By Brad Pettit

El Ave News editor

The Crane Golden Cranes hosted the annual Crane XC Invitational this week at the Crane Golf Course, welcoming approximately 25 teams and more than 700 runners for a day of competition and celebration.

Coach Machele Pahl expressed her gratitude for the turnout and community support.

“We had a great turnout thanks to all teams and vendors that came, as well as an afternoon of celebrating our XC Seniors,” Pahl said. “We are very thankful for the hard work of many people who volunteered their time to make this a successful event.”

Varsity Boys – 2nd Place, Division I

The Golden Cranes varsity boys earned runner-up honors with strong individual finishes.

• 5th – Steven Lozano

• 9th – Josh Morales

• 18th – Ivan Martinez

• 28th – Luciano Alvarez

• 41st – Sebastian Rizo

• 44th – Phailon Flores

• 48th – Damian Gallegos

• 52nd – Zayden Garza

• 54th – Esteban Morales

• 69th – Michael Esparza

Varsity Girls – 3rd Place, Division I 5K

The varsity girls also shined with a top-three team finish.

• 5th – Aubrey Torres

• 6th – Shae Coates

• 17th – Adriana Bonachea

• 21st – Vida Flores

• 25th – Berkeley McNeese

• 26th – Kenya Valles

• 27th – Robyn Vega

JV Boys – 5th Place, Division II

• 12th – Jahyr Gonzales

• 14th – Jiovani Murguia

• 25th – Gael Lupercio

• 32nd – Noah Garcia

• 36th – Luis Valles

• 37th – Keyan Williams

• 39th – Daylen Hightower

• 40th – Elijah Hargrove

• 49th – Luiz Rodriguez

• 50th – Valentin Velasco

• 51st – Alejandro Martin

• 52nd – Jacob Esquivel

JV Girls – Division II

51st – Alondra Parades

• 67th – Amanda Gutierrez

• 70th – Amber Mendoza

• 71st – Arianna Iniguez

• 79th – Marlene Rodriguez

• 89th – Briza Hernandez

Middle School Boys

• 19th – Miguel Lozano

• 25th – Stetson Vargas

• 30th – Adrian Reynoso

• 32nd – Juaquin Perez

• 55th – Gabriel Solis

• 60th – David Padilla

• 61st – Kevin Rizo

• 65th – Adrian Hernandez

• 74th – Adrian Reynoso

• 91st – Kevin Garcia

• 93rd – Antonio Rizo

• 95th – Bernardo Aparcio

Middle School Girls

• 18th – Analise Garza

• 37th – Scarlett Fuentes

• 44th – Alessandra Perez

• 49th – Tenley McNeese

• 57th – Kaila Salazar

• 58th – Kassidy Hargrove

• 71st – Galleria Chavez

• 78th – Baylee Pahl

• 81st – Alenae Mendoza

• 85th – Wendy Mendoza

• 87th – Edyn Vega

• 94th – D’Layni Hernandez

• 108th – Gema Tapia

Additional runners who participated but whose bibs did not scan included Yaritza Alvarez, Landri Aguilar, Alexandria Hernandez, and Savannah Rizo.

The invitational not only showcased Crane’s competitive spirit but also honored the dedication of its athletes, families, and volunteers who make cross country a highlight of the fall sports season.

Pahl, who helped build the program into what it is today, is please with the success of the program.

“I couldn’t be happier with the way it’s gone,” she said. “The program has grown so much over the years, and I’d love to see it continue to grow even more in the years to come.”

Photos and story by Lexi Dominguez

El Ave News staff writer

The Crane Ladybirds earned a hard-fought win on Saturday, defeating the Marfa Lady Shorthorns 3–1 in front of a home crowd. The victory improved Crane’s record to 9–7 on the season.

Crane jumped out strong, taking the opening set 25–21 before edging Marfa again in the second, 25–22. The Lady Shorthorns rallied in the third, capitalizing on Crane’s errors to force a 25–22 decision. But the Ladybirds regrouped and closed the match with a decisive 25–16 fourth-set win.

Senior hitter Ivory Velasco powered the offense with 12 kills, while Ava Navarette added 8 and Charlee Lee chipped in 7. Freshman Lexi Rodriguez was nearly unstoppable, connecting on 4 kills in just 5 swings for an .800 hitting percentage. Setter Maddie Abalos turned in a strong all-around effort, dishing out 29 assists and delivering 5 service aces.

Defensively, libero Alondra Moreno anchored the back row with 22 digs. Velasco and Lee also shined on defense, tallying 17 and 15 digs, respectively. Crane’s net play proved timely as well, with Rodriguez and Brinlee Hill contributing key blocks.

The Ladybirds overcame a difficult third set, where they hit -.216, by stepping up their serving game and finishing with 13 aces on the night. Their balance and resilience proved the difference down the stretch.

Head Coach Priscilla Serrano previously coached in Marfa, and the experience was unique for her.

"Today was special- stepping onto the court against my previous school reminded me of where I started," she said. "But the true highlight was watching the Ladybirds rise to the occasion with confidence, determination and coming out on top. I am so proud of the growth this team has achieved together and excited to see the end result."

Assistant coach Lauren Rubio echoed these sentiments.

"I am so proud of the Ladybirds volleyball teams on their victories against Marfa," she said. "The girls were really in sync this past weekend. Now we need the support and energy from the fans to lead us into district. The Lady Birds feed off that support and we want Crane to get just as excited as we are."

Story by Gary Ray Gutierrez

El Ave News Staff

The Crane Golden Cranes put on a dominant performance Friday night, rolling past the Kermit Yellowjackets in a 42-6 victory. Both sides of the ball delivered as Crane’s defense forced turnovers and the offense piled up points behind a powerful ground game.

The Golden Crane defense set the tone early, limiting Kermit to just six points the entire night. Izayah Saucedo came up big with two interceptions to stall the Yellowjacket offense. Markis Campos executed his plays precisely and successfully, while Aaron Padilla and Guillermo Partida delivered key tackles to keep Kermit’s attack in check.

On offense, it was the Gracin Huertas show. The standout rusher exploded for close to 300 yards on the ground and in the air, finding the end zone three times. Sammy Sanchez chipped in with a 2-yard touchdown run, Hudson Willis broke free for a 17-yard score, and Kobe Walker electrified the crowd with a 65-yard punt return touchdown.

When Huertas was asked how he felt about his game performance, he turned the topic of conversation back towards the team.

“I feel good about our team,” he said. “I think we are going to be a tough team to go against.”

When the line of questioning was turned back to his game performance, Huertas finally relented and talked about his key role in the win. However, he was quick to give credit to his teammates for their awesome job.

“I did my best at running the ball thanks to our amazing offensive line and my wide receivers who blocked really well,” Huertas said. “They did their job so I could do mine, and I'm really thankful for them. They deserve the spotlight, and I'm ready to continue this season and see what we can do.”

Head Coach Robert Ontiveroz echoed these sentiments, praising the play on both sides of the ball.

“I felt really good about our offense because I knew that not everything was riding on them,” he said. “Our defense was playing so well that it took some of the pressure off of the offense. If we can keep that up, we will be a tough team to meet out there on the field.”

With the win, the Golden Cranes improved their record to 2-0 and will now turn their focus to next Friday, when they travel to Iraan to face the Braves in what promises to be another tough match-up.