A GREAT TIME AT MORRO BAY!!!

42 athletes made the trip to the Central Coast town of Morro Bay for the opening meet of the season.  New driver...new luck...no bus issues this time around as we ended up with the larger bus allowing everyone to spread out a little and air conditioning the whole time.  It was a nice drive up as the team arrived at the motel around 2:30.  Our traditional workout took us over the actual course and extended up the beach.  We did have sun at the beach, but it was a cool breeze blowing off the water. 

We walked over for our dinner at the park with a fire and games and then turned in for the night.  After breakfast in the park, the team walked across the street to the high school for the meet.  This low key meet where they don't give awards or keep team scores is a great way to start the season.  The tides were opposite from a year before...the course got easier for the later races.  The sandy course was measured at 2.73 miles this year but is tough with the beach involved.  There were many smiles after the race as the newcomers looked back to see many finishers behind them, putting to rest the fear of finishing last.  Most were pleased to improve their time from a year ago...and everyone was happy to finally race after a long summer of training.

Putting together a trip like this is a lot of work, but I think it's an important trip for the team.  It not only brings the team together, but motivates the athletes to attend summer practices.  I will say the trip probably wouldn't happen if it wasn't for the support of parents...especially with the meals.  The Garcia's once again took the lead on dinner and breakfast and did a fantastic job.  They received a big assist from the Plummer, Alvarez, Ratanarak, Sincock, Metzgar, Ewart, and Burkhart families.  The kids and the coaches appreciate your hard work.

A huge thank you to the athletes for their excellent behavior on the trip.  I always worry most about noise at the motel and I think I set a record for the least amount of "shhhh-ing" I have ever done on this trip!

Complete Results: (includes improvement from last year)

Boys Varsity (108 total runners):  21. Joel Sincock - 16:30 (-1:18...#7 mark all-time);  29. Aaron Cisneros - 16:41 (-:52...#9 mark all-time);  45. David Garcia - 17:27 (-1:58);  49. Diego Saldonid - 17:38 (-1:31);  64. Anthony Herchenroeder - 18:12;  65. Wesley Ewart - 18:12;  67. Taylor Friday - 18:18 (-:37);  80. Jake Trauger - 18:39 (-2:08);  89. Arturo Beltran - 19:01

Girls Varsity (98 total runners):  6. Alex Burkhart - 19:13 (-1:37...#5 mark all-time);  7. Jessica Alvarez - 19:19 (-:42...#6 mark all-time);  29. Amy Metzgar - 20:48;  41. Morgan Plummer - 21:20 (-:29);  52. Kayla Bello - 22:01 (-:49);  55. Casey Gielen - 22:07 (-:03);  56. Jennifer Lee - 22:11;  71. Adryanna Lugo - 22:47 (-:40)

Boys JV (??? total runners):  36. Richard Ramirez - 19:03;  44. Cameron Liska - 19:10;  51. David Metzgar - 19:26;  55. Jacob Garcia - 19:30;  64. Michael Ortega - 19:50

Girls JV (??? total runners):  30. Nicole Medina - 22:34;  40. Jenna Aguilera - 22:54;  49. Rebecca Caldera - 23:25;  50. Caitlin Ratanarak - 23:26;  74. Abigail Iturra - 24:38;  87. Riley Villalpando - 25:07;  96. Desiree Lenart - 25:54;  97. Kate Nelson - 25:55

Boys Novice (??? total runners):  50. Darius Otero - 19:24;  83. Noah Grigolla - 20:39;  90. Andrew Luna - 20:59 (-:21);  109. Josh Woods - 21:33;  118. Chris Stephens - 22:02;  123. RJ Karls - 22:06;  125. Tommy Lopez - 22:14;  127. Steven Pham - 22:19;  131. Josh Filmalter - 22:31 (-2:11);  132. Gabriel Dimaisip - 22:32;  137. Matt Oravets - 22:35 (-1:56)

ROUGH DAY AT GLEN HELEN!!!

Paramedics needed, season-ending injury and an eye-opening look at the rest of the league that showed we have some serious work ahead of us.

Another friendly reminder that you must hydrate (and not exclusively with water) and eat regular meals.  It may have been hot, but low 90's is typical this time of year.  I should also note that when you are at a meet, there is a short list of what you should be doing:  1.  Preparing to run;  2. Racing;  and 3. Supporting those who are racing.  I'm aware that some of you have a lot of school work, but it's disheartening to see so many sitting in the camp area or playing around while other races are going on.

The girls finished fourth and were only 9 points out of 2nd, but the thought that we can easily qualify for CIF, it's just a matter of what place, were dashed.  We need to all make a concerted effort every day at practice to reach the postseason.  The boys, while decimated by graduation last year, showed growing pains and need to continue to work hard to climb into the mix.  Both sides will make a better showing at Red Hill in a few weeks.  Don't forget that you will get another crack at this course on Saturday, October 8th! 

While complete results will be coming soon, I do have partial results to post.  Also, this course has been changed many times, so I don't have a record list of times, but will work on it in the coming weeks.

