Running at Toro Park
— the same course that will host this year’s Tri-County Athletic
League Championships — San Benito finished second overall out of 46
teams after five Balers clocked times in the 16-minute range.
SALINAS
Although its performance last week at the TCAL Jamboree was considered an unofficial statement, the San Benito boys cross country team managed to further articulate its strong points at last weekend’s Early Bird Invitational in Salinas.
Running at Toro Park — the same course that will host this year’s Tri-County Athletic League Championships — San Benito finished second overall out of 46 teams after five Balers clocked times in the 16-minute range.
Senior Jose Castillo led San Benito to an eighth-place finish in his class with a time of 16:22. The low time also positioned Castillo 14th overall out of approximately 968 runners on Saturday.
Meanwhile, teammate and fellow senior Eddie Guzman finished 11th in his class with a time of 16:39, while senior Sergio Alcala was 13th in 16:42.
Omar Vasquez, who finished 14th among all juniors competing, was third for San Benito with a time of 16:41, while junior Said Hernandez was 17th in his class in 16:57.
San Benito’s sixth and seventh runners didn’t finish in the 16-minute range, but fell short my mere seconds.
Freshman Steven Velarde, who was second overall among all freshmen competing, clocked a 17:04 for the Balers, while Ricardo Esqueda recorded a 17:09 to finish 10th in the sophomore race.
San Benito compiled a team time of 1:23:21, falling a little more than two minutes shy of Bellarmine (1:21:10), which earned first place at the massive meet. Madera South, meanwhile, was third overall with a total team time of 1:23:34.
The Baler girls took 11th on Saturday with a team time of 1:45:27, although they sat behind the bulk of the private schools in attendance. After Carlmont (1:39:48), Mountain View (1:40:41) and Los Gatos (1:41:08) earned the top three spots, St. Ignatius, Presentation, Mitty, St. Francis and Valley Christian filled in most of the bottom 10 slots.
With senior Dayna Casillas clocking a 21:36 for the Balers, a time that positioned her 22nd among seniors and fourth on the team, San Benito’s strong sophomore class filled in the remaining spots.
Vanessa Estrada was first on the team and third among sophomores with a time of 19:43, while sophomore Maura Forbush was 14th in her class with a time of 21:07. Cynthia Trujillo was 19th among sophomores in 21:23, and Megan Pape, who rounded out San Benito’s scoring for the day, clocked a 21:38 to finish 25th in the sophomore class.
Senior Grace Tobias (22:18) and freshman Brittany Ahumada (25:31) finished in sixth and seventh place for San Benito.
The Balers are expected to return to Toro Park for a second straight weekend this Saturday when they will compete in the Chieftain Classic. Races start at 9 a.m., with the varsity girls and boys slated to begin at 12 p.m. and 12:30 p.m., respectively.
Early Bird Invitational
Toro Park, Salinas
BOYS
Combined Team Scores (Top 5 only)
1, Bellarmine, 1:21:10; 2, San Benito, 1:23:21; 3, Madera South, 1:23:34; 4, Los Altos, 1:24;11; 5, Willow Glen, 1:24:38.
Individual Times (San Benito Only)
Freshmen Boys
1, T. Doshiro, Monta Vista,17:02; 2, S. Velarde, SB, 17:04; 15, O. Aguilar, SB, 18:38; 19, J. Corral, SB, 18:41; 102, J. Penzo, SB, 21:14; 185, J. Rodriguez, SB, 23:44.
Sophomore Boys
1, R. Ho, Leland, 16:00; 10, R. Esqueda, SB, 17:09; 169, M. Baleras, SB, 21:11; 194, J. Sanchez, 21:34; 219, G. Martinez, 22:13; 298, M. Espinoza, SB, 27:48.
Junior Boys
1, K. Bishop, Monta Vista, 15:51; 14, O. Vasquez, SB, 16:41; 17, S. Hernandez, SB, 16:57; 39, D. Kret, SB, 17:56; 203, C. Hernandez, SB, 23:03.
Senior Boys
1, D. D’Acquisto, Enterprise, 15:42; 8, Jose Castillo, SB, 16:22; 11, E. Guzman, SB, 16:39; 13, S. Alcala, SB, 16:42; 40, D. Vasquez, SB, 17:49; 50, S. Hernandez, SB, 18:11; 89, J. Aguilar, 19:24; M. Burley, SB, 20:30; 192, A. De Alba, SB, 24:51.
GIRLS
Combined Team Scores (Top 5 only)
1, Carlmont, 1:39:48; 2, Mountain View, 1:40:41; 3, Los Gatos, 1:41:08; 4, St. Ignatius, 1:41:37; 5, San Lorenzo Valley, 1:42:02; 11, San Benito, 1:45:27.
Individual Times (San Benito Only)
Freshmen Girls
1, A. Maxwell, San Lorenzo Valley, 19:10; 65, B. Ahumada, SB, 25:31; 105, D. Ramirez, SB, 31:04; 113, B. Carlisle, SB, 35:56.
Sophomore Girls
1, D. Katz, Los Gatos, 19:02; 3, V. Estrada, SB, 19:43; 14, M. Forbush, SB, 21:07; 19, C. Trujillo, SB, 21:23; 25, M. Pape, SB, 21:38; 134, A. Deidrick, SB, 26:17; 159, K. Sullivan, 27:15; 161, S. Barrientos, SB, 27:17; 169, D. Redington, SB, 27:57; 172, D. Frias, SB, 28:24; 182, C. Nunez, SB, 30:46; 188, K. Casillas, SB, 33:45.
Junior Girls
1, M. Lira, Valley Christian, 18:51; 131, A. Renteria, SB, 27:11; 160, M. Gutierrez, SB, 29:12; 168, A. Swanepoe, SB, 30:11; 175, C. Gonzalez, SB, 31:33; 180, E. Zepeda, SB, 33:50.
Senior Girls
1, R. Hinds, St. Ignatius, 18:00; 22, D. Casillas, SB, 21:36; 29, G. Tobias, 22:18; 70, L. Shorey, SB, 25:47; 77, C. Llamas, SB, 26:17; 89, J. Martin, SB, 27:26; 112, E. Kovach, SB, 30:32; 118, J. Rivera, SB, 31:30.
