NCS Championships
Hayward High School
Hayward CA
Saturday, November 23, 2024

RESULTS AT BOTTOM OF PAGE

Disastrous Conditions Swamp Section Meet; Northgate Snaps Girls' Title Streak, Boys' Squad Claims 16th Championship

With several inches of rain already soaked into the Hayward High School course during the days preceding the NCS Championships, conditions rapidly declined with each race run as precipitation continued on Saturday. By the start of the girls' division 3 competition, the 5th race of the day, long sections of the looping 3-mile route had been churned into deep, slushy mud. Aside from the 500 meters of pavement, the rest of the course offered a comical trial of bogs, mud pits, and slippery slopes, leading to a spectacle more akin to a medieval battlefield than a cross country meet.

Such conditions are ill suited for making up ground, yet that's what the varsity girls' squad was forced to attempt after falling behind their planned positioning in the opening stages of their race. In the end, league rival Northgate emerged as the victor, placing 4 scorers ahead of Campolindo's #2 finisher to win their 1st NCS title in school history. Kiona McCasland (27) was the top finisher again for the Cougars, managing 6th place, just ahead of DAL champion Lily Mantilla of Las Lomas.

The boys' division 3 race, 8th of the day, saw performances decline even further as the terrain began to resemble that of a military obsticle course. At every corner bodies were stumbling and tumbling earthward. Dodging fellow competitors sliding horizontally across the path became a frequent occurrence.

Through the pouring rain and flying mud, the Cougars eventually found themselves locked in a tight battle with defending champion Tamalpais. Both squads positioned themselves at the front of the race early. Caden Ehrhorn (28) and Clark Gregory (27) helped to counter the Hawks' 4-man pack entrenched in the top 10 by shadowing the leaders.

Tamalpais' top 3 eventually placed 3rd, 6th, and 8th; but, a gritty Maxson Cook (25) turned in his best finish of the season to provide a 3rd single-digit scorer for the Cougars, keeping the team battle undecided. With Jack Durden (27), Cody De La Cruz (26), and Siddharth Iyer (25) crossing the line 1 after the other just behind the #4 finisher from Tamalpais, Campolindo earned a 3-point victory. It is the 16th NCS title for the squad, 3rd most in section history.

BOYS' VARSITY
2 CADEN EHRHORN 9 16:44
4 CLARK GREGORY 10 16:45
9 MAXSON COOK 12 17:03
14 JACK DURDEN 10 17:20
15 CODY DE LA CRUZ 11 17:22
16 SIDDHARTH IYER 12 17:22
48 GAVIN GUNN 10 18:08

Campolindo 44, Tamalpais 47, Maria Carrillo 105, Newark Memorial 166, Windsor 173, Las Lomas 177, Northgate 197, Analy 210, Montgomery 246, Santa Rosa 291, Casa Grande 307, El Cerrito 318, San Rafael 384, Piner 393, San Marin 405, Mission San Jose 432, Ukiah 437, Hayward 478, Pinole Valley 498, Benicia 540, Arroyo 551, Novato 581, American Canyon 740, Rancho Cotate 751

GIRLS' VARSITY
6 KIONA MCCASLAND 10 19:25
20 AMALIA CONTRERAS 10 20:02
22 ANYA HOUSTON 11 20:14
25 MEERAN GILL 12 20:28
30 KAITLYN KINSEY 10 20:41
32 MYKENZIE FUNG 9 20:46
37 CLAIRE ANDRZEJEK 11 21:20

Northgate 78, Campolindo 103, Montgomery 130, Newark Memorial 133, Maria Carrillo 140, Las Lomas 145, Tamalpais 150, Carondelet 160, Piner 248, Casa Grande 263, Santa Rosa 321, Windsor 359, Analy 392, Rancho Cotate 418, Mission San Jose 436, San Rafael 466, Benicia 495, Pinole Valley 507, Hayward 538, American Canyon 578, El Cerrito 613, Arroyo 627