Sonoma Valley’s cross country team gets used to the championship course

“It was good for our athletes, especially those in their first season of cross-country, to get a chance to run the course in pre-season,” said Coach John Litzenberg.|

The young Sonoma Valley cross country team got an advance look at the Spring Lake course in Santa Rosa on Wednesday, Sept. 19, at the North Bay League Interlock meet. The same route will be the course for the second VVAL Center meet on Oct. 10, and for the Championship Meet a month after that.

“It was good for our athletes, especially those in their first season of cross-country, to get a chance to run the course in pre-season,” said Coach John Litzenberg. “I thought there would be more former members of the old SCL and some NBL schools there, but it was just us, Piner, Rancho Cotate and Roseland Collegiate Prep.”

Although the race wasn’t officially scored, Litzenberg kept his own scorecard and believed that had it been an official meet the XC team would have done well. In fact he suggested the JV boys might have won their race, except for two Rancho Cotate runners who “cut the course during the final 200 meters – right in front of some of our athletes’ parents.”

It was a tactic that Litzenberg said would have disqualified the runners if not the team had the race been officially scored instead of a scrimmage. “If not, and the meet was officially scored, we would have protested. This was a pre-season meet that does not count for our League standings, and none of these teams are in the Vine Valley Athletic League besides us.”

The third finisher in that JV Boys race – and unofficial winner based on disqualification – was Connor Barry of Sonoma, with a time of 20:36, with Derek Armstrong behind him at 20:41. Also under 20 minutes for the Spring Lake course was Ryan Hengehold, who finished in symbolic fourth.

There was only one Sonoma athlete in the girls JV race, Carmen Carrillo, who finished fourth with a time of 27:14.

Top varsity girl from Sonoma was Anabelle Hunter in second, whose 22:04 was just two seconds behind the winner. Emma Brophy was just a few seconds behind her at 22:10, in fourth place.

Among varsity boys, Justin Cox came in seventh place, at 18:18, a full two minutes behind Piner’s Nathan Hayes with his winning 14:16.

Next time to see the Dragon runners in town is Wednesday, Sept. 26 at Maxwell Park in the VVAL meet against league rivals, starting at 3:45. Also that weekend, they will take part in the Vintage Run Fundraiser, during the Vintage Festival at Sonoma Plaza, at 7 a.m. on Sunday, Sept. 30.

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