Top runners show their stuff at DeChelly Invite

There weren't many surprises at the 2009 Canyon DeChelly Invitational.

The best of the best ran their race and 3A North teams got a glimpse of the course they will be running for the regional championships.

In the varsity girls' race, Chinle sophomore and defending cross-country state champion Rolonda Jumbo took first place with a time of 19:56, breaking her first-place time of 20:30 from last year.

She started the race with a smile on her face and kept it all the way through.

Jumbo said she was more anxious than nervous.

"I was excited because it was our home meet. I just thought I'd go in the race and have fun," Jumbo said.

Jumbo, still somewhat shy, said her main focus throughout the race was to enjoy running.

Just behind Jumbo was Chinle teammate Charnell Curley.

Curley, a senior, turned in a time of 20:51.

"I just came to run and just wanted to beat my course time," Curley said. "I did that, tried hard and had a good run."

She finished on top last year and hopes to continue her good times.

"Just run every race hard and no regrets at the end," she said.

Coming in third was Farrah Hood, a sophomore at Gallup High School, with a time of 21:13.

It was Hood's first time at Chinle she was happy with her performance over the tough course.

"I thought it was fun. I was just hoping to try to stay in the top five," she said.

Though her individual performance was a success, Hood said she's more focused on the team as a whole.

"Just that our team improves, to get faster and we're running as one," she said. "I thought it was really good... we're getting stronger, getting faster, getting to know each other more."

The Chinle girls took first as a team with 28 points, followed by Tuba City (69), Gallup (77), Navajo Prep (107), Winslow (128) and Ganado (185).

Chinle cross-country coach Shaun Martin said he was pleased with both the boys and girls team performances.

"I thought they did great," he said. "From what I saw they looked pretty good. It's always great to win a meet."

Martin said the girls' team has done a great job the last couple of years and he hopes they continue the good work.

"The girls are three-times returning to the state championship, we want to continue to improve," he said.

While Chinle's Jumbo continues to make headlines, Tuba City's Billy Orman is making some of his own as the No. 1 boys runner.

For year's he's been in the shadow of teammate and friend Ryan Yazzie.

But Orman's hard work is finally paying off in a big way.

The junior came in first while breaking the previous record by 1:10 with a time of 16:25.

Orman said he was happy with the time he ran.

"There's always my teammate Ryan (to compete against)," he said. "I was a little bit worried, because it's been a hard week, we've been putting in a lot of miles."

Tuba City senior Ryan Yazzie, a four-time gold medalist in state track and field, has suffered a foot injury for the last couple of months.

He managed to run through the pain at the state track and field meet last spring and is now must through it for the cross-country season. Yazzie came in second with a time of 17:26.

Yazzie said the course posed a problem for him.

"I think it was pretty good course, but I don't like this gravel," he said. "I wish I had a lower time. (I'll) probably to get in some weekend running."

Tuba City coach Carl Perry said it was the first time the team ran at Chinle. Every year around this time, he said the team usually heads to Chandler, Ariz., for a meet but because of budget cuts, things changed.

"I always wanted to run here. It's a tough course, a great spectator course, but it's a somewhat confusing. They really did a great job marking, it," he said. "I thought it was a really challenging course to run. It's a different experience."

Perry said he was pleased with both Orman and Yazzie's performance.

He added that Yazzie's injury is not a running injury and that he should heal swiftly.

"I was really pleased with how we did because this is the regional course. He (Billy) had a great start to the season," Perry said. "The obvious difference is that Billy is ahead of Ryan this year. Last year almost every race, they were shoulder to shoulder. This year Billy put in a great summer. (Ryan's) just getting over it now."

Coming in third for the varsity boys was Johnathan Yazzie, with a time of 17:43.

Yazzie said he had his eye on both Tuba City runners all the way through the race.

"I was jus trying to stay focused, tried to stay with Billy, then Billy took off. (I told myself) not to give up, the plan was to stay with Ryan," he said.

Chinle's Johnathan Yazzie said he sat out the last half of the season last year. This year, he's back and is promising himself a state championship appearance.

"I think I did pretty good, didn't give up, kept going with the fight," he said. "I'm going back this year to try and beat Ryan at state."

Tuba City took first place as a team with 41 points, followed by Chinle (69), Gallup (99), Many Farms (101), Ganado (113), Holbrook (158), Pinon (239), Monument Valley (283), and Shonto Prep (332).

Martin said he was glad to see the athletes had a good time and that his runners learned from their experience.

"The athletes looked like they enjoyed it," he said. "Main thing I stress is details, to become a runner, living like a runner, progressing. We want to see individual improvement."

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