CLHS runners draw a crowd at Highland Springs

They're off and running Wednesday at the 3.1-mile Highland Springs cross country course just south of Lakeport. Middletown had the only complete teams in the field. Race winners were Chris Island of Fort Bragg among the boys and Hannah Garrity of Clear Lake among the girls. (Photos by Minenna Photography) — They’re off and running Wednesday at the 3.1-mile Highland Springs cross country course just south of Lakeport. Middletown had the only complete teams in the field. Race winners were Chris Island of Fort Bragg among the boys and Hannah Garrity of Clear Lake among the girls. (Photos by Minenna Photography)

UPDATED: October 27, 2022 at 8:31 AM PDT

Members of Clear Lake's undefeated varsity football team were on hand to support Hannah Garrity and Lilianna Cruz during Wednesday's cross country race at Highland Springs. (Photos by Minenna Photography)

HIGHLAND SPRINGS — Hannah Garrity and Lilianna Cruz comprise the entire Clear Lake High School cross country team in 2022, but the two juniors definitely know how to draw a crowd.

Garrity, a state qualifier for the Cardinals last season, won the girls race Wednesday on her home course at Highland Springs, completing the revised 3.1-mile layout in 21 minutes, 1 second. Cruz finished seventh in 28 minutes flat. Both runners were cheered on as they made their way around the fan-friendly course by members of Clear Lake’s undefeated varsity football team, complete with the letters H-A-N-N-A-H-G painted on their chests and L-I-L-I on their backs.

Clear Lake's Hannah Garrity breaks from the starting line along with a host of Middletown and Fort Bragg runners Wednesday afternoon during a North Central League I tri-meet at Highland Springs. Garrity won the girls race in 21 minutes, 1 second and was rooted on by members of the school's football team. (Photos by Minenna Photography)

Clear Lake was hosting Middletown and Fort Bragg during the final North Central League I tri-meet of the regular season. Middletown had the only complete boys and girls teams (at least five runners). Fort Bragg’s Chris Island won the varsity boys race in 19:12. Following him across the finish line were a host of Mustangs led by Dean McComas (19:42), Baron Chang (20:13), Bryton Caviness (21:20), Aiden Cadwallader (22:11) and Caden Gotz (23:52).

It was the same situation in the girls race where Garrity was followed across the finish line by a stampede of Mustangs led by Nicole Pyzer (22:36), Cat Barriga (23:55), Issy Barriga (25:19), Maya Leonard (25:31) and Holly McComas (25:35).

Runners from throughout the NCL I and NCL II converge Nov. 9 for the Coastal Mountain Conference Championships at Spring Lake in Santa Rosa, They will be followed by the North Coast Section Championships Nov. 19 at Hayward High School. Top sectional finishers advance to the CIF State Championships Nov. 26 at Woodward Park in Fresno.

Clear Lake's Lilianna Cruz visits her fan section. (Photos by Minenna Photography)

In other cross country action Wednesday:

Lower Lake

At Cloverdale, the Lower Lake Trojans sent runners Jose Hernandez and Hada Rippe to a league tri-meet in Cloverdale. St. Helena rounded out the field.

Hernandez, a winner in each of his last three races, settled for second place this time around as he completed the 3-mile course in 18:59.

Rippe had the fifth-best girls time of 27:56.