Results:

Boys Varsity: Team Scores:  1. Rancho Cucamonga - 15;  2. Glendora - 51;  3. Etiwanda - 74;  4. Upland - 113;  5. Alta Loma - 128;  6. LOS OSOS - 152;  Individual:  21. Joel Sincock - 17:12;  27. Aaron Cisneros - 18:03;  31. Brandon Whittington - 18:17;  35. Chris Greaves - 18:24;  38. Wesley Ewart - 18:32;  39. Diego Saldonid - 18:43;  40. Anthony Herchenroeder - 18:47

Girls Varsity:  Team Scores:  1. Glendora - 39;  2. Rancho Cucamonga - 62;  3. Etiwanda - 68;  4. LOS OSOS - 71;  5. Alta Loma - 99;  6. Upland - 160;  Individual:  5. Jessica Alvarez - 19:43;  6. Alex Gonzalez - 19:49;  19. Stephanie Nevarez - 20:55;  20. Alex Burkhart - 20:56;  21. Hannah Leone - 21:15;  30. Amy Metzgar - 21:56;  33. Morgan Plummer - 22:26

Boys JV:  No Team Scores Available Yet:  Individual:  12. Dominic Wilmot-Francis - 18:19;  33. David Garcia - 19:05;  34. Robbie Pasma - 19:06;  38. Matt Hawkins - 19:12;  42. Taylor Friday - 19:21;  46. Luke McReynolds - 19:27;  48. Richard Ramirez - 19:31;  63. Jason Madaloni - 19:51;  Jake Trauger - 19:56;  69. Robert Duran - 19:57;  75. Arturo Beltran - 20:16;  85. Cameron Liska - 20:38;  89. Eddie Hills - 20:51;  93. David Metzgar - 21:06;  95. Jacob Garcia - 21:14;  97. Joshua Melendez - 21:15;  98. Darius Otero - 21:22;  100. Andrew Luna - 21:23;  106. Filip Buettner - 21:44;  107. Brian Lui - 21:50;  110. Michael Ortega - 21:59;  124. Tommy Lopez - 23:43;  125. Noah Grigolla - 23:44;  127. Chris Stephens - 23:46;  138. Josh Woods - 25:57

Girls JV:  No Team Scores Available Yet:  Individual:  5. Adrienne Austria - 21:50;  8. Jennifer Lee - 22:24;  10. Adryanna Lugo - 22:45;  17. Casey Gielen - 23:09;  24. Rebecca Caldera - 23:32;  34. Taylor Antczak - 23:42;  36. Nicole Medina - 23:48;  41. Caitlin Ratanarak - 24:11;  43. Kayla Bello - 24:16;  44. Jenna Aguilera - 24:22;  57. Abigail Iturra - 25:39

GREAT COMPETITION AT WOODBRIDGE!!!

On a beautiful afternoon and evening in the OC, the great spirit of cross country competition was on display at the Woodbridge Invitational.  One of the most popular meets of the year for the team because of the lightning fast course and high level competition, spectators only saw half the meet; the other two divisions ran on Friday night.  In its second year at the Estancia HS site (which I think will be permanent), the Grizzlies certainly surprised the coaches, if not others.  Last year we took 10 seniors to Stanford and it is difficult to replace that, but we certainly feel better after this meet, as most showed improvement...some by large margins.  And this after what was easily the toughest week of practice this season as we took advantage of cooler weather.  Many have committed to making this a great season and their hard work was on display last night. 

For the girls, there was little drama in the showdown for Stanford spots, as other commitments had many pass on the trip regardless of where they finished.  But that did not stop them from stepping up with some impressive efforts.  Freshman Hannah Leone, all alone in her race of over 200, put together an effort worthy of a seasoned veteran, showing great patience, moving up for a top 20 finish and a sub-20:00 time.  Alex Burkhart led the sophomores to a 5th place finish as a team by finishing 3rd overall and breaking 19:00.  Jessica Alvarez and Alex Gonzalez brought it in the varsity race, running the #2 and #5 times respectively...very impressive racing.

We love our incentive meets...Morro Bay to reward summer attendance and Stanford to reward hard work.  On the boys side, everyone was "all-in" for the Bay Area and it was a shootout!  It was so close for the final two spots that for the first time, we had to wait until the official times were posted to extend the invitations.  The sophomores came to play on this night as 4 broke 17:30 to apply the pressure to the juniors and seniors who raced later.  In that group was newcomer Brandon Whittington, who joined a very short list of Stanford qualifiers in their first race ever and Chris Greaves, who knocked nearly 4 minutes off his 2010 time to make the Stanford trip!  By the time the racing was done, Coach O was looking at 2 seconds separating the 6, 7, & 8 times and decided to wait for results.  It's never easy to break the news to someone who has worked so hard, but David Garcia showed the class and character that makes the cross country team the best group on campus.  He sensed he might have been on the short end of the stick, but indicated that he would yield to the senior if the times were identical.  After confirmation, he congratulated Wesley and even joked that it was time to find a date for Homecoming.  The official time showed that 2 seconds separated them in what is our closest call in the six years we have done this.  It was great to see everyone working so hard in practice and then displaying it on the course.  

Maybe the most impressive numbers on the night were that the girls team time (5 fastest times totaled) was only 46 seconds off of last year's senior heavy squad.  As for the boys, after graduating 6 seniors from our league finals 7, the cut-off for Stanford was only 3 seconds slower this year.  We may not have that Hawkins/Navarro 1-2 punch up front, but everyone's effort to improve is certainly showing.

