CLEARLAKE OAKS — She’s not the first freshman to win the annual Lake County Meet, but Middletown High School’s Brooklyn Huffman certainly did it in style on Wednesday afternoon, claiming the title in the girls race at the Cache Creek Winery course in Clearlake Oaks.
Huffman covered the 3-mile course in 20 minutes, 44 seconds, easily beating her veteran teammate, Grace Southern (21:48), to the finish line.
In fact, Huffman and Southern were only the vanguard for the Mustangs, who ran one through five in the girls race. Erica Kinsel (23:34) came in third, Mariella Del Campo (25:30) was fourth, and Giana Tyrell (26:00) took fifth.
“They’re smart, fast and hard workers,” Middletown coach Don Cobb said of the girls squad. “What else can you ask for? These girls really have a chance to do something special this season.”
Cobb, a first-year coach with the Mustangs, has a long running history and is a member of the Lake County Milers, who have a Junior Milers club in Middletown that is loaded with youngsters.
“We’re building a feeder system to the high school,” he said. “It’s a labor of love.”
Among the young crop of new and talented high school runners is Huffman, who ran a 5:53 mile to break the Middletown Middle School record as an eighth-grader.
Both Huffman and Southern are off to great starts this season, according to Cobb.
“Grace ran a personal best at Lowell by 48 seconds,” Cobb said of last weekend’s Lowell Invitational at Golden Gate Park in San Francisco.
“Middletown’s runners are really impressive,” Clear Lake coach Peter Stanley said. “Middletown had most of the runners at the meet … 12 girls and 11 boys.”
The Mustangs also claimed the top two spots in the varsity boys race. Winner Isaac Rascon led wire to wire and finished in 17:51 while teammate Tyler Cobb was the runner-up in 18:41. Lower Lake’s Billy Melvin came in third and Kelseyville’s Jeff Amendola was fourth (times not available). Middletown’s Isiah Diaz rounded out the top five in 20:47. Clear Lake’s Quinn Wynacht was sixth.
Middletown runners also placed seventh, eighth and 10th.
“He’s such a hard worker,” Cobb said of Rascon. “He’s at every practice, I can’t get him to leave.”
In the junior varsity boys race, which featured only five Clear Lake runners, Jacob Lopez hit the finish line first in 25:42 with teammate Luke McQuaid second in 25:50.
The Cardinals currently have 16 runners competing and Stanley said that number could rise to 20.
“We have some injured now,” he said.
Clear Lake’s top varsity runners figure to be Wynacht, Cole Saiz and Jacob Stahr among the boys and Catherine Braider among the girls. Braider finished eighth on Wednesday.
“She’s a senior but a first-year runner,” Stanley said. “She’s athletic, a triathlon person.”
Middletown’s runners are taking part in the Viking Invitational on Saturday at Spring Lake in Santa Rosa. Prior to the Lake County Meet, the Middletown teams were in action the previous two weekends at meets in San Francisco and Vacaville.
LAKE COUNTY MEET
Varsity boys winner
Isaac Rascon (M), 17:51
Girls winner
Brooklyn Huffman (M), 20:44
JV boys winner
Jacob Lopez (CL), 25:42
