Sue Fletcher Invitational runs Saturday morning

SIERRA VISTA — The annual Sue Fletcher Classic Cross Country Invitational will be held Saturday at Loveless Stadium at Buena High School.

Ten teams are entered in the event that honors former Buena girl’s physical education teacher, track coach and cross country coach, Sue Fletcher.

Fletcher developed and coached the Lady Colts to five Region Championships, a State Runner-up and one State Championship during her tenure as track coach.

Fletcher was also a volunteer assistant coach for the Buena girls cross country teams as well as a coach of the Sierra Vista Middle School (now the Joyce Clark Middle School) cross country team.

In 1986, Fletcher became the first girls cross country team coach.

Outside the school district, Fletcher was involved with the Thunder Mountain Running Club, of which she was president of for many years.

Fletcher retired from Buena in 1995 after 20 years of teaching.

While out jogging on an early morning run in October, 2001, she was struck by a car and killed.

Sabino is the defending champion in both the boys and girls meets, winning last year’s girls’ race with 52 points. Buena finished second with 57 and Nogales was third with 59 points.

Sabino took the boys’ meet scoring 45 points to Nogales’ 64 points. Marana Mountain View was third with 68 and Buena finished fourth with 72.

The Sabercats return this year to defend their title in both the boys and girls division.

Other teams entered include Sahuarita, Palo Verde, Verrado, Bowie/San Simon, Douglas, Nogales, Cienega and St. Augustine.

“You never know who might show up at the last moment,” coach Shuryl Magargee said.

Of the girls’ teams entered, the battle should be between Sabino, who edged Buena 29-30 on Wednesday on the same course, Buena and Nogales.

Nogales returns five of the seven runners they had in the program last season.

As for the boys, the Sabercats had the first four runners cross the finish line in Wednesday’s meet with Buena and Douglas and are a big favorite to repeat. Nogalas has three returnees.

Wednesday, Nogales defeated Rincon and Desert View and won their season opener last week beating Cienega, Douglas and Sahuarita.

The boys varsity race at 8:30 a.m. and the girls varsity race at 9 a.m.

The non-varsity races will be held at 10 a.m. (boys) and 10:30 a.m.  (girls).

Individual awards (1st-30th places) will be presented starting at 11:35 a.m. followed by team awards (top three boys and girls).