FT. BRAGG ? Clear Lake High School ran against Willits, Point Arena and Fort Bragg also attended a cross country meet Wednesday at the famous hill of Fort Bragg.
The course starts at a cow pasture, above sea level on a dirt road and goes to the mountain through rolling hills.
In a meet with four teams, Fort Bragg and Clear Lake had a league dual-meet that encompasses Willits and Point Arena.
Clear Lake edged out Fort Bragg 26-29.
In individual standings, Valle Rogers from Willits won the race in 18:33.
In the match between Fort Bragg and Clear Lake, Ft. Bragg took the top two spots. But Clear Lake took the next four spots.
After Fort Bragg”s third runner, Alex Rein came in as Clear Lake”s fifth.
“I was especially pleased that our top three runners, Andy Garzoli, Matt Gatton and Erik Hagberg finished within 20 seconds of each other,” Coach Peter Stanley said.
“When a cross country team can bunch its runners, that”s how you win meets.”
In the girls cross country race, Fort Bragg did not have a full team so Clear Lake won.
Fort Bragg”s Alexandra Schiocchetti was the first runner in at 23:23 over the three-mile course. Chloe Rojas of Clear Lake was second at 25:18.
“I was real happy with Kelsie Lawson”s performance,” Stanley said. “She regained the second spot from Andreina Guedez, who had beaten her last week.”
Tamara Rojas was close behind coming in sixth in the race.
It was long, straight and flat the last 200 to 300 yards with lots of exciting sprint races.
In the JV boy”s race, it was a close race between Patrick Hillscan of Point Arena and Brice Beare of Clear Lake, both of them had a long two and a half minutes ahead of the third-place finisher during the JV boys cross country meet.
Cody Scully had an outstanding race to be Clear Lake”s second runner and fifth in the race overall.
“He had an excellent race despite stepping on a snake,” Stanley said, “he didn”t seem too freaked out by it.”
