Aptos sweeps Division 3 titles, girls win seventh straight championship

By Erik Boal, DyeStat Editor

St. Francis Mountain View CA began and ended its march toward a third consecutive CIF Central Section Division 2 boys team title at Toro Park in Salinas, Calif., and each time the Lancers reached a level never before seen in the 3-mile course's 32-year history.

After sweeping the top six spots Sept. 9 at the Chieftain-Spirit Classic Invitational and setting the all-time boys team record at 79 minutes, 31 seconds, St. Francis returned Saturday and nearly achieved perfection again at the section final.

The Lancers placed four scorers in the top five and all seven runners in the top 11 to secure a three-peat with a 16-65 victory over Willow Glen, lowering their team record to 78:41.

Jorge Estrella of Andrew P. Hill prevented St. Francis from another perfect performance, edging Shyam Kumar by a 15:21 to 15:21.1 margin. Colton Colonna (15:39.7), Eric Eng (15:43) and Juan Pablo Garcia (15:45.6) rounded out the top five for the Lancers, with Daniel Skahill (16:07.9) taking seventh, Mason Elefant (16:10) placing eighth and Aiden Maddison (16:16) finishing 11th.

Aptos swept the Division 3 championships, with the girls extending their dynasty to seven straight years with a 27-109 victory over St. Ignatius. Kaylah Grant of Live Oak won the individual title in 17:49, with Aptos senior Marea Zlatunich second in 18:22.

The Mariners won their first boys crown since 2013 following a 44-54 triumph over Greenfield. Koya Oki (16:19.8) and Jorge Benitez (16:21.6) placed second and third for Aptos, with Westmont senior Jason Gomez (16:16.9) winning his first high school race to capture the title.

Bellarmine College Prep secured its fifth straight Division 1 boys championship by edging Los Altos by a 52-66 margin. Seniors Meika Beaudoin-Rousseau (15:22.6) won the individual title and Alex Scales (15:56.3) was fourth for the Bells.

Homestead prevailed for the fourth consecutive year in the Division 1 girls final with a 42-98 victory over Carlmont. Rebecca Hasser (18:59.8) finished second, Kaitlyn Williams (19:10.2) took fourth and Elena Kamas (19:17.5) was fifth for Homestead, with Los Altos junior Naomi Davidson capturing the individual crown in 18:52.4 in her first cross country season.

Santa Cruz secured its third Division 4 girls championship in a row with a 32-75 win over Menlo. Mari Friedman ran the fastest girls time of the meet at 17:47.3 for the Cardinals, who had five scorers in the top 12 to also boast the top team time at 95:31.

Crystal Springs Upland captured its fourth straight Division 5 boys title and seventh overall, edging Nueva School by a 41-44 margin. Nicholas Medearis (15:59) and Aiden Duncanson (16:38.6) swept the top two spots for Crystal Springs, with Jake Symonds (16:58.5) taking fifth.

Nueva School repeated as Division 5 girls champion, posting a 57-59 victory over Castilleja, led by sophomore Tevah Gevelber, who won the individual crown in 19:14.1.

Presentation won the Division 2 girls title by defeating St. Francis Mountain View 76-83, with Mountain View senior Serena Myjer capturing the individual championship in 18:32.4.

Pacific Grove prevailed in the Division 4 boys competition with a 90-121 triumph over Half Moon Bay. Menlo senior Robert Miranda secured the individual win in 15:43.5.