CHICO, CA -- Chico - The EAL-SRL Cross Country Championships returned to Hooker Oak venue at Bidwell Park after a year delay, thanks to COVID19 pandemic suspension of high school athletics in 2020. Sunny, breezy but mild weather was enjoyed by the athletes and fans during the competition. This meet would be the fourth time cross town rivals Chico and Pleasant Valley had during the season. All the contests were close with PV finally prevailing over the Panthers in their latest clash at the second league center meet held two weeks ago at Foothill. That was the first time the Vikings has beaten Chico at any meet since 2008.
For the girls, the last time the championships were contested the rivalry for league dominance was with Foothill, this year for Chico it was with their crosstown rival. Nevertheless Chico has managed to dominate league competition this year by winning both center meets and their own invitational over even better competition. In all three the Panthers bested next best Pleasant Valley team even when injuries left them a little thin on numbers earlier in the season.
At this year's meet, Chico's not so secret high flying Molina twins worked their magic once again by running neck and neck until the final sprint when Della opened up a small gap on her sister Iresh. Both ran fine times on the day, ending up a minute on third place to become two of only five girls to break 19 minutes on the deceptively challenging Hooker Oak course.
Rounding up the scoring for the Panthers were Una Griffith 6th, Tori Mackay 7th, Dot Clemente 8th netting Chico the meet's low score of 21 points to easily best the other two full teams, Pleasant Valley with 42 points and Red Bluff an even more distant 79 points. A sad day that none of the Redding schools could field a full team a big reason why competitors running the varsity girls race were way down with only 26 finishers.Scoring for the runner up Vikings were Faylinn Berkowitz 3rd, Chloe Alchin 4th, Henley Roy 12th, Nikalette Fashing 16th and Ali Lugo 17th. The only non-Chico resident who finished in the top seven (1st team All-EAL) was Elizabeth Merrill from Shasta.
No surprise who won the varsity boys race, Mario Giannini did what he does do best, win. But he wanted more, last winter (when last school year's abbreviated cross country season was held) it was to run faster than his older brother Charlie had on the Hooker Oak course. Which he did, by a second. This year it was to take down the course record, set by Shasta's Andrew Skoy five years ago with a mark of 15:38.0. Between two earlier attempts this fall, both under 16 minutes, Giannini had only bettered his PR on the course by a couple tenths. But more ideal conditions at the league championship with mild temperatures and tolerable breeze help make this attempt more fruitful.
Comfortably out front the entire race (he won by over 40 seconds), he stayed totally focused on the task at hand. Coming into view of the finish line he reached back for a final gear to come home with a new course PR and record, undercutting Skoy's mark by nearly nine seconds. Behind Giannini, the race for the league title was heating up. Chico was minus their 4/5 man Nate Solecki, out due to illness, while PV was at full strength and super motivated coming off the big win at the second center meet held under soggy conditions in Palo Cedro.
As expected PV's 1-2 punch of Renten McGregor and Tryon Jardin followed Giannini across the line although Jardin was the team's top dog for the first time this season. Next came Chico's Avery Munson Clark and Ben Wun but again with Wun finishing as Chico's number man for the first time. But that optimism didn't last as the Vikings closed the door on the Panthers taking the next three places with senior Christofer Velazquez-Patino followed by freshman Jackson Hein and sophomore Cavin Muff. This was Pleasant Valley's first league title since 2007.
The JV races were contested first. Chico won the girls edging the only other complete team Pleasant Valley thanks to a 1-2 finish of Ava-Marie Csutoras, Claire Edwards. Csutoras was unescorted from the get-go, opening up a huge lead early then holding on well to win by 50 seconds with a time the third fastest freshman on the JV course. The reverse was the result in the JV boys race with PV overwhelming the