The cross-country team at Sedona Red Rock High School had some bad luck on the girls’ side Saturday, Nov. 5, with its best runner in junior Mykala Seresun getting cramps halfway through the race.

Seresun, who was favored to win the Division IV State Championships at the Cave Creek Golf Course in Phoenix, finished 20th overall with a 21:25.31 time.

“I feel so bad for her,” longtime Sedona Head Coach Harry Schneider said. “She looked great and then about a mile and a half in, she pulled up with cramps. She did the best she could after, but it was tough. She is really disappointed.”

With their main horse missing out on an opportunity to finish strong, the Scorpions struggled, finishing sixth overall out of 15 teams with 195 total points.

Junior Eva Wilson still ran quite well, finishing seventh overall with a 20:16.51 time. Junior Taylor Gage didn’t finish as well as she hoped either, taking 17th overall with a 21:11.50 time.

Hopi High School won the girls’ state title with 39 points while Pusch Ridge Christian High School was second with 78 points. Northland Preparatory Academy wrapped up the top three with 83 points.

The Sedona boys, on the other hand, ran quite well, finishing fifth overall as a team with 194 points. Hopi won the boys’ crown with 52 points while Northland Preparatory came in second with 81. Veritas Preparatory Academy finished third with 171 points.

“The boys ran very well. Almost every kid ran his best time of the season. Our goal was to finish top five in the state at the beginning of the year and the boys accomplished that goal,” Schneider said.

Top performances for the boys included senior Brandon Snickers who was 27th overall with a 17:53.03 time.

Sophomore Travis Okie was next in line for Sedona, finishing 45th overall with an 18:20.29 time while sophomore Kris Schindele was 49th overall with an 18:23.20 time.

Senior Zac Johnson was 57th overall with an 18:35.71 time, and senior Gabe Greenfield was 62nd overall with an 18:42.55.

“All of the kids ran great. It was a big meet and they looked good,” Schneider said.