The Cloverdale High School Cross Country team began its 2014 season at the Willits 2.7 mile Brookside Park with Willits, St.Helena, Cloverdale and Lower Lake participating on Wednesday, Sept. 24.
The girls began defending their past two years as League Champions by defeating the Willits team 18 to 48 as six ladies finished in the in the top 15 spots in the 34-runner field. Angela Romero finished in second place overall with an impressive time of 19 min.41 sec over the course, as she bettered her 2013 time of 21:17. The entire team ran faster times than the previous year with Katie Edwards (third overall ) 20:26, Anabelle Doyle (fifth) 21:30, Ariana Fernandez (seventh) 22:09, Marty Beard (11th) 23:06 and Liliana Ramos (15) 24:26. Sami Santana, the only freshman on the team, ran a very good race (25:17) for her first High School 5K to round out the team.
The Boys Varsity team was defeated by Willits but the times recorded were very good as Emmett Lawson finished seventh overall in the 32-man field in a time of 18 min.44 sec., Nick Schnieder (11th) 19:07 and Nick Rilea (16) 19:36 ), Juan Gutierrez (18), 19:49 , Everett Conway , 21:42 and Derek Rilea, 22:17 . (Both Everett and Derek are freshman).
The Junior Varsity Boys Team ran as incomplete, as did the Willits team, because a team must have five members to score as a team, but the four runners did well as Tyler Wanke ran the course in 22 min, 3 sec. Adrian Zavala (22:12), Joel Mendoza (22:20) and Lucus Alhborn (24:02). The team will run on Wednesday. Oct. 1, at Middletown. (After the Reveille deadline)