What a day at Hidden Valley Park in Martinez, CA! The course is only 2 miles, but it is a challenging and hilly course with lots of tough footing. The final climb, about 400 meters from the finish, is a heart-stopping, leg-cramping, soul-sucking monster. Don't worry... we slayed the monster!
Carrie arrived waaaay early to run the coaches'/community race where she raced to place 3rd woman overall. Her legs do not thank her, but she was able to gather valuable reconnaissance for the later missions by our Panthers!
The JV boys started things off with Avi Ballo leading the SENIOR STAMPEDE of Alex Thomas, William Hoberg, Gavin Von Seggerin, Connor Runge, and Ben Davidson. Patrick Kennedy also raced well! He needs to patent his kick!
Frosh/Soph boys were next with Ethan Foster making a statement, running an outstanding time of 12:23! Josh Peck, Ben Lara, and Jack Brady ran solid times for our sophomores. Frosh Justin Therman kicked in hard, and Dustin Engel led a spirited charge up "Finale Hill."
Our All Grade Open/Unlimited Boys race included Ed Sias veterans Jonathan Cutcher with an impressive 14:18 and Jake Walker with a big improvement over last year! The rest were race newbies Ben Hughes, Alex Hong, and Jonathan Doyle. Way to fight!
The Varsity Boys brought their Division I "A" game to the course. Jordan Guerrero passed a bazillion people in the last 400 to garner 7th place and a hard-to-run sub 11:00 time (10:52). Michael Tomasi PR'd, and Christian "Orange Streak/I'll run this course every day and love it" Nazarek was not far behind. A fast finishing trio of Jonathan Peck, Jonathan Ahnberg, and Michael Kennedy came next, with Niko Lecoeueche (too many e's in there, huh?) stepped up to the Varsity plate with a strong race of his own. BEST OF ALL, the Varsity Boys eked out a 4th place finish (MEDALS!) and another victory over rivals Maria Carrillo. Jordan was interviewed on Flotrack and didn't sound like an ignorant teenager! Yay! Link: http://www.flotrack.org/coverage/240221-2011-Ed-Sias-Invitational/video/506393-Jordan-Guerrero-Northgage-HS-7th-place-V-Boys-Large-School-at-the-2011-Ed-Sias-Invitational
The first girls to race were the JV girls, led once again by the Natalie "Fritzenator" Fritz. She placed 3rd with a stellar 14:59 with Ellie Paul not far behind in 8th! How heavy are those top 10 medals, ladies? Amber Peters, Kyra Kennedy, Sienna Lish, and Luz Huerta attacked the course to help their team earn 4th place overall (AND MORE MEDALS!!)
Next up for the girls was the Frosh/Soph race! Super Frosh Emma Pierson ran like a veteran to lead the way. Sophomores Morgan Bertsch, Jordan Codding, Jinny Tran, and Cierra Beltran stomped the hills too. Jordan had an impressive finish, and Cierra could barely contain her excitement after she ran!
Lucia Ronan and Kassie Walker ran in the Unlimited race, positioning themselves well and holding it throughout the undulating course. Awesome!
The Varsity Girls ended the day, with the temperatures and winds both rising. Sadia Ibrahim, Eva Herbst, and Trixie Scolari got off the line quickest and ably held their position throughout the race. Evvy Archibald and Sarah Withers both had huge finishes, with Marina Lecoueche (did I get it right?) in hot pursuit, and Emily Rozga just a bit after. The girls earned 5th place overall in a tough tough tough Large School Division.
Overall, Panthers came to race! Many of you raced this course for the first time, and you discovered that last week's race at Rancho was not really a "true" cross country course. This was. The terrain is challenging and tests you both physically and mentally. You all aced this test!
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