Lady ‘Balers edged by Mustangs, 24-31
HOLLISTER
It turns out, no one really likes to run at Hollister’s Park Hill.
“I hate this course,” said San Benito harrier Courtney Allen. “It’s the worst course ever.”
Its hills (frequent), heat (in the low- to mid-90s) and dust (seemingly everywhere) can usually add as much as a minute to even the top runners’ times, and that was certainly the case on Monday when San Benito welcomed the Gilroy Mustangs.
While the ‘Baler boys took advantage of their home course, as well as Gilroy’s youth, running to an easy 15-42 victory, the girls race was far closer than their male counterparts, and provided an exciting look at things to come in the Tri-County Athletic League.
With conditions anything but ideal, Gilroy’s Kathleen Miller managed to take the top spot in the girls race, nonetheless, recording a 20:03 and leading the Mustangs to a narrow win over San Benito, 24-31.
“Luckily, we knew this course much better this time around than we did two years ago,” Gilroy coach Art Silva said. “Last time we ran here, we didn’t know the course and our kids were going the wrong way.”
The girls knew the course this year, no doubt, hence the five Gilroy finishers finding a spot in the top eight places.
Patricia Hernandez (21:33.2) was third overall, while Brandie Rodriguez (22:21.2) was fifth. Christine Bobula (23:09) and Savannah Silacci (23:18.2) took seventh and eighth place, respectively.
San Benito, which held a lead early in the 3.2-mile race, filed in behind Allen’s second-place time of 21:01.5.
“It was all right, not my best,” Allen said. “Our team looks really good. I think we have a chance at winning TCALs, but we’re gonna have to work at it and see how it goes.”
Rachel Shimabukuro (22:14.1) was fourth overall, while Dayna Casillas (22:46.8) was sixth. Grace Tobias (23:58.8) and Ana Rosa Duarte (24:24.3) finished in ninth and 10th place, respectively.
“The girls did okay,” girls coach Josh Morales said. “It was their first dual meet and we’re going up against one of the top teams in the CCS. All we can do is improve on them.”
The boys race wasn’t as close, however, as San Benito earned the lowest possible score with each of their five runners crossing before Gilroy could do the same.
‘Balers Frankie Rivera (17:48.2), Adrian Rodriguez (17:51.9), Eddie Guzman (18:20.2), Jose Castillo (18:44.6) and Jorge Agular (18:47.9) finished in places first through fifth.
“We ran hard on Saturday,” boys coach Jess Morales said. “But they did real well, team-wise.
“We closed up the gap a little bit, which is what we wanted. This course, you should expect these times.”
Gilroy’s Tim Williams was the first Mustang to cross in sixth place at 19:13.1.
“It’s definitely one of the most difficult courses I’ve run,” Williams said. “The whole course is on a gradual incline … It was my worst time of the year.”
Daniel Apuzzo (7th, 19:26.0), Jon Thielges (8th, 19:36.4), Raul Cobarubias (10th, 20:45.8) and Juan Velasquez (11th, 21:06.9) rounded out Gilroy’s runners.
Williams noted the youth of Gilroy’s team, which doesn’t boast a senior on the squad.
“We’re definitely a young team,” he added. “We’re just getting the whole team to work together to try and learn to run in packs. It’s a better team strategy.”
Running in a pack is easier said than done, of course, especially at Park Hill.
