Exciting Team Battles at the Cool Breeze Invitational
The Cool Breeze Invitational witnessed the most impactful team battles in California so far this season. The girls' Sundown Showdown team races were separated by a mere five points on the podium, while the boys' Sundown Showdown was a close race separated by thirteen points.
The girls' race promised a top-ranked team battle between Claremont (SS) and Sage Creek (SD), who both finished top three at the CIF State XC Championships last season. Both teams have high hopes of not just winning state championships but qualifying for NXN.
From the first mile mark, Claremont and Sage Creek were separated by five points or less, trading the lead each mile. In the end, it came down to Claremont's duo of Grace Smith and Camilla De Trevino finishing 2nd and 3rd, beating Sage Creek's duo, which finished 4th and 8th.
| Time | Name | Claremont PTS | Sage Creek PTS | Name | Time |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 17:15.3 | 2 | 4 | 17:27.8 | ||
| 17:24.6 | 3 | 8 | 17:36.0 | ||
| 18:10.6 | 23 | 22 | 18:05.5 | ||
| 18:22.1 | 28 | 25 | 18:12.8 | ||
| 18:43.7 | 36 | 35 | 18:42.1 | ||
| Top 5 Total = 75 | Top 5 Total = 77 | ||||
| 18:59.8 | 40 | 37 | 18:54.9 | ||
| 19:35.1 | 63 | 38 | 18:56.5 |
This is a huge win for Claremont, whose top runner graduated last season, and they are already showing they can compete with the best in the state.
On the boys' side, Sage Creek jumped out to an early lead and didn't look back. Finishing runner-up in the D4 CIF State XC Championships and adding superstar freshman Samuel Radtke is proving to serve them well. Radtke and Grant Beasley finished 4th and 5th to lead the Bobcats to an 80-point win.
Although Sage Creek didn't notice much of the battle going on, an emerging Claremont boys' team demonstrated their readiness to compete.
After coming through the first mile in eighth with 191 points, Claremont surged in the next two miles to earn the runner-up spot with 97 points.
Junior Gavin De La Fuente's 6th-place finish surely propelled them to this spot, but the work from their four freshman makes the entire state excited about their potential. Claremont's fantastic freshman class includes: Elias Barraza (19th - 15:18), Mark Batres (20th - 15:22), Ryan Corral (35th - 15:47), and Benjamin Castellanos (59th - 16:03)
While the Bobcats are looking like favorites for the D4 CIF State title in September, the Wolfpack is moving up the D2 rankings very quickly for years to come.