Congratulations to those who qualified for the Bay Area trip...the paperwork will be distributed on Monday.

Complete Results:  (*** = Stanford qualifier;  improvement from last year indicated)

Novice Girls (347 total):  10. Alison Cuskey - 22:58;  43. Abigail Iturra - 24:08;  66. Desiree Lenart - 24:41;  96. Kate Nelson - 25:05;  97. Riley Villalpando - 25:05 (-1:07);  105. Kimberly Lui - 25:12

Novice Boys (174 total):  16. Filip Buettner - 20:39;  61. Tommy Lopez - 22:06;  65. Josh Woods - 22:14;  69. Chris Stephens - 22:22;  83. Josh Filmalter - 22:55 (-2:28);  87. Gabriel Dimaisip - 23:04;  92. Matt Oravets - 23:12 (-1:43);  94. Steven Pham - 23:16;  111. RJ Karls - 23:43;  131. Jeff Filmalter - 24:27

JV Girls (236 total):  76. Adryanna Lugo - 21:42 (-:28);  117. Taylor Antczak - 22:40

Frosh Girls (213 total):  19. Hannah Leone - 19:54

Soph Girls (5th out of 18; 199 total):  ***3. Alex Burkhart - 18:59 (-1:58; #9 mark all-time);  18. Stephanie Nevarez - 20:00;  ***45. Adrienne Austria - 20:43 (-:59);  64. Jennifer Lee - 21:13;  106. Nicole Medina - 22:12;  107. Jenna Aguilera - 22:12;  113. Caitlin Ratanarak - 22:22;  135. Rebecca Caldera - 23:04

Frosh Boys (23rd of 31; 366 total):  77. Luke McReynolds - 18:16;  118. David Metzgar - 18:41;  119. Richard Ramirez - 18:42;  144. Darius Otero - 19:04;  158. Cameron Liska - 19:19;  184. Jacob Garcia - 19:37;  214. Jason Madaloni - 20:04;  239. Noah Grigolla - 20:30

Soph Boys (16th of 33; 364 total):  ***71. Diego Saldonid - 17:08 (-1:35);  ***72. Brandon Whittington - 17:09;  ***90. Anthony Herchenroeder - 17:17 (-1:24);  ***103. Chris Greaves - 17:27 (-3:51);  140. Robbie Pasma - 18:00 (-:33);  343. Brian Lui - 21:59

Varsity Girls (17th of 28; 196 total):  ***18. Jessica Alvarez - 18:27 (-:33; #2 mark all-time);  ***24. Alex Gonzalez - 18:41 (-:25; #5 mark all-time);  ***99. Amy Metzgar - 20:03 (-:09);  132. Morgan Plummer - 20:34 (-:14);  ***151. Casey Gielen - 21:12 (-1:44);  ***164. Kayla Bello - 21:40

Junior Boys (279 total):  ***59. Aaron Cisneros - 16:50 (-:43);  109. David Garcia - 17:32 (-:07);  118. Dominic Wilmot-Francis - 17:38;  163. Matt Hawkins - 18:15 (-1:25);  189. Robert Duran - 18:42 (-2:34);  192. Joshua Melendez - 18:46;  193. Eddie Hills - 18:47 (-:16);  209. Arturo Beltran - 19:12;  229. Andrew Luna - 19:48 (-:23)

Senior Boys (217 total):  ***32. Joel Sincock - 15:58 (-:37);  ***122. Wesley Ewart - 17:30 (-:33);  134. Taylor Friday - 17:45 (-:42);  160. Jake Trauger - 18:09 (-2:47)

SAVE ME SAN FRANCISCO!!!

GONZALEZ SHATTERS SCHOOL COURSE RECORD

Everybody can breathe now as we wrap up an exhausting week for both athletes and coaches.  If ever a team needed a trip like this, our Grizzlies did.  Anxious to erase Wednesday's disappointing performance, the team made their sixth consecutive trip to the Bay Area.  Only four returned from a year ago, so while there are many constants on a trip like this, it was neat that it was all new to so many. 

The trip began with the best part...the drive up the 5 Fwy!  At least it was more comfortable in our rented vehicles;  the boys certainly had plenty of room to spread out.  Bucking tradition, we chose Hometown Buffet in Gilroy for dinner and I think we will return to Fresh Choices next year :)  We arrived at the Bay Landing Hotel in Burlingame just after 9:00pm and as usual, the accomodations did not disappoint.  An early breakfast for most who chose to and our annual San Francisco Bay Trail run at 10:00am.  It was a 6-10 mile run...special shout out to the boys (and Coach Mendez) for doing the entire 10!  After group photos near Pier 39, the team had free time for lunch and sightseeing before dinner. 

And now for the biggest bummer of the trip...no Tai Chi!!!  Evidently, they put in a new floor and are closed for a week.  I cannot go without my war wanton soup for another year!  Calling an audible, it was off to the mall where we see our movie for shopping and mall food :(  The team enjoyed "Contagion" and then all washed their hands on the way out.

After a big breakfast, we had a 9:30 departure for Stanford University and the race.  We could not have ordered more perfect weather...75 degrees and a slight cool breeze was so much better then the steamy heat that was rising from the all-grass course the last couple of years.  The boys got things under way at 12:10, putting together a nice race with Joel Sincock leading the way, running the #4 mark all-time.  Brandon Whittington has quietly climbed into the #2 spot on the team (and I mean quietly) as his endurance improves from a late start.  This team reminds me of the team we brought up two years ago, but these times were better.  This sophomore-heavy squad has the potential to do some really good things.

