3A boys and girls cross country: Puskedra shatters record; Ogden, Cedar win crowns

Over the years, patrons of the Utah state cross country championships have seen some outstanding runners.

So Judge senior Luke Puskedra is joining some elite company.

Having just begun his taper for the upcoming Foot Locker Western Regional Championships, where he'll undoubtedly hope to shine, Puskedra left his mark on Utah's prep cross country scene Wednesday afternoon.

The senior shattered the state record for the three-mile race, previously held by Provo High's Josh Rohatinsky, and finished inside the 15-minute mark to easily defend his title in the 3A boys cross country meet, as he finished in 14 minutes and 54.6 seconds.

Per the team competition for the boys, Ogden (63) emerged with a solid win over Park City (75). On the girls side, fellow Judge runner Hailey Knettles won the individual competition, while Cedar (62) and Judge (62) tied in the team competition but Cedar won a tie-breaker to nab the title.

Front-and-center, however, was the performance of Puskedra, and there were plenty of people scattered all over the course at Sugarhouse Park who were willing to say nice things about him.

"Puskedra is amazing," said Cedar boys coach Keenan Hart. "You ask anyone in the Western States. At this point, he is so far ahead of everybody else. He is good, and he's consistent.

"He's one of the best runners, I think, ever out of the state of Utah," Hart added. "There have been some good ones. There'd probably be somebody that would argue with me."

For his part, the fleet-footed Judge runner said he was pleased to finish nearly 13 seconds ahead of Rohatinsky's record, which was 15:07.

"That's really big for me," he said.

Meanwhile Ogden's No. 4 and No. 5 runners — Devin Gilbert and Jose Zamora — made the difference in the team competition. All year, the Tigers felt comfortable with how stars Franco Montes, Jacob Barton and Manuel Luna would perform at state.

The trio, nicknamed the "Three Amigos," all finished in the top 10, but it was the performance of Gilbert and Zamora, who climbed up several spots during the final mile, that pushed Ogden past Park City.

"They stepped up," said Montes.

A late surge also played a big role in determining the team champion on the girls side.

Four of Cedar's runners finished in the top 14, but as it played out, a sprint by its fifth runner, Callie Kunz, at the finish line proved to be the difference.