JSerra TC, La Canada TC Set For Rematch at First NXR California

By Erik Boal, DyeStat Editor

The inaugural Nike Cross California Regional event will showcase a rematch of one of the most tightly contested girls races Nov. 27 at the CIF State Championships at Woodward Park, when the top two lineups in Division 4 square off for the third week in a row.

JSerra TC edged La Canada TC by a 122-131 margin at the state final, following a 77-94 victory at the CIF-Southern Section championship meet Nov. 20 at Mt. San Antonio College in Walnut.

JSerra captured its first state title since 2012, with a young lineup led by freshman Brynn Garcia and junior Anastasia Snodgrass. Sophomores Brooke O’Brien and Georgia Jeanneret, along with juniors Cameron Murphy and Ellie Johnson, are all looking to send senior Ashlee Gallegos out a winner one more time in Fresno against a familiar rival.

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La Canada TC is also positioned well for the future with sophomores Arielle McKenzie and Katelyn Materese both earning all-state honors by placing ninth and 10th in the Division 4 final.

Freshman Maya DeBrouwer, sophomore Yasmin Ghaneh and juniors Catherine Mispagel and Caitlin Roehmholdt are also motivated to produce a victory for senior Jenna Milbrodt in her cross country finale.

North Clovis Running Club and Sacramento produce the biggest obstacles toward JSerra TC and La Canada TC capturing the team title.

North Clovis Running Club was eighth in the Division 1 final, led by a 10th-place effort from junior Ashlyn Leath and seniors Gianna Bomarito and Miliana Perez finishing 36th and 47th overall.

Sacramento was also eighth in the Division 2 championship race, highlighted by a fifth-place performance from Tatiana Cornejo, along with senior Claire Silva placing 37th and sophomore Kelsey Sutch earning 42nd overall.

The top individual entry is one of the elite sophomores in the state, Lafayette Acalanes standout Olivia Williams.

After winning the North Coast Section individual title Nov. 20 at Hayward High, Williams placed second in the Division 4 state final and became one of 16 female competitors in history – including four sophomores – to eclipse the 17-minute barrier at Woodward Park, clocking 16:56.2.

Junior Lauren Soobrian of Los Altos, sophomore Renae Searls of Alhambra High in Martinez, junior Audrey MacLean of Larkspur Redwood and freshman Evie Marheineke of San Jose Archbishop Mitty join Cornejo, Garcia, Leath, Perez and Bomarito in producing sub-18:30 performances on the 5-kilometer layout at Woodward Park this season.

Central Section well represented with top performer, strong lineups in boys race

North Clovis Running Club is in contention for a sweep of the team titles, with the boys lineup returning to race on familiar terrain following a sixth-place finish in the Division 1 final.

The group is scheduled to battle eighth-place Dublin, along with Central Section Division 1 rival and 13th-place finisher MadTown Track Club, as well as Division 2 state champion San Luis Distance Club.

MadTown Track Club prevailed Nov. 18 against North Clovis Running Club at the Central Section championship meet, before North Clovis Running Club responded in convincing fashion at the state meet.

San Luis Distance Club achieved a spread of less than 30 seconds among its five scorers to secure the Division 2 title after suffering a one-point loss at the section final.

Milo Skapinsky, Luke Holland, Lewis Westwood, Quinn White and Weston Greenelsh all ran under 16:30 at the state final, with Luke Reiss and Graham Keeling eclipsing the 17-minute mark.

North Clovis Running Club will try to apply the pressure up front with a veteran group, led by Andrew Cape, who finished 25th in the Division 1 state final.

Fellow seniors Brayden Blodgett, Mathew Oaks, Spencer Mueller, Paean Ocampo, Zachary Holmes and Dominic Bien are also scheduled to compete for North Clovis Running Club.

MadTown Track Club, the Central Section Division 1 champions, will look to recapture that success, led by seniors Alejandro Gutierrez and Ulysses Vega, along with juniors Dylan Devine, Isaac Chavez, Adrian Hipolito, Estevan Medina and Vidal Luna.

Dublin has the ability to produce a tight spread among its five scorers as well, as evidenced by its sweep of the top five spots at the North Coast Section Division 1 final Nov. 20 at Hayward High, with a 25-second gap.

That compression was near one minute in the state championship race, which Dublin will look to address in its return to Fresno. Daniel Trampe leads a strong senior group, including Sharvin Manjrekar, Matthew Morgon, Joshua Turpin and Cole Turpin, as well as junior Nathan Manesh and sophomore Rahul Dutta.

Following his first sub-15 effort at Woodward Park, Clovis Project Team junior Christopher Caudillo is the individual favorite, securing sixth place in 14:59.2 in the Division 1 state final.

Christopher Chavez of Bellflower St. John Bosco, fifth in the Division 3 final in 15:16.1, is competing unattached, along with 10th-place finisher Rhys Pullen of Moraga Campolindo, who ran 15:32.9 for the runner-up Cougars.

Senior Nathaniel Avila, a teammate of Caudillo at Clovis Project Team, boasts a personal-best 15:18 at Woodward Park from the championship race Oct. 9 at the ASICS Clovis Invitational.

Mason Ma of Ayala Running Club is scheduled to compete following a 13th-place effort in the Division 2 championship race, after earning runner-up honors in the Southern Section final Nov. 20 at Mt. SAC. Owen Ahten of Newhall was 23rd in the Division 2 state final, leading his team to an 11th-place performance.

Patrick Thomas and Anthony Erikson of Royals, representing San Luis Obispo Mission Prep, finished 30th and 45th in the Division 4 state final. Guillermo Lopez of CV Grizzlies, representing Fresno Central, placed 35th in the Division 3 championship race.

Carter Spradling of the Timberwolves, representing Clovis East, took 59th in the Division 1 state final, and Wesley Selby of the Miners – competing for Nevada Union – was 17th in the Division 3 championship race.

They are both entered, along with Central Coast Section champion Michael Julian of The York School in Monterey, the fifth-place finisher in the Division 5 state championship race, and Jack Barnes of Midland, who took sixth in the Division 5 final after capturing the Southern Section title.