The girls may not have brought their five best scorers on this trip, but you wouldn't know it as all five on this day now appear on the "Top 10" list on this course.  Alex Gonzalez started determined and hung on against a tough field finishing 16th.  The only clue we had as to how well she ran was the distance between her and our #2 and #3 runners.  How well was it?  25 seconds faster than any LOHS runner on this course!  The other girls raced well also, but gaining confidence with each race, Adrienne Austria ran the #10 time on this course to ensure that all 5 scorers would make the list.  Both teams raced much better and have some momentum to build on for the next league meet on October 12th. 

We do this trip for many reasons and we've always said that the race itself is probably not at the top of that list.  It's a great opportunity for the athletes to come together and we had another great trip.  It may be a lot of work, but each year we agree that it's worth it all.  Thanks once again for outstanding behavior by our team...you represented your team and school very well.  Also, thanks to the parents and families who made the trip to support the team.

Complete Results:

Boys (22nd out of 30 teams;  team time of 89:17;  207 total runners):  68. Joel Sincock - 17:10 (#4 mark all-time);  122. Brandon Whittington - 17:53 (#9 mark all-time);  127. Aaron Cisneros - 17:58;  129. Diego Saldonid - 18:00;  139. Anthony Herchenroeder - 18:16;  151. Chris Greaves - 18:33;  165. Wesley Ewart - 18:55

Girls (11th out of 29 teams;  team time of 101:59;  208 total runners):  16. Alex Gonzalez - 19:20 (NEW SCHOOL RECORD);  31. Jessica Alvarez - 19:53 (#4 mark all-time);  33. Alex Burkhart - 19:55 (#5 mark all-time);  107. Amy Metzgar - 21:25 (#9 mark all-time);  109. Adrienne Austria - 21:26 (#10 mark all-time);  152. Casey Gielen - 22:33;  173. Kayla Bello - 23:13

FULL SQUAD RACES WELL AT BREA!!!

GIRLS F/S HIGHLIGHTS WITH 3RD PLACE FINISH

It was a beautiful morning in Brea...a great day to run a tough course.  For the first time since 2007, all the Grizzlies took part with the Stanford 14 joining in the festivities.  This course has it all...rolling, thick grass, sand, a big hill and an extra .2 added on the traditional 3 mile distance.  A very scenic course to run, but about as unfriendly a spectator course as you could come up with!

There was lots of improvement on the day, as indicated below, along with good, competitive racing.  It's encouraging to see runners become racers, which comes with experience.  Great job everybody!  The Girls FS ran to a 3rd place finish, led by Alex Burkhart and Hannah Leone, who ran the #3 and #6 top marks in LOHS history on this course.  The Boys FS finished 6th with freshman Luke McReynolds breaking into the sophs top five to help the cause. 

Joel Sincock led the varsity boys to a 10th place finish, while Jessica Alvarez ran the #5 time in history to pace the girls to a 12th place finish.

With pride and letter points on the line, Coach Mendez was the first female finisher in the coaches/alumni/parents/siblings race, dropping significant time from last year.  Coach O, powered by diet soda, brought his 68-day running streak into the race and broke a lot of hearts by only coughing up 2 points.  You can give-it-a-go again next year boys :)

Complete Results: (improvement over a year ago noted)

Girls Varsity 1-2 (31 total):  14. Jessica Alvarez - 21:28 (#5 mark all-time);  27. Amy Metzgar - 23:34

Girls Varsity 3-5 (48 total):  22. Morgan Plummer - 22:58 (-:08);  38. Kayla Bello - 25:10;  40. Adryanna Lugo - 26:26

Girls Varsity 6 + (98 total):  28. Taylor Antczak - 24:08 (-1:57);  58. Abigail Iturra - 26:42;  72. Riley Villalpando - 28:40

Girls FS 1-5 (75 total):  4. Alex Burkhart - 21:13 (-1:42; #3 mark all-time);  11. Hannah Leone - 21:58 (#6 mark all-time);  13. Stephanie Nevarez - 22:05 (-1:48; #8 mark all-time);  16. Adrienne Austria - 22:13 (-1:05);  39. Jennifer Lee - 23:56

Girls FS 6 + (140 total):  14. Caitlin Ratanarak - 24:27 (-2:42);  16. Rebekah Castro - 24:43;  19. Allison Cuskey - 24:46;  26. Nicole Medina - 25:09;  28. Kat Arteaga - 25:20;  66. Kate Nelson - 27:29;  68. Desiree Lenart - 27:34

Boys Varsity 1-2 (37 total):  16. Joel Sincock - 18:10 (#5 mark all-time);  29. Aaron Cisneros - 19:19

Boys Varsity 3-5 (48 total):  18. David Garcia - 19:12 (-1:22);  29. Wesley Ewart - 19:51;  32. Dominic Wilmot-Francis - 19:58

Boys Varsity 6 + (118 total):  36. Matt Hawkins - 20:29 (-1:22);  49. Robert Duran - 20:55 (-1:29);  53. Joshua Melendez - 21:14;  59. Jake Trauger - 21:31 (-1:55);  68. Arturo Beltran - 21:49;  114. Joey Covarrubias - 28:22

