Heavyweights Battle To Tight Finish At Clovis Invitational
In a head-to-head matchup that was building in prestige after Buchanan (CA) High's girls, which moved up to No. 1 in the Flo50 national rankings recently, upset Great Oak's program at the Woodbridge Cross Country Classic earlier this fall, it was the latter that earned a narrow victory over the other on Saturday at the Clovis Invitational.
While Buchanan's top three were in before Great Oak's top three, it was the depth of the Wolfpack, ranked No. 4 nationally, that drove a victory on the 5K course at Woodward Park in Fresno.
Great Oak scored a convincing 102 points against Claremont's 132 and Buchanan's 142 to earn a big win at Clovis.
Yet again, superb sophomore Tori Gaitan led the way for Great Oak, posting a seventh-place finish in 17:29.70, while junior Fatima Cortes was ninth in 17:32.80 and senior Sandra Pfughoft was 16th in 17:55.00.
The team's fourth and fifth, sophomore Audrey Dang (18:32.00) and Brianna Lucas (18:50.90), finished 35th and 49th.
Buchanan's Corie Smith finished second overall in 17:05.30, junior Meagen Lowe was eighth in 17:31.10, and senior Sydney Fox was 13th in 17:53.40, but the team's lineup struggled to close, compiling 122 points in the final two positions.
| TEAM SCORES | ||||||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| PLACE | TEAM | POINTS | SCORERS | TIMES | ||
| 1 | Great Oak High School (SS) | 102 | 6+8+13+31+44 (53+69) | 1:21 1-5 Split | 18:04 Avg | ||
| 2 | Claremont High (SS) | 132 | 9+18+26+34+45 (55+79) | 1:15 1-5 Split | 18:19 Avg | ||
| 3 | Buchanan High School (CS) | 142 | 2+7+11+60+62 (82+156) | 2:01 1-5 Split | 18:07 Avg | ||
In the boys field, El Camino Real (CA) High senior Justin Camino posted another big win to his resume with an win in 15:01.90.
It was his second championship effort after earning a title at the Woodbridge Cross Country Classic earlier in the season. Redwood High (CA) junior Liam Anderson was second in 15:03.00 and Crescenta Valley (CA) High's Colin Fitzgerald was third in 15:13.00.
Led by solid finishes by seniors Jacob Korgan (15:18.10) and Carlos Carvajal (15:22.60), Great Oak's boys flourished in the boys competition, posting 81 points behind three top-15 finishes and solid places in the four and the five positions.
Great Oak's plan paid off to perfection, as the team scored a 22-second spread and 15:30 average.
| TEAM SCORES | ||||||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| PLACE | TEAM | POINTS | SCORERS | TIMES | ||
| 1 | Great Oak High School (SS) | 81 | 4+7+15+24+31 (34+48) | 0:22 1-5 Split | 15:30 Avg | ||
| 2 | Dublin High School (NC) | 105 | 5+6+12+22+60 (101+115) | 0:49 1-5 Split | 15:34 Avg | ||
| 3 | Dana Hills High School (SS) | 141 | 16+18+28+37+42 (75+88) | 0:23 1-5 Split | 15:41 Avg | ||
| 4 | St. Francis Mountain View (CC) | 143 | 3+11+30+43+56 (68+72) | 0:48 1-5 Split | 15:40 Avg | ||
| 5 | Crescenta Valley (SS) | 143 | 2+20+25+45+51 (93+130) | 0:50 1-5 Split | 15:41 Avg | ||