San Benito's boys team speeds by at the start of Saturday's Tri-County Athletic League Championship at Toro Park in Salinas. The 'Baler boys finished runner-up to Salinas, while the girls team took second behind Gilroy.
San Benito's Courtney Allen leads Gilroy's Kathleen Miller halfway through Saturday's race, but couldn't hold her lead and finished second at the TCAL Championships in Salinas.
It was not the way the San Benito cross country team wanted to finish the Tri-County Athletic League season, of course.
Each with their respective rival, the 'Baler boys finished runner-up to Salinas (37-68) and the girls finished in second behind Gilroy (31-44) Saturday at the TCAL Championships at Toro Park.
But if there is any silver lining to Saturday's events, it's the sense of urgency instilled within the Haybalers. They may have finished second at TCALs, but they will have a second chance in two weeks at the Central Coast Section Championships - the boys another look at Salinas, the girls another shot at Gilroy.
"If these guys really want it, it's one more crack at it," boys coach Jess Morales said. "They have one more chance to put it together and go after it."
San Benito could turn their second-place standing at TCALs into a mere footnote on the 2008 season with a strong showing at CCS, which, fortunately for those teams in the TCAL, will be held at Salinas' Toro Park once again.
"When you have CCS, anything could happen," Morales said. "There are more schools there, so it will push Salinas back. It's gonna push us back, too."
'Baler Frankie Rivera may not be held back again, however. The senior harrier clocked a 16:49 and finished fourth overall to pace San Benito, but he said afterward he was disappointed with his time.
"I felt like I was running faster, but the time said otherwise," said Rivera, whose previous best was 16:42. "I thought I was running a PR."
Rivera, running his last TCAL race, was the first 'Baler to cross the finish line, although teammate Adrian Rodriguez followed shortly thereafter when he recorded a 16:57 to nab sixth overall.
Eddie Guzman followed suit with a seventh-place finish in 17:01.
"Individually, I was kind of disappointed. As a team, we didn't do good at all," Guzman said. "Cross country is as much of a team sport as it is individual. Seven guys matter. The whole team."
Rounding out San Benito Saturday included Jose Castillo (22nd, 18:01), Omar Vasquez (29th, 18:20) and Jorge Aguilar (42nd, 19:30).
The 'Balers defeated Salinas in a dual meet earlier this season, however, leaving a sense of hope at CCS in two weeks.
"It shows us what we have to do now," Rivera said. "We already know what we should do against them and what they can do."
Said Guzman, "Since we lost the TCAL finals, I think we're looking more forward to beating [Salinas] in the more important meet in CCS."
As expected, Palma's Tyre Johnson finished first overall at the meet when he ran to a 15:37 - more than a minute better than second-place finisher David Perez (16:39) of Salinas.
Palma, as a team, finished third with 73 points.
North Salinas (100), Gilroy (106), Alisal (126) and Everett Alvarez (168) rounded out the TCAL teams.
In a sport where bunching is your best friend, the San Benito Lady 'Balers appeared to be doing just that in their TCAL Championship race, when they finished each of their five runners in the top 14.
Courtney Allen took second overall at 19:16 and teammate Rachel Shimabukuro followed in third place with a 19:55.
But the Mustangs had each of their five runners finish within the top 10, and narrowly defeated San Benito by a measly 13 points.
"I was hoping for better," girls coach Josh Morales said. "But we know what we need to work on."
Specifically, Morales added, the Lady 'Balers will focus more on running up hills and the second mile of the race in the next two weeks leading up to the CCS Championships.
"If the girls ran what they were supposed to run, we would have won the race," Morales said. "It will be a lot more sweet if we beat [Gilroy] as CCS, which I think they can do."
Gilroy's Kathleen Miller earned the top spot with an 18:56, just 20 seconds better than Allen, and her Mustang teammates ate up some of the higher spots en route to the championship.
San Benito's Grace Tobias (12th, 21:01), Dayna Casillas (13th, 21:10) and Ana Rosa Duarte (14th, 21:18) rounded out the Lady 'Balers. Vanessa Farias finished 23rd for San Benito at 22:11.
No other teams in the TCAL were all that close to either Gilroy or San Benito, though. Notre Dame (85) finished third, while Salinas (101), Alisal (117), Alvarez (155) and North Salinas (166) rounded out the TCAL.
San Benito will now eye the CCS Championships, scheduled for Saturday, Nov. 15 at Toro Park in Salinas.
"That's gonna be a battle," Josh Morales said. "We're close. We're within striking distance."
Andrew Matheson Andrew Matheson is a sports writer for South Valley Newspapers. He can be reached at 831-637-5566 ext. 334 or at amatheson@svnewspapers.com.
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