The high school cross-country season drew to a close on Saturday, Nov. 1, at the Norris Penrose Event Center in Colorado Springs with the state championship meet.
Pagosa Springs High School was represented at the meet by freshman Rylan Ash.
“The 2025 season is officially over. We are so proud of Rylan for representing Pagosa Springs so well as a freshman at the state championship meet,” coach Josh Kurz wrote in a team newsletter.
Ash finished 28th overall out of 153 runners with a time of 17 minutes, 10.10 seconds, making him the top freshman finisher at the meet.
According to Kurz, Ash had three goals heading into the season’s final meet: make the top 30, be the top freshman finisher and set a new personal record (PR).
“He ended up placing 28th in the race, finishing ahead of the only 2 freshmen who out-ranked him. Although he didn’t get a PR (the state course is a bit slow), Rylan beat the top-ranking freshman who had posted a 16:11 earlier in the season,” Kurz wrote.
The coach adds, “That’s what is so exciting about Rylan - he can rise to his competition even if they are 43 seconds ahead of him on paper! Rylan came into the meet ranked 42nd, and for him to drop 14 places at the state meet is incredible because everyone at the state meet is fast. 15 seconds separated 28th from 42nd place, which means each second was worth about one place! Rylan saved his best finish for last! He had an outstanding finishing kick in the arena!”
Ash’s finish at the state meet also earned him an all-state honorable mention for his performance — one of three freshman to earn all-state honors in the 3A classification.
Kurz adds, “I know racing at state was satisfying for Rylan, but he would have been even happier if the whole boys’ team (and girls’ team) had been there racing with him. So qualifying as a team will be one of our goals for next year, but the road to state starts in the off-season.”
In the newsletter, Kurz encourages the team’s runners to take part in other sports and hold each other accountable in their training.
“The reality is our region isn’t going to slow down, and the state-qualifying teams train during the off-season and don’t allow themselves to get out of shape,” he wrote.
The league’s top team finishers, Manitou Springs and Alamosa, placed third and fourth at state, respectively.
The league’s third finisher at regionals, Salida, took second at state.
The Pirates’ quest for state next year will be done without a trio of seniors: Dylan Dempster, Eli Nehring and Xyra Belarmino.
Dempster, the coach notes in an email to The SUN, joined the team as a freshman.
“He played on the golf team that fall, but since golf season is fairly short, he was able to run the last few meets with us,” Kurz wrote. “With only one week to train before his first race, he was pretty slow, and I was worried that pain would make him regret his decision to run. But he really enjoyed the team culture, embraced the hard workouts, and saw substantial gains over the remainder of the season. Dylan was hooked and began training with us during the summer of his sophomore year to better prepare for the next season. Dylan’s positive attitude and work ethic have been a huge asset to the team. He was the boys’ team captain this year, and we really benefited from his strong leadership.”
Nehring joined the team as a junior, according to the coach.
“Eli Nehring joined the team at the beginning of his junior year, and his dedication and work ethic have been a huge asset to the team,” Kurz wrote. “Eli was one of three athletes who logged 150 miles this summer. As a senior, he didn’t miss a single summer workout because he was motivated to improve during his senior year. Eli was our assistant captain during his senior year, and we appreciated his eagerness to help out whenever he anticipated a need. Eli knows how to work hard and never complains, even during our hardest workouts.”
Belarmino is the sole Lady Pirate senior.
“Xyra’s first love is soccer, which is a spring sport, but for 2 years, I tried to convince Xyra to run cross country in the fall,” Kurz wrote. “Like most soccer players, she doesn’t like running unless she’s chasing a ball. Last spring, the girls’ soccer coach encouraged the team to join cross country to improve their endurance. Xyra was the only soccer player who accepted the challenge. Xyra would still rather run after a ball, but she worked hard this season (despite a nagging foot injury), and her last race ended up being her best race of the season. Our girls’ team was small this year, and without her, we wouldn’t have had enough runners to score as a team. We are so glad Xyra gave cross country a try, and we are confident that she’ll have more endurance on the soccer field this spring!”
Kurz commends the Pirates’ work ethic and notes he hopes the end of the season is not the end of running for the graduating Pirates.
“We will greatly miss these three wonderful, hard-working seniors,” he wrote. “The strong character traits that they developed and exhibited while training with the team will translate into future success. And we hope they will become lifelong runners!”
randi@pagosasun.com
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