Boys
Team: 1. Ripon 32, 2. Riverbank 43, 3. Hughson 51.
Top individuals: 1. Zach Morrett, Hughson, 16:38; 2. Ryan Torres, Ripon, 16:49; 3. Luis Figueroa, Riverbank, 16:59; 4. Alec Steinberg, Ripon, 17:17; 5. Jonathon Deliera, Riverbank, 17:21; 6. Antonio Pelaez, Ripon, 17:21; 7. Adrian Salazar, Riverbank, 17:41; 8. Chris Vitale, Ripon, 17:48; 9. Ian Brooks, Hughson, 17:49; 10. Armando Rodriguez, Riverbank, 17:54.
Girls
Team: 1. Ripon 28, 2. Riverbank 48, 3. Escalon 55.
Top individuals: 1. Mikayla Flores, Riverbank, 20:11; 2. Haley Richardson, Riverbank, 20:15; 3. Ellie Waters, Ripon, 20:21; 4. Alexis Keylon, Ripon, 21:05; 5. Adriana Delucchi, Escalon, 21:08; 6. Jessica Carmona; Ripon, 21:26; 7. Ana Hermosilo, Ripon, 21:29; 8. Analisa Rangel, Ripon, 21:31; 9. Maddy Mays, Hughson, 21:44; 10. Allie Panero, Escalon, 22:05.
The Ripon High boys cross country squad welcomed its female teammates in what has become an annual celebration at the Trans-Valley League Championships.
The boys captured their third straight conference crown at Tuolumne River Park in Modesto Wednesday, while the girls won their first title in program history.
“They were pretty excited today, obviously, but the weight of their (the girls’) victory combined with the weight of the guys’ victory hasn’t set in yet,” said Paul Calkins, who was named TVL Coach of the Year for the third season in a row. “It will take a couple of days for them to realize what they have accomplished.”
Now, they have their sights set on accomplishing much more in the Sac-Joaquin Section meets to come.
“Both guys and girls have a decent shot at making state,” Calkins said. Ripon’s boys team qualified for the CIF State Championships the past two seasons, while the girls look to advance as a squad for the first time.
Ripon’s history-making girls squad was paced by freshman Ellie Waters, who turned in a personal record time of 20:21 on the course and placed third. Riverbank’s Mikayla Flores (20:11) and Haley Richardson (20:15) were 1 and 2, respectively.
The Lady Indians occupied five of the top eight spots in their dominant effort. They outscored runner-up Riverbank, 28-48. Also contributing were Alexis Keylon (fourth, 21:05), Jessica Carmona (sixth, 21:26), Ana Hermosillo (seventh, 21:29) and Analisa Rangel (eighth, 21:31).
“The girls packed well and raced well,” Calkins said. “They really came together as a team.”
Ripon’s top runner, Ryan Torres, failed to defend his individual title. He was the runner-up to Hughson’s Zach Morrett, who clocked in at 16 minutes, 38 seconds. Torres finished in 16:49.
“He’s got a sore calf muscle, and I told him to not go out hard or finish hard,” Calkins said of Torres. “As long as he finished in the top three, we weren’t going to worry about it. We’re looking for him to have a good showing at sections and moving onto state.”
Four of Ripon’s top five were among the fastest 10. Alex Steinberg (fourth, 17:17), Antonio Pelaez (sixth, 17:21), Chris Vitale (eighth, 17:48) and Kyle Bailey (12th, 17:56) rounded out Ripon’s score of 32, which was 11 points better than second-place Riverbank. Pelaez nearly made up a large margin between himself and fifth-place finisher Jonathon Deliera of Riverbank before getting out-kicked in the end.
