Trying to find a silver lining from Saturday’s CIF State Cross
Country Championships wasn’t too difficult for the Anzar High boys
cross country team.
While junior Aaron Hsia-Coron recorded a 16:47 to take 22nd
place overall in the Division V race, the Hawks compiled 305 points
to take 11th place as a team, and one spot ahead of their Mission
Trail Athletic League rival, York School.
FRESNO
Trying to find a silver lining from Saturday’s CIF State Cross Country Championships wasn’t too difficult for the Anzar High boys cross country team.
While junior Aaron Hsia-Coron recorded a 16:47 to take 22nd place overall in the Division V race, the Hawks compiled 305 points to take 11th place as a team, and one spot ahead of their Mission Trail Athletic League rival, York School.
The Falcons finished with 316 points, while Crystal Springs Uplands, also a Central Coast Section member school, finished in 10th with 296 points.
“We’re all bunched up,” Anzar cross country head coach Doug MacKinnon said. “It was as close as you could get, I think.”
Anzar’s 11th-place finish was certainly an improvement from recent years. The Hawks finished in 14th place last season and 13th place two years ago.
“We lowered it to 11, so who knows, maybe next year,” MacKinnon said.
“But I think they did really well. This is more of what I expected at CCS.”
The Hawks finished in third place during the CCS Championships two weeks ago at Crystal Springs (2.95 miles) in Belmont, behind runner-up Crystal Springs Uplands and section champion York.
But Saturday’s state meet saw each member from last year’s state-qualifying team, including Hsia-Coron, Jacob Wilkinson, Izzy Parra and Armando Zepeda, improve upon their times at the 3.1-mile Woodward Park course in Fresno.
Hsia-Coron’s 16:47 was an eight-second improvement, while Wilkinson recorded a 48th-place finish in 17:16, some 49 seconds better than last year’s state meet time.
Senior Izzy Parra was third on the Hawks, 81st overall, in 17:51 — one minute and seven seconds better than last year.
“They weren’t quite done yet,” MacKinnon added of his Hawks. “This was more representative of how good these guys are.”
Meanwhile, junior Miguel Vega finished in 18:21, garnering 116th place, while teammate Greg Bissell rounded out Anzar with an 18:26, placing him in 121st.
“Greg (Bissell) had a real, great run — about 40 seconds off his best time,” MacKinnon said. “He was really the deciding factor in beating York.”
Anzar and York have had a competitive, back-and-forth relationship in recent meets. While the Falcons earned a victory in each and every dual meet during the regular season, the Hawks responded by winning the MTALs Division V title.
Two weeks ago, though, York claimed the CCS Division V title, while Saturday’s state meet saw Anzar edge its rival by just 11 points.
“We’re happy to hang with them,” MacKinnon said.
Anzar senior Armando Zepeda (18:49, 132nd) and freshman Diego Leon (19:09, 147th) rounded out the Hawks on Saturday in Fresno.
MacKinnon noted assistant coach Cuco Chavez as “one of the keys to the team’s success” this season, which witnessed the Hawks claim the MTAL Division V title, as well as make a third consecutive trip to the state meet.
Woodcrest Christian of the Southern Section compiled 109 points, slightly edging Poly of the Southern Section with 115 points for the Division V title.
Poly’s Wesley DeVall recorded a 15:40 to lead all 183 competitors in the D-V race.
