LOWER LAKE — Running on a slightly reconfigured 2.9-mile Six Sigma Ranch and Winery course Wednesday afternoon, Middletown High School’s Isaac Rascon nearly matched his record from a week earlier during a three-team Coastal Mountain Conference cross country meet.
A week ago Rascon ran a personal and course-record best of 15 minutes, 26 seconds while winning the boys race on a Six Sigma course that stretched to almost 3 miles. A week later, the Middletown Mustangs, Lower Lake Trojans and Calistoga Wildcats tackled a Six Sigma layout that was slightly shorter but also included an increase in difficulty as a small hill was added.
Not that Rascon seemed to mind. He won in 15:46, almost two minutes ahead of Lower Lake’s Angelo Pelcastre (17:31) and nearly three minutes in front of teammate Xavier Romero (18:39), who placed third.
Rascon also led the Mustangs to a 24-36 victory over Lower Lake, which fielded a complete team (at least five runners) in only its second race of the 2021 season.
Both Middletown and Lower Lake placed three runners in the top six during the boys race. Following Rascon, Pelcastre and Romero across the finish line were Middletown’s Isaiah Diaz, fourth in 19:02; Lower Lake’s Daniel Bratton, who made his season debut with a fifth-place time of 19:22; and Lower Lake’s Leo Brown, sixth in 19:30.
Middletown’s team depth took over from there as Shane Guill (19:57), Kevin Nance (20:40), Filemon Sanchez (22:38) and Steven Peterson (22:38) rounded out the top 10.
Girls
Julia Heth, one of three Calistoga runners competing Wednesday, won the girls race in 20:35, finishing comfortably in front of runner-up Nicole Pyzer (21:23) of Middletown. Mustangs runners Maya Leonard (22:26), Erica Kinsel (22:44) and Mariah Ketchum (23:37) completed the top five.
Other top-10 finishers were Calistoga’s Tully Leonard (24:04), Izzy Barriga (26:00) and Lower Lake’s Carmen Aceves (27:25), Molly Collins (30:42) and Katelyn Ferrell (35:12).
Middletown had the only complete team in the girls field.
Schedule
Middletown travels to Cloverdale next Wednesday for a seven-team meet that is scheduled to include Sonoma Academy, Willits, Mendocino, Technology and Credo as well as the host Eagles. The first race is 3:30 p.m.
