Team edges confused Cowboys on league’s toughest course
Park Hill is the home course of the San Benito Haybalers
cross-country team. Its steep and pebbly inclines, curvy and dusty
paths and its demanding-but-challenging climbs are a few of the
reasons its considered one of the league’s toughest.
Team edges confused Cowboys on league’s toughest course
Park Hill is the home course of the San Benito Haybalers cross-country team. Its steep and pebbly inclines, curvy and dusty paths and its demanding-but-challenging climbs are a few of the reasons its considered one of the league’s toughest.
Monday, after a wrong turn by two runners helped the Haybalers women defeat the Salinas Cowboys 27-28, the Park Hill course can now be called something else.
Confusing.
With a lead and a sweep of the Haybalers cross-country squad well in hand, leader Jessica Davi turned right instead of left on the last lap as race goers urged her to turn back.
Locked in, Davi never realized she was off course until San Benito frosh/soph runner Cody Diller chased her down and informed Davi of her snafu.
Upon realizing her mistake, Davi reversed her track and tried to catch the first-place finisher, San Benito’s LeeAnn Morales.
“I feel bad she went the wrong way. I tried to call her but she just kept going,” Morales said. “I felt if she didn’t go the wrong way, I still could have caught her.”
Morales finished the 3.1-mile race in 22.11 and helped push the Haybalers’ unblemished record to 5-0 in the Tri County Athletic League. Also taking advantage of the Davi miscue was freshman Nerevda Garcia, who breezed in behind Morales at 23.16.
Salinas’ Judith Muniz also got a bit confused during the last half-mile of the race when she hooked a right toward the finish line instead of running toward the loop that circles back to the finish.
San Benito runner Katherine Parker, who was trailing Muniz by a few seconds, sprinted past her competitor and eventually finished ninth, just in front of Muniz.
A frustrated Muniz broke into tears after she broke the tape at 25:04.
“You hate to see that happen,” said Haybalers Coach Randy Logue.
It’s as though the Cowboys never ran the Park Hill course before.
“It’s not that confusing,” Morales said. “It’s really easy. There are arrows on the floor and people telling you which way to go.”
The men of the Salinas team did not seem to have a problem with the course layout. The Cowboys placed seven runners in the top 10 to offset Isidro Trujillo’s near record-breaking performance. The Cowboys won 20-41.
Trujillo came within 12 seconds of matching Patrick Hernandez’s course record time of 17.25 set last season. Trujillo’s time of 17.25 was well ahead of second-place finisher Vikran Patei’s time of 17.51.
“They’re a great team and are ranked in the top five of the (Central Coast) Section,” said Logue, whose men’s team suffered its first loss of the year. “We’ve improved a lot.”
Saturday, the Haybalers will travel to Pacific Grove High School for the Pacific Grove Invitational before heading to North Salinas for its final meet of the regular season.
Next Saturday, the Haybalers and the rest of the Tri County Athletic League will gather in Salinas’ Toro Park for the winner-take-all TCAL Tournament. No matter how a team fared during the regular season, if it wins the TCAL’s it is considered the league champs.
