Sports
Arcadia Boys Win CIF-SS Cross Country Title.
The team will advance to the state finals in Fresno.
Walnut — The Boys' cross country team are CIF-Southern Section champions for the second straight year. Standout senior Sergio Gonzalez clinched the Division 1 individual race title.
Under an overcast sky, the Apaches ran one of their best races of the season, defeating Rancho Cucamonga 63-111. Led by Gonzalez, who clocked in at 14:51, Arcadia posted a team time of 76:19. Their time qualified the team for a berth in the California State Championships for the seventh year in a row.
Just one month ago, Rancho Cucamonga's Cougars defeated Arcadia, 81-125, on this same course in the . This led the pundits to call Arcadia "overrated" and name Rancho as the team to beat.
Find out what's happening in Arcadiawith free, real-time updates from Patch.
Coach Jim O’Brien’s Apaches showed the pundits otherwise.
Senior Ryan Vargas came in second for Arcadia at 15:07, placing ninth in the race overall. Junior Mitchell Pratt came in third for Arcadia at 15:15. Sophomore Estevan de la Rosa clocked in at 15:23, more than 30 faster than his last Mt. SAC appearance. Rounding out the Arcadia's top five, Francis Lee came clocked in at 15:43. Lee did not run in the Mt. SAC Invitational, as he was sidelined by an inury at the time.
Find out what's happening in Arcadiawith free, real-time updates from Patch.
“The championship this year was much more difficult," O'Brien said. "It had more to do with the fact that some of the boys had been there before and knew what to do, and some hadn’t, and didn’t know what to to. They haven’t always been on the same page.”
“But it’s an indicator of the competitiveness and depth of this team, that we’ve been able to achieve what we have.”
O'Brien singled out several athletes.
“Sergio (Gonzalez) has been great as a team leader, consistently running well. Esteban really matured. Mitchell Pratt — he knows how to run downhill. Doesn’t go too fast, and knows who to hang with. Ryan Vargas had a great race.”
Saturday's success might not have happened at all. Both Lee and senior Charlie Shen became involved in a pileup at the start of the race on a piece of rough asphalt known as “The Airstrip." Shen tore his running shorts and twisted his ankle. Lee suffered severe abrasions to his left shoulder and knee.
The Apache Boys will now go on to defend their state title Saturday at Woodward Park in Fresno, California. The race begins at noon.