We already knew the El Paso boys running scene had some fast guys coming into this cross country season, but this weekend was proof that they have the goods out west.
Coming into the season, Israel David (El Paso Eastlake), Luis Pastor (El Paso Coronado) and Isaac Mendoza (El Paso Eastwood) were thought to be three of the best runners in the state due to their 2020 cross country results and their 2021 track efforts in the 1,600m, 3,200m, and track 5Ks.
So far, these studs haven't let down and this weekend's running shows how bright the current running in El Paso is.
This weekend also showed that there are more horses in El Paso than previously thought. El Paso Pebble Hills junior Omer Ibrahim is playing no games this season and his start is evidence of his fitness.
Last track season, he worked on speed by updating his PRs to 1:56.51 and 4:26.85 and that has continued into this track season. He won the Tornillo/San Elizario XC Invitational last weekend with what was his second best 5K performance of his career in 15:49.84.
Boys 5,000 Meters Varsity
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Athlete Yr Team Time
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1 Omer Ibrahim 11 Pebble Hills 15:02.15
2 Israel David 12 El Paso Eastlake 15:02.73
3 Luis Pastor 11 El Paso Coronado 15:04.79
4 Andres Gurrola 12 El Paso Eastwood 15:22.34
5 Isaac Mendoza 12 El Paso Eastwood 15:35.95
6 Chris Moreno 11 San Elizario 15:38.71
7 Devon Paez 12 El Paso Eastwood 15:39.93
8 Daniel Romero 10 Tornillo 15:44.07
9 Andrew Valdiviezo 12 El Paso Riverside 16:01.41
10 Alejandro Tarin 11 El Paso Hanks 16:02.00This weekend at the Ibrahim sprinted to the finish and to a win at the Rudy Alvarez Del Valle Inv. His winning time of 15:02.15 is the number on 5,000m time in the state with David's 15:02.73 right behind at number 2, and Pastor's 15:04 ranks him third.
The Eastwood senior duo of Andres Gurrola (15:22.34) and Isaac Mendoza (15:35.95) rounded out the top five finishers at the meet and helped them to an outstanding overall team performance. They finished with a 15:46.08 team average and a 47.66 split.
On the girl's side, Lauren Walls-Portillo (El Paso Eastwood) won in 17:58.28 and Eastwood freshman Adelynn Rodriguez was the runner-up in 18:37.95 as they led four girls under 19 minutes. Pamela Rodriguez (El Paso Burges) was third in 18:59.11 and Kassandra Jimenez (El Paso Montwood) was fourth in 19:59.84.
Girls 5,000 Meters Varsity
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Athlete Yr Team Time
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1 Lauren Walls-Porti... 12 El Paso Eastwood 17:58.28
2 Adelynn Rodriguez 9 El Paso Eastwood 18:37.95
3 Pamela Ramirez 12 El Paso Burges 18:59.11
4 Kassandra Jimenez 11 El Paso Montwood 18:59.84
5 Natalia Martinez L... 11 Pebble Hills 19:08.03
