Helping lead the long road back to high school sports action in Lake County, absent since the middle of March 2020 because of the COVID-19 pandemic, is Middletown High School senior cross country standout Isaac Rascon and his Mustangs teammates, who spent part of their Thursday practice running sprints up and down Rabbit Hill, which is located near the Middletown High School campus. Middletown, Clear Lake and Upper Lake cross country squads opened official practice for the long-delayed 2020 season on Monday. The Kelseyville and Lower Lake teams are set to open this coming Monday. Only purple-tier sports under the state’s color-coded county guidelines are eligible to start their seasons right now. Golf, tennis and track and field will get going in the upcoming weeks. Baseball and softball can begin official practices once Lake County moves up one step to the red tier. The Coastal Mountain Conference, which includes all of Lake County’s high schools, has already canceled the fall sports of football, volleyball and soccer as well as winter sports basketball and wrestling. Cross country meets could begin by the end of the month or early next month. The logistics of running meets given COVID-19 health concerns are still being worked out. Although cross country runners aren’t required to wear protective masks while running, Middletown first-year coach Taylor Tiraterra said the Mustangs will continue to wear masks until further notice. “I want them to be prepared to run with masks just in case,” Tiraterra said. The mask certainly didn’t slow down Rascon, one of the top runners in the North Coast Section small-school ranks. (Photos by Brian Sumpter)
