Top Nevada teams set to face challengers at Sunset Park

By John Dixon for DyeStat

Larry Burgess-Las Vegas Invitational Preview

The 48th edition of the Larry Burgess-Las Vegas Invitational is Saturday at Sunset Park in Las Vegas. Thirteen middle schools and 48 high schools will be competing on the flat, fast Sunset Park Course.

Varsity Large School Division – 

Boys – Las Vegas Arbor View and Henderson Green Valley come in as the top two teams in Southern Nevada.

Arbor View is coming off a one-point combined division win over Green Valley at the Palo Verde Labor Day Classic. Las Vegas Palo Verde, Henderson Coronado and Las Vegas Clark should also score well in the Large School Division. Arizona’s Page High should also factor in the division after a second-place finish in the Summit Division at the Flagstaff Peaks Invitational.

Individually, Green Valley senior Milton Amezcua established himself as one the top runners in Nevada with his win at the Labor Day meet. Challengers include Arbor View’s Keith Williams and Ian Jackson, Clark’s Liam Jones and Las Vegas Centennial’s Alex Miller. 

Girls -  The class of the Southern Nevada field is once again Centennial, which easily won the Labor Day Invitational placing six girls in the meet’s top 12. Coronado, Las Vegas Faith Lutheran and Palo Verde follow far behind.

Individually, Centennial senior Alexis Gourrier had a 24-second margin over her closest competitor at the Labor Day meet and is the favorite to repeat her 2016 LVI win. Having not run at the Labor Day meet, Henderson Basic junior Raquel Chavez will attempt the upset. Arbor View freshman Elaine Bruestle, second at the Labor Day meet behind Gourrier, has yet to declare whether she’ll be in varsity race or the frosh-soph race.

Varsity Small School Division – 

Boys – Pahrump Valley is the best Southern Nevada Division 3 team and will battle Utah’s Hurricane High for the championship. Pahrump had an 18:40 (5k) average for its top five at the Labor Day meet and Hurricane’s top five averaged 16:27 for three miles at the Southern Utah Invitational. The edge goes to Hurricane.

Individually, Hurricane junior, Caleb Armstrong is the defending LVI Small School champ, having run 15:08 at Sunset Park. The 2016 second-place finisher, Pahrump Valley senior Bryce Odegard, was 56 seconds back. Those two will battle again. Armstrong is in top form, running 15:15 (3 miles) at SUU last weekend. Odegard, with victories at the Red Rock Invitational and a second-place finish at Labor Day, will try to keep it close.

Girls – Hurricane is the class of the Small School field with a top-five average of 21:42 at the SUU Invite. Henderson SECTA had the best team finish for Small Schools at the Labor Day meet, averaging 24:14 (5k). One of the top teams in Southern Nevada, Las Vegas Desert Pines, has yet to run an invitational this season, but could be a factor in the team race. 

Individually, Hurricane’s Hailey Odekirk is the defending champ having run 18:44 at Sunset Park. Last weekend she ran 19:15 at the SUU Invite. The best from Southern Nevada is The Meadows School senior Ellen Hirsberg, who has the top Small School time at the Labor Day meet, finishing 12th in 21:55.