NCS
Championships RESULTS AT BOTTOM OF PAGE
Dyestat.com interview of the BOYS' squad is HERE! - Dyestat.com interview of the GIRLS' squad is HERE!
Varsity Harriers Continue NCS Streaks; Moore, Flett Clock Season Bests for Boys while Miles, Foxworthy Key for Girls Win Damp, but not wet, the modified version of the Hayward High School 3.0 mile course posed little problem for the varsity boys, defending champions at Saturday's North Coast Section meet. Redwood High School, on the other hand, made the Cougars' run to a 4th consecutive title an arduous one. Following a race plan that called for an aggressive start, Campolindo's entire squad, led by senior star Jared Yabu (17), swarmed the lead pack through 1200 meters. As they crossed the 1st automated checkpoint, the Cougars looked every bit the favorites with a 63 point advantage, 62-125, over their division rivals. As the leaders passed the mile mark, Kyle Flett (17), Ray Diaz (17) and Niki Moore (17) were clustered just inside the top 15. Edward Buckley (19), in his return to the varsity lineup after a month's absence, maintained contact in 17th place. In spite of the dominating start from the favorites, the Giants were not rattled. In fact, it appeared their plan was to hang back in the early going before making a push in the middle of the race. Just passed the half-way point, the point gap had shrunk by 20. The momentum continued to shift as Redwood's top gun Liam Anderson and #2 man Andrew Thomas each moved up 4 places by the time the front end of the race began to climb the course's only hill for the 2nd time. More impressive was the push from Redwood's #4 and #5 positions, which collectively gained 17 places from approximately the 1.5 mile mark to the 2.5 mile mark. The Cougars' advantage from a hard-charging start had all but evaporated with just a half mile to go. Yabu, who had taken the lead since the 1st mile, fell behind Anderson as the pair crested the hill and began their descent to the finish line. Though he would not regain the lead, the 4-time NCS veteran held on for an impressive runner-up finish and critical low stick for his team. Meanwhile, Diaz was fighting to stay with a chase pack that included Thomas. The Giant's 2nd man would get the better of the group, finishing 3rd. Diaz was edged by 2 other runners, ending up 6th overall. Moore and Flett turned the tables back into the Cougars' favor with strong finishes to take 7th and 8th place, respectively. Buckley would turn out to be the decisive factor, sealing the win by finishing 16th, beating out Redwood's #5 scorer by 2 places. Surprisingly, the varsity boys' 7-point nail biter to win the NCS crown, 41-48, would turn out to be the more comfortable margin of victory for Campolindo on the day. For the girls' varsity squad, the toughest opponent would also prove to be Redwood, one of several teams that were moved down into division 3 as a result of the section's revised alignment numbers for 2016. As expected, the contending squads each featured a duo at the front. Isabella Chao (18) and Hannah Ruane (18) were joined by the Giant's Glennis Murphy, a Footlocker National finalist, and Gillian Wagner as they charged through the well worn course in the final contest of the day. Chao ended up 3rd in 17:23 while Ruane finished just behind in 17:29. Their times were the 4th and 7th fastest across all divisions. The girls' team title chances were much improved by a season best performance from Jenna Miles (17), who steadily moved up through the middle mile before hanging on to grab the 9th finishing spot. Also critical was the top-20 finish from Jessie Foxworthy (17), who bested her Redwood counterpart by 6 places. While the Giants managed to place their 5th runner 5 spots ahead of the Cougars' final scorer, the 3rd and 4th position margins proved insurmountable. With a 4-point advantage, 67-71, the varsity girls earned their 4th straight section championship.
CHECK OUT ALL DIVISION RESULTS HERE!
|
||
BOYS'
VARSITY Campolido 39, Redwood 46, Maria Carrillo 117, Livermore 148, Las Lomas 158, Tamalpais 184, Northgate 197, Petaluma 236, Alameda 164, Acalanes 265, Casa Grande 290, Montgomery 294, Ukiah 334, Washington 408, Sonoma Valley 413, Newark Memorial 428, El Cerrito 509, Novato 515, Concord 552 Boys' 2nd Team All-NCS Boys' 3rd Team All-NCS |
GIRLS'
VARSITY Campolindo 67, Redwood 71, Alameda 110, Maria Carrillo 112, Las Lomas 119, Carondelet 120, Tamalpais 152, Northgate 183, El Cerrito 232, Casa Grande 270, Livermore 307, Sonoma Valley 383, Petaluma 396, Washington 422, Ukiah 425, Montgomery 429, Novato 436, Acalanes 491, San Lorenzo 590, Hayward 617, JFK Fremont 650 Girls' 1st team All-NCS |
|