Buena won the Division II, Section I meet last weekend over powers Catalina Foothills and Canyon del Oro. Leading the way that day was senor Manuel Olivo-Quinones (16:18.74). Even better, Olivo-Quinones holds the Arizona-best time of 15.20.6.

Olivo-Quinones’ time at the sectional meet was almost one minute better than the next runner and four Buena runners finished in the top ten which should do the Colts well at state. His junior teammate, Joshua Sieler, holds the second-best time in state at 15:41.4.

Having multiple runners finish in the top ten practically guarantees a trip to the awards stand and that’s where his senior running mate Dominic Valentin comes in. Valentin took fifth at the sectional meet and he has the ninth best time in Arizona for Division II. Buena sophomore Mateo Borrega rounded out the other top Colt runner at sectionals.

Catalina Foothills will come with seniors Philippe Mortelliti and Sam Pershing. Both of them did well at sectionals with Mortelliti pushing the leaderboard.

Canyon del Oro sophomore sensation Isaiah Guevara is a top-ten runner and his senior running mate Mike Madigan should also earn the Dorados a higher finish.

Flowing Wells may not be able to make some noise as a team but senior Morgan Risch will be fighting for a top spot as will Vista Grande senior Jonathan Desanti. Desanti took second place to Olivo-Quinones at sectionals.

Gila Ridge swept the Division II, Section III race with juniors Christian Deboard 15:54 and Daniel Marquez (16:15) taking the top two spots. Both are top ten runners in the state with Deboard looking to take one of the top three finishes at state.

Gila Ridge junior Cody Hartman will help give his team a chance.

South Mountain sophomore Gustavo Arias Ramos and junior Bryan Aceves did well at sectionals and Arias Ramos will be battling for a top spot at the state race.

Flagstaff junior Davis Boggess won the Division II, Section II race with a time of 16:35.23. He is not listed as one of the leaders in all of Division II but his teammate, junior Flynn Fuhrmann has run well. Flagstaff junior Wren Cooperrider and senior Mike Bransky finished in the top five at sectionals.

Ironwood seniors Joaquin Armatage and Kenn Kobashigawa took second and third place at the sectional meet. Look for Armatage to be a force at the state race.

Campo Verde sophomore Rylan Stubbs won the Division II, Section IV race with a time of 16:58. He is also in third place in all of D-II with a time of 15:47. Look for him to challenge. Campo Verde junior Zack Prusse showed also do well. Campo Verde freshmen Zac Whaley, Kenny Edwards and Garrett Anderson are expected to keep the team competitive.

Queen Creek senior Tristan Stellmach took second at the sectional meet and Maricopa junior Jesse Gaines took fourth.

Some other runners who might push the race along are Independence juniors Victor Flores and Jesus Aldana. Desert View junior Luis Tarazon and Ironwood Ridge junior Tony Torres might also have a say on who will be on the medal stand.

As a team, Flagstaff won the team title last year by less than a second over Gila Ridge but Flagstaff lost three seniors to graduation. Buena’s Olivo-Quinones took sixth place in Division I last year and he is the top returning runner this year in the new division configuration.