Boys FS 1-2 (37 total):  9. Brandon Whittington - 18:40 (#8 mark all-time);  19. Diego Saldonid - 19:02 (-1:49)

Boys FS 3-5 (59 total):  16. Chris Greaves - 19:23 (-3:16);  17. Anthony Herchenroeder - 19:25 (-:31);  19. Robbie Pasma - 19:44 (-1:19)

Boys FS 6 + (219 total):  8. Luke McReynolds - 19:24;  17. Richard Ramirez - 19:51;  36. Jason Madaloni - 20:46;  37. David Metzgar - 20:47;  49. Jacob Garcia - 21:16;  58. Filip Buettner - 21:25;  61. Cameron Liska - 21:27;  76. Brian Lui - 22:11;  89. Noah Grigolla - 22:31;  90. Andrew Luna - 22:32 (-:16);  99. Darius Otero - 22:52;  133. Gabriel Dimaisip - 23:43;  145. Josh Woods - 24:09;  146. Chris Stephens - 24:10;  150. Tommy Lopez - 24:13;  154. RJ Karls - 24:17;  155. Steven Pham - 24:18;  163. Josh Filmalter - 24:33 (-2:05);  191. Matt Oravets - 25:50 (-3:05);  192. Jeff Filmalter - 25:52

Coaches Race:  Coach O - 18:45 (-1:01);  Coach Mendez - 23:00 (-:41)

GREAT WEATHER AND REDEMPTION AT GLEN HELEN!!!

GONZALEZ STILL RUNNING HOT TO LEAD THE GIRLS TO A 3RD PLACE FINISH

Eager to wash the bitter taste of this course from their mouths, the Grizzlies returned to the site of BLM #1 to prove they were simply "better than that."  And prove it they did as over 90% who ran in both races improved their time this time around;  to the tune of over a minute on average.  Before we collectively pat ourselves on the back, this is what should happen.  If we aren't faster 2 1/2 weeks later, something is wrong with the training calendar or your effort at practice.  Also, more competitive races, cooler temps and not having sat through a full day of school are significant contributing factors.  NOW you can pat yourselves on the back (just want to make sure your heads don't swell!) because many of you ran extremely well and your hard work and the experience you gained has certainly paid off.

Great conditions also led to an assault on the Top 10 list for this three year old course.  Leading the way and setting her second school course record in 2 weeks was red-hot Alex Gonzalez, who ran a beautifully tactical race to place 3rd in the Varsity Girls race, leading the girls to their 3rd-3rd place finish at an invitational this year.  With the emergence of Adrienne Austria, this may have been our best scoring five this year with only a 1:18 gap from 1st to 5th. 

Joel Sincock and Aaron Cisneros both broke 17 minutes to move to #3 and #4 respectively on the course list.  The young boys team fared well finishing 7th out of 18 teams and in the overall merged results where the first team had 34 and the last team had 1900 points, the boys finished only 8 points behind Alta Loma, closing that gap from BLM #1! 

Hopefully we can take these good marks to Red Hill Park on Wednesday and improve our showing in the important BLM #2!

Complete Results:  (improvement from BLM #1 shown followed by improvement from '10;  also top 25 times of SB County runners noted)

Girls Varsity (3rd of 12 teams; 93 total runners):  3. Alex Gonzalez - 19:07 (NEW SCHOOL RECORD; -:42/-:51; #12 overall in SB County and #4 senior);  18. Jessica Alvarez - 19:46 (#13 junior in SB County);  21. Alex Burkhart - 19:52 (#6 mark all-time; -1:04/-1:55; #8 soph in SB County);  31. Hannah Leone - 20:18 (#8 mark all-time; -:57; #14 frosh in SB County);  35. Adrienne Austria - 20:25 (#9 mark all-time; -1:25/-1:46; #16 soph in SB County);  43. Amy Metzgar - 21:03 (-:53);  47. Morgan Plummer - 21:10 (-1:16/-2:00)

Girls Frosh (133 total runners):  46. Alison Cuskey - 22:54;  85. Kate Nelson - 24:38

Girls Sophs (9th of 14; 125 total runners):  36. Jennifer Lee - 21:51 (-:33);  50. Rebecca Caldera - 22:22 (-1:10);  56. Caitlin Ratanarak - 22:45 (-1:26);  57. Summer Seale - 22:46 (-1:32 from '10);  62. Nicole Medina - 22:58 (-:50);  80. Desiree Lenart - 24:42 (-:47 from '10);  113. Sarah Baker - 27:00

Girls JV (6th of 11 teams; 130 total runners):  29. Casey Gielen - 21:35 (-1:34/-:49);  31. Adryanna Lugo - 21:39 (-1:06/-:49);  48. Kayla Bello - 22:49 (-1:27/-:07);  57. Taylor Antczak - 23:14 (-:28);  73. Abigail Iturra - 24:40 (-:59);  80. Riley Villalpando - 25:08;  90. Kimberly Lui - 25:55

