Baler boys cross country team begins postseason Saturday
HOLLISTER
Earlier this month, after the San Benito High boys cross country delivered perhaps its best showing of the season when it finished runner-up to powerhouse Bellarmine at the Serra Invitational, the Haybalers narrowly lost in a league dual meet to Salinas 20-37 just two days later.
There was a belief by some, including one of San Benito’s top runners in Jose Castillo, who felt the Baler boys had difficulty gearing up for league duals — much like they would for larger multi-team invites.
“Maybe we were taking the invites harder,” San Benito junior Eddie Guzman said. “We wanted to run well, for the CCS rankings, at the invites than at the dual meets.”
Although Salinas is certainly no pushover in the Tri-County Athletic League, the Balers have battled illnesses up and down the roster all season — including four of whom were ill during their dual against the Cowboys. And coupled with the belief that San Benito performs stronger at large invitationals, the Balers may just be pinned as a bit of an underdog in the postseason, based on their dual meet performances.
“An underdog?” Castillo asked. “You mean like coming out of nowhere and busting out? Yeah, we’re an underdog then.”
Head coach Jess Morales said his entire team experienced some sort of sickness bug over the course of the season, “but thank God that’s done with.”
“They look like the team that I’ve seen run at Crystal Springs,” said Morales, referring to his team’s performance at the Serra Invitational. “It’s taken awhile to get here and to bounce back to where they are at.
“But as long as we run healthy, we’ll give anyone their money’s worth.”
Morales refers to San Benito’s performance at the Serra Invitational, which took place at Belmont’s Crystal Springs on Oct. 10, as the team’s benchmark event after each and every runner posted sub-17 minute times.
In that race, Castillo recorded a 15:52, with Omar Vasquez trailing with a 16:26. Said Hernandez clocked a 16:45 and Sergio Alcala a 16:50.
Guzman, who was sidelined with a knee injury for three weeks this season, recorded a 16:41.
“We’ve gotten pretty tight,” Castillo said. “We’re healthy now and we’re just gonna train harder.”
With its Division I status in the Tri-County Athletic League all but ensuring a trip to the Central Coast Section Championships in two weeks, San Benito has a unique chance to see where it stacks up this weekend at TCALs.
The TCAL Championships will be held Saturday at Salinas’ Toro Park, and although Morales wouldn’t mind corralling the first-place trophy, the head coach simply wants to see his team “run like they should.”
“I want to see some good times,” Morales said.
Salinas and Gilroy, which also defeated San Benito in a dual meet earlier this season, will be the Balers’ top competition at TCALs, while Carlmont, Bellarmine and Menlo-Atherton join the race at CCS on Nov. 14 at Crystal Springs, where only the top two teams advance to state.
“We’re young, and it’s been a while since we’ve talked about going to state,” Morales said “I think these guys have a better chance than in the last four years of putting it together.
“Hopefully, we’ll surprise somebody.”
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A postseason preview of the San Benito High girls cross country team will be printed in Tuesday’s edition of the Free Lance.
