ALBUQUERQUE — Last week, Rio Rancho and Cleveland dominated the District 1-5A Championship. On Saturday, the Rams and Storm shined in the state championship.
Cleveland boys placed first in the 2026 Blue Cross and Blue Shield of State Cross Country Championships, hosted by Albuquerque Academy. The Storm posted 56 points, while Rio Rancho, which finished second, had 81. This is Cleveland’s second consecutive state championship.
“I am incredibly proud of our boys for bringing home the state trophy,” said Kenny Henry, Cleveland’s head coach. “Their season has truly been remarkable. Last season, the boys won the state title and five of those seven boys were seniors. So, to start the season, on paper at least, it didn’t look like we were going to have the same kind of team. But we knew that despite having a very young team, if they would be committed to working a certain way, they could be good. Midway through the season, we could see that this group was going to have a chance. They are a close group and all of them have been 100% committed to doing their part to make a state championship a reality. They simply got better and better each week.”…