HIGHLAND SPRINGS — Six weeks after hosting their first home meet, the Clear Lake High School cross country teams returned to their home course at Highland Springs on Wednesday afternoon to take on the same teams — Cloverdale, Fort Bragg, Sonoma Academy and Calistoga — they hosted on Sept. 19.
The end result left Clear Lake coach Peter Stanley might impressed as the majority of his runners not only beat their times of six weeks earlier, but shattered them.
“We did good, I”m pleased,” Stanley said.
Varsity boys
Tyler Hayes of the varsity boys” squad finished third overall in 20 minutes, 53 seconds, shaving a minute from his previous best at Highland Springs. Hayes was nearly a scratch on Wednesday because of lower back pain, but a trip to the chiropractor right before the meet worked wonders for the junior.
“I didn”t even think he would run and I was getting ready to replace him with a JV,” Stanley said. “He”s one tough kid.”
Leif Tisell, who finished sixth overall compared to 16th back on Sept. 19, knocked 2:54 off his previous best at Highland Springs, a major improvement.
“He”s really starting to show what he”s made of,” Stanley said of Tisell, who finished in 21:20.
Daniel Hansen of Sonoma Academy topped the field in 19:45.
Varsity girls
After a tough outing a week earlier, Clear Lake”s Tayler Whipple came back strong with a fifth-place finish in the varsity girls” race. Whipple crossed the finish line in 27:53.
“She re-asserted her dominance as far as being our top runner,” Stanley said. “That time was a minute and 30 seconds better than her time here on Sept. 19.”
Charnee Vincent of Clear Lake placed 10th overall on Wednesday in 28:56, nearly six minutes better than her Sept. 19 time at Highland Springs.
“She”s really dedicated to her training now,” Stanley said.
Bonnie Campbell of Sonoma Academy won the girls” race in 25:13.
JV boys
In the JV boys” race, Clear Lake”s top runner was sixth-place finisher Joshua Blair in 26:32. It”s the first time this season Blair has been the Cardinals” top runner at a meet.
Next up for the Cardinals is the Coastal Mountain Conference finals on Nov. 7 at Spring Lake.