Boys Varsity (7th of 18 teams; 118 total runners):  12. Joel Sincock - 16:36 (#3 mark all-time; -:36/-:30; #22 senior in SB County);  30. Aaron Cisneros - 16:59 (#4 mark all-time; -1:04/-1:03; #19 junior in SB County); 40. Brandon Whittington - 17:14 (#6 mark all-time; -1:03; #20 soph in SB County);  59. Diego Saldonid - 17:36 (#7 mark all-time; -1:07/-1:46);  73. David Garcia - 17:59 (-1:06/-:50);  92. Wesley Ewart - 18:22 (-:10);  104. Dominic Wilmot-Francis - 18:45

Boys Frosh (7th of 15 teams; 175 total runners):  18. Richard Ramirez - 17:59 (-1:32; #18 frosh in SB County);  21. Luke McReynolds - 18:01 (-1:26; #20 frosh in SB County);  63. David Metzgar - 19:00 (-2:06);  68. Jason Madaloni - 19:10 (-:41);  73. Filip Buettner - 19:19 (-2:25);  83. Cameron Liska - 19:41 (-:57);  95. Jacob Garcia - 19:55 (-1:19);  112. Darius Otero - 20:37 (-:45);  134. Chris Stephens - 21:29 (-2:17);  139. Noah Grigolla - 21:37 (-2:07);  151. Gabriel Dimaisip - 22:14;  152. Tommy Lopez - 22:15 (-1:28);  158. Steven Pham - 22:29;  159. Joseph Munoz - 22:43

Boys Sophs (12th of 15 teams; 134 total runners):  42. Chris Greaves - 17:54 (#10 mark all-time; -:30/-3:54);  51. Anthony Herchenroeder - 18:08 (-:39/-:44);  73. Robbie Pasma - 18:51 (-:15/-:15);  99. Brian Lui - 20:25 (-1:25);  123. Josh Woods - 22:29 (-3:26);  128. Josh Filmalter - 23:34 (-1:02 from '10);  130. Jeff Filmalter - 23:40;  131. Matt Oravets - 23:48 (-3:12 from '10)

Boys JV (9th of 16 teams; 168 total runners):  36. Taylor Friday - 18:13 (-1:08/-1:19);  37. Matt Hawkins - 18:19 (-:53/-2:08);  70. Jake Trauger - 19:03 (-:53/-3:03);  78. Robert Duran - 19:16 (-:41/-2:55);  94. Arturo Beltran - 19:37 (-:39);  127. Andrew Luna - 20:59 (-:24);  150. Joey Covarrubias - 22:49

HEAT RISES AT RED HILL!!!

It wasn't a work of art, but the Grizzlies turned in a gutty performance over the grassy slopes of Red Hill Park to meet their goals for the day.  Mid-October heat in the high 90's is not unusual, but after weeks of cool weather, it just seemed hot.  Unfortunately, we had a few girls not finish their race, but all are fine tonight.  

With the heat came relatively poor times...not one person, boys or girls, broke into the top 10 on that course.  In addition, only 9 people that ran the course last year improved their mark.  Maybe a better gauge on how well people ran is to compare their place from the first league meet at Glen Helen with where they finished today.  While not perfect, it's a decent measuring stick.  Hats off to David Metzgar who was 93rd at Glen Helen and finished 29th today!

Morgan Plummer and Jennifer Lee led the way for the JV Girls, finishing 3rd and 6th overall.  They finished 4th as a team.  Anthony Herchenroeder led the JV Boys to a 3rd place finish.

After a disappointing 4th place finish at Glen Helen, the girls bounced back and outpointed Etiwanda by 12, which is a nice 15 point swing.  Alex Gonzalez led the Lady Grizzlies with a 5th place finish.  It all comes down to League Finals at Mt. SAC on November 1st...finish 3rd and advance to CIF.

The boys defeated Alta Loma by 8 to finish 5th on the day and improve their standing in the league.  Joel Sincock and Brandon Whittington both finished in the top 25.

It was a game effort on both sides, but we need to put together a solid 2 1/2 weeks of practice to finish the season strong.

Complete Results:

Boys Varsity:  Team Results:  1. Rancho Cucamonga - 21;  2. Glendora - 53;  3. Etiwanda - 59;  4. Upland - 103;  5. LOS OSOS - 141;  6. Alta Loma - 149;  Individual:  20. Joel Sincock - 17:15;  24. Brandon Whittington - 17:43;  31. Aaron Cisneros - 18:21;  32. Chris Greaves - 18:29 (-2:21 from '10);  34. Diego Saldonid - 18:36 (-:03);  36. David Garcia - 18:45;  39. Richard Ramirez - 19:22

Girls Varsity:  Team Results:  1. Glendora - 31;  2. Rancho Cucamonga - 52;  3. LOS OSOS - 72;  4. Etiwanda - 84;  5. Alta Loma - 116;  6. Upland - 164;  Individual:  5. Alex Gonzalez - 19:52;  11. Alex Burkhart - 20:06 (-:54);  12. Jessica Alvarez - 20:07;  15. Stephanie Nevarez - 20:18 (-1:35);  29. Hannah Leone - 21:21;  31. Amy Metzgar - 21:30

