The finish line, near where most of the fans gathered on a ridge above the start, was located a steep half-mile hike up from the Embudo Canyon Trailhead at the east end of Indian School Road. Some found they had to stop and take a rest before they made it to the top.

The run's start was marked off in the bowels of a flood-control dam's normally dry reservoir bed.

The 2.8-mile course began with an uphill climb, then passed by the finish line before diving to the open space's border with the city. The marked trail then struck back up the mountain and wove itself in goat-trail fashion above the dam as it crossed in front of a panoramic view of the upper part of the canyon.

After another loop, a final grueling climb mercifully concluded with a short but sharp drop to the finish-line chute.

"This was our first time (running this course)," Cibola coach Kenny Henry said. "It definitely was a challenging course. I felt, from talking to the kids, that they enjoyed it. It was fun for them because it was different. But it was tough."

Henry said his Cougars practice on hills, but nothing like the course offered.

"But we don't have anything that compares with this on the West Side," said Henry, who is the son of former University of New Mexico track and cross country coach Matt Henry.

What made it even more fun for the Cougars was they won both team titles at the Monarchs' meet. The course was designed by Manzano 11th-year coach Jeremy Vehar.

The CHS boys, the reigning state Class 5A champions, scored a winning 25 points, and the Monarchs, who last won a state title in 2001, were second with 40. The Cougar girls tallied 29 points, and Manzano, the runner-up, was hot on their heels with 35.

Six boys and four girls teams had the requisite minimum of five runners to score as a team. Like golf, the lowest score wins.

The Monarch boys' 40 points were derived from individual finishes of second (Michael Montoya, 16 minutes, 2 seconds), sixth (Alex Clark, 17:25), eighth (Ian Kerstetter, 17:29), 11th (Josh Gordon, 18:09) and 13th (Connor Morrison, 18:18). Their placements — 2, 6, 8, 11 and 13 — add up to 40.

Morrison, who hails from Cedar Crest, had a bag of ice strapped to his right ankle after the race.

"It just went out on me; I didn't twist it," said Morrison, a 5-foot-11, 155-pound junior. "It affected my placement. I let two guys beat me I shouldn't have."

Clark, Kerstetter, Gordon and Morrison are all East Mountains residents.

"I think we're looking pretty strong," Vehar said. "But we raced tired. Their legs were tired what with the training we had (the week before)."

Cibola was paced by identical twin brothers Vincent and Christopher Montoya (no relation to Michael). The Cougar siblings respectively were first and third in 15:54 and 16:12.

Manzano was ranked fifth among 5A schools in last week's New Mexico Track and Cross Country Coaches Association poll. Cibola was third.

"Big time," Kenny Henry said of the Monarchs' improvement. "I think they have an excellent coach in Jeremy Vehar. And they have a lot of pride in their cross country program as evidenced by the number of kids I saw they had out there."

The Manzano girls who scored included Natalie Gomez (third, 21:11), Caroline Lewiecki (fourth, 21:21), Veronica Vazquez (fifth, 21:31), Mariah Pepe (10th, 22:21) and Anna Haschke (13th, 22:43). Cougar Gabby Ellison was first in 20:47.

Lewiecki and Vazquez reside in the East Mountains.

"Caroline was our No. 2 runner (Saturday)," Vehar said. "We hadn't seen her in that position before. It really wasn't that Veronica had a bad race. We tell our runners all the time to not worry about your teammate. It's all good for the team."

Moriarty

The Pinto boys placed eighth with 199 points in a field of 13 scoring teams at the Laguna-Acoma Invitational on Friday. Moriarty was led by Michael McAninch, who was 30th with a 3-mile time of 19:57.

The Pinto girls finished in ninth place with 223 points. Moriarty's Cami Belcher placed 34th in 24:43.

East Mountain

Timberwolf Caroline Kaufman, the 2008 Class 1A/2A girls state champion, won her third straight meet this season at the Pecos meet on Saturday, EMHS coach David Naylor noted in an e-mail Monday. However, the host Panthers' clock broke, Naylor reported, and no times were recorded.

"It's too bad, too, because I think Caroline was under 19 (minutes), although that was an estimate by one of our managers," Naylor wrote. "I hope that the missed time doesn't affect her (No.) 1 ranking on the track and cross country Web site — she's (No.) 1 regardless of class."

The T'Wolf girls placed fourth in Pecos, and the East Mountain boys were fifth. Eric Eridon, 15th, led Naylor's boys, who were ranked fourth last week among 1A/2A schools. Naylor didn't provide team scores or the other teams' placements, and the Pecos coach did not respond to the Telegraph's e-mail requesting that information.

Estancia

The Bear girls, in a 10-team field, were eighth with 194 points at the Adron Gardner Classic in Belen on Saturday. Estancia's Adrienne Montoya was ninth in 20:27.

The EHS boys placed 11th out of 12 teams with 271 points. Bear Kory Ben was 25th in 18:06.