Middletown runners post several personal-best times on Spring Lake course
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SANTA ROSA >> Middletown High School’s cross country team turned in one of its best performances of the season Thursday during the Coastal Mountain Conference Championships on the 2.97-mile Spring Lake course in Santa Rosa.
“Amazing day for our cross team out at CMCs,” Middletown head coach Taylor Tiraterra said. “We sadly fell just short in both divisions, but half the team got season PRs (personal-best times), and some got all-time goals for their final race, so I was very proud of them.”
North Central League I and II junior varsity boys and varsity boys and girls runners took part in the annual race, which completes the regular season for Redwood Empire small-school teams. Next up for area runners is the North Coast Section Championship on Saturday, Nov. 22 at Hayward High School.
NCL I boys
Willits won the NCL I boys race with 36 points while Fort Bragg and Middletown both finished with 55. Fort Bragg won the sixth-man tiebreaker for second place. St. Helena was next with 63 points and Lower Lake had 135. Those were the only complete teams (at least five runners).
Cole Lane of Willits, a senior, won by a large margin, hitting the finish line in 16 minutes, 27.7 seconds while runner-up Johann Garcia Blanco of Fort Bragg was next at 17:18.4. Middletown’s Landon Pisaro nailed down third place in 17:58.9. Close behind Pisaro was teammate Ren Ueno at 18:06.7. Walker Aycock of Fort Bragg rounded out the top five at 18:14.1.
Isael Haro of Middletown also cracked the top 10, taking 10th in 18:45.6.
Emiliano Rivera of Lower Lake finished 13th in 19:02.9, and Gerardo Rodriguez of Middletown was 18th in 20:03.1.
NCL I girls
St. Helena topped the team scoring in the varsity girls division with 30 points, led by Corinna Schlatter, who posted the top NCL I time of 18:56.8. Middletown was close behind with 36 points and Kelseyville finished third with 63. There were no other complete teams.
Schlatter was followed across the finish line by a pair of Cloverdale girls, Malia McGrath (21:32.5) and Elizabeth Silva (22:13.1), and a pair of Middletown runners, Len Rivas (22:48.9) and Nala Montgomery (23:16.8).
Two other Lake County runners also finished in the top 10. Aylin Aguilar of Kelseyville placed seventh in 24:04.5, and Middletown’s Alivia Stark was 10th in 24:28.
Other top Lake County times went to Lower Lake’s Angela Martin, who was 16th in 25:19.3; to Middletown’s Lupita Cabrera, who was 17th in 25:53.4; and to Lower Lake’s Cristal Castro-Luna, 19th in 27:01.2.
NCL I JV boys
Fort Bragg and Willits had the only complete teams and finished one-two in the NCL I JV boys race.
Xander Caranicolas of Fort Bragg won the race in 19:54.4 while Kelseyville’s Jacob Parker was second in 20:05.3.
Kelseyville runners Izeah Ely (22:02.0) and Maverick Watson (22:31.4) placed sixth and eighth, respectively.
NCL II girls
Sonoma Academy had seven of the top eight runners in the NCL II girls race and easily won the team title with 17 points to Credo’s 46.
Josie Hill of Sonoma Academy came in first with a time of 17.52.9, the best time of the day for NCL I and NCL II girls.
Hill’s teammates, Annie Leyba (18:42.5) and Elaina Bruntlett (18:59.8) finished second and third, respectively.
NCL II boys
Sonoma Academy edged out Technology for the NCL II title, 33-36, even though Technology had the top three finishers – Will Engh (16:21.4), Aaron Derango (16:34.6) and Beckett Hepp (16:36.9). Charlie Rubenstein of Sonoma Academy came in fourth at 16:58.4.
Engh edged out Willits’ Cole by six seconds for the best boys time ofs the day.