Boys JV:  Team Results:  1. Glendora - 15;  2. Etiwanda - 66;  3. LOS OSOS - 90;  4. Rancho Cucamonga - 103;  5. Upland - 128;  6. Alta Loma - 158;  Individual:  17. Anthony Herchenroeder - 18:33 (-1:19);  21. Dominic Wilmot-Francis - 18:44;  24. Robbie Pasma - 18:56 (-:03);  29. David Metzgar - 19:07;  31. Wesley Ewart - 19:12;  47. Luke McReynolds - 19:49;  50. Jason Madaloni - 19:56;  56. Robert Duran - 20:15;  66. Matt Hawkins - 20:34;  68. Jake Trauger - 20:42 (-:25);  73. Jacob Garcia - 20:51;  74. Cameron Liska - 20:51;  77. Arturo Beltran - 20:54;  79. Taylor Friday - 21:14;  89. Filip Buettner - 21:40;  95. Darius Otero - 22:07;  97. Andrew Luna - 22:22;  100. Chris Stephens - 22:31;  101. Brian Lui - 22:35;  116. Noah Grigolla - 24:14

Girls JV:  Team Results:  1. Rancho Cucamonga - 38;  2. Glendora - 68;  3. Etiwanda - 82;  4. LOS OSOS - 94;  5. Alta Loma - 96;  6. Upland - 146;  Individual:  3. Morgan Plummer - 22:32;  6. Jennifer Lee - 23:07;  28. Casey Gielen - 24:19;  33. Kayla Bello - 24:25;  39. Nicole Medina - 24:41;  41. Rebecca Caldera - 24:48;  42. Kat Arteaga - 24:50;  43. Caitlin Ratanarak - 24:55 (-1:22);  49. Taylor Antczak - 25:24 (-:49);  51. Abigail Iturra - 25:29;  63. Summer Seale - 26:30;  97. Desiree Lenart - 36:27

SOPHOMORES 3RD AT MT SAC!!!

With both teams missing their top runner and others as well, the team sacrificed varsity scores for grade level competition.  It paid off as the sophomore boys and girls each placed 3rd in their races and the frosh boys had a good showing finishing 5th. 

This was the tale of two meets...a morning meet and after a three hour break and 15 to 20 degree warmup, an afternoon meet.  It's hard to compare times because the conditions were so different.  Here is what I do know...we must race better to achieve our goals at the Baseline League Finals.  The times were not very good, heat or no heat.  We have a week and a half to pull things together with solid, confident practices with a purpose. 

On the positive side, Alex Burkhart led the soph girls to a 3rd place finish with her own 3rd place finish in the race.  Lesson learned on how important each position is...we finished 3rd with 113 points, 1st place had 111 and 2nd had 112.  Jessica Alvarez had the fastest time of the day at 19:55.  Brandon Whittington finished 19th in the sophomore boys race to lead the team to a 3rd place finish.

Complete Results (improvement over best time from any of 3 races at the Mt. SAC course last year): 

Boys Varsity (14th of 15 teams;  102 total runners):  46. Aaron Cisneros - 17:46;  72. Wesley Ewart - 18:35;  79. David Garcia - 18:44 (-1:12);  87. Dominic Wilmot-Francis - 19:24;  89. Matt Hawkins - 19:30 (-:34);  96. Taylor Friday - 19:51

Boys JV (196 total):  94. Robert Duran - 19:18 (-2:28);  101. Joshua Melendez - 19:25;  121. Arturo Beltran - 19:53;  193. Joey Covarrubias - 24:33

Boys Sophs (3rd of 16 teams; 170 total):  19. Brandon Whittington - 18:11;  31. Diego Saldonid - 18:37 (-:23);  47. Chris Greaves - 19:01 (-2:12);  48. Robbie Pasma - 19:03 (-:48);  49. Anthony Herchenroeder - 19:09;  129. Michael Ortega - 22:42 (-1:37);  134. Brian Lui - 23:06;  151. RJ Karls - 25:02;  153. Matthew Oravets - 25:16;  159. Jeff Filmalter - 26:10;  160. Josh Woods - 26:25

Boys Frosh (5th of 12 teams; 155 total):  19. Luke McReynolds - 19:03;  26. Richard Ramirez - 19:14;  31. David Metzgar - 19:29;  36. Jason Madaloni - 19:39;  54. Cameron Liska - 20:29;  62. Jacob Garcia - 20:52;  111. Chris Stephens - 22:45;  115. Joey Munoz - 22:54;  121. Noah Grigolla - 23:05;  127. Tommy Lopez - 23:15;  128. Darius Otero - 23:27;  142. Gabriel Dimaisip - 24:21;  143. Steven Pham - 24:30

Girls Varsity (114 total):  26. Jessica Alvarez - 19:55 (-:01);  68. Morgan Plummer - 21:45 (-:24);  72. Amy Metzgar - 21:50

Girls JV (280 total):  157. Taylor Antczak - 24:18 (-:22);  196. Abigail Iturra - 25:28;  234. Kimberly Lui - 26:21

Girls Sophs (3rd of 14 teams; 151 total):  3. Alex Burkhart - 20:22 (-:30);  6. Stephanie Nevarez - 21:06;  13. Adrienne Austria - 21:34 (-:56);  39. Jennifer Lee - 23:00;  66. Nicole Medina - 24:24;  67. Rebecca Caldera - 24:26;  106. Jenna Aguilera - 26:25;  107. Caitlin Ratanarak - 26:29;  121. Desiree Lenart - 27:30

Girls Frosh (149 total):  16. Hannah Leone - 21:48;  74. Allison Cuskey - 25:26;  134. Kate Nelson - 29:37

ABRUPT END TO THE SEASON AT FINALS!!!

