest League title. Jackson had the best time of the day among the boys, finishing the race in 16:45.8.

Palo Verde’s Daniel Zims (17:17.3) was second, and Centennial’s Alexander Miller (17:22.3) was third.

Jackson’s finish helped the Aggies claim the team title with 55 points. Palo Verde was second with 45 points, and Centennial was third with 52 points.

Valley’s Suragel Feleke won the Northeast League with a time of 18:14.5. Canyon Spring’s Edwin Gutierrez (18:56.5) was second, and Valley’s Joshua Nyberg (19:02.5) was third.

Valley also won the league team title with 26 points. Las Vegas was second with 53 points, and Canyon Springs was third with 68 points.

Pahrump Valley’s Bryce Odegard won the Class 3A Sunset League title, finishing in 17:27.2. Cheyenne’s Rylan Banegas (17:49.4) was second, and Pahrump Valley’s Layron Sonerholm (18:21.5) was third.

Pahrump also won the team title with 34 points. Cheyenne was second with 35 points, and Desert Pines was third with 80 points.

In the Class 2A boys race, White Pine’s Samuel Stewart was first with a time of 17:57.5. Tucker Hansen (18:30.9) and Ian Cook (19:12.3) – both from The Meadows – placed second and third, which helped the Mustangs claim the team title with 25 points.

Lake Mead was second with 43 points, and Coral Academy was third with 68 points.