BOYS FROSH-SOPH TAKE 2ND

For the first time in school history, the cross country season ended for the Grizzlies at the Baseline League Finals.  There is no way to spin this in a positive way, this was not the team's finest hour.  From top notch teams to mediocre teams to talent-challenged teams, one constant always existed...someone was going to the post-season.  Under perfect conditions at Mt. SAC this afternoon, that constant disappeared.  No team and no individual advanced out of the Baseline League and into CIF Prelims. 

Despite great weather, something was missing.  A level of intensity, a lack of preparation, better performances by opponents, a Halloween candy hangover...not sure what it was, but the team was flat.  Preparation certainly falls on me and all aspects will be examined including the training calendar.  Talking with other coaches, some had practice on Saturday and Monday if for no other reason then to get a couple more shots in about avoiding candy on Halloween and to make sure all knew the release time and departure time.  Another definate change for next year will be to move pasta dinners back a day (2 days prior to meets) instead of the night before.

The day began poorly as five athletes failed to show for the bus.  With the varsity boys not having a reasonable chance to finish any better then 5th, it was decided to stack the Boys Frosh-Soph race.  To observers, this may not have looked like a good move, but with so many Glendora runners out front, the boys actually finished 2nd in a tough battle between 2nd, 3rd and 4th.  Anthony Herchenroeder ran a smart, patient race to finish 8th, while a strong pack put all five scorers in the top 21.  Amy Metzgar finished 5th to lead the Girls JV team to a 4th place finish.

The girls varsity team needed a 3rd place finish to advance to CIF Prelims and it was apparent from the start that Etiwanda came to play today jumping out to a large lead that the Grizzlies could not make up.  In the end, Jessica and Adrienne would not finish the race and while the other girls ran well, they finished 4th.  Alex Gonzalez led the team, just missing an individual qualifying spot, finishing 7th, 1 second behind 6th.  Joel Sincock and Aaron Cisneros led the upperclassmen varsity boys.

On a positive note, in 2010, we ran 10 seniors in the varsity races out of 14 spots.  This year, had we not loaded up in the F/S race, we would have run 3.  We have a solid core of young runners who gained valuable experience this season and they have to decide if they want to take it to the next level.

Complete Results: (improvement from invitational included)

Boys Frosh-Soph:  Team:  1. Glendora - 15;  2. LOS OSOS - 68;  3. Etiwanda - 75;  4. Rancho Cucamonga - 82;  5. Alta Loma - 146;  6. Upland - NS;  Individual:  8. Anthony Herchenroeder - 17:54 (-1:15);  13. Brandon Whittington - 18:09 (-:02);  19. Diego Saldonid - 18:32 (-:05);  20. Chris Greaves - 18:35 (-:26);  21. Richard Ramirez - 18:38 (-:36);  33. David Metzgar - 19:22 (-:07);  38. Robbie Pasma - 19:31;  42. Jason Madaloni - 19:48;  44. Luke McReynolds - 19:59;  48. Darius Otero - 20:06 (-3:21...didn't carry a shoe today!);  55. Cameron Liska - 20:43;  59. Jacob Garcia - 20:54;  63. Filip Buettner - 21:17;  71. Brian Lui - 22:12 (-:54);  75. Chris Stephens - 22:55;  77. Tommy Lopez - 23:17;  80. Noah Grigolla - 23:44

Girls JV:  Team:  1. Glendora - 22;  2. Rancho Cucamonga - 49;  3. Etiwanda - 82;  4. LOS OSOS - 97;  5. Alta Loma - 143;  6. Upland - 168;  Individual:  5. Amy Metzgar - 21:25 (-:25);  24. Casey Gielen - 23:16;  26. Jennifer Lee - 23:21;  28. Areum Han - 23:27;  29. Jenna Aguilera - 23:30 (-2:55);  31. Caitlin Ratanarak - 23:33 (-2:56);  32. Nicole Medina - 23:33 (-:51);  56. Taylor Antczak - 25:37;  75. Kimberly Lui - 26:52

Boys JV:  Individual:  25. Arturo Beltran - 20:38;  29. Taylor Friday - 21:03;  36. Joshua Melendez - 21:49

Girls Varsity:  Team:  1. Glendora - 20 (6 sophs & 1 frosh);  2. Etiwanda - 57;  3. Rancho Cucamonga - 70;  4. LOS OSOS - 89;  5. Alta Loma - 133;  6. Upland - 149;  Individual:  7. Alex Gonzalez - 19:43;  12. Alex Burkhart - 20:10 (-:12);  17. Stephanie Nevarez - 20:34 (-:32);  23. Hannah Leone - 21:10 (-:38);  30. Morgan Plummer - 21:51

Boys Varsity:  Team:  1. Rancho Cucamonga - 17;  2. Glendora - 52;  3. Etiwanda - 77;  4. Upland - 109;  5. Alta Loma - 132;  6. LOS OSOS - 167;  Individual:  26. Joel Sincock - 17:56;  31. Aaron Cisneros - 18:13;  34. Wesley Ewart - 18:33 (-:02);  36. David Garcia - 19:00;  40. Robert Duran - 19:31;  41. Matt Hawkins - 19:37;  42. Jake Trauger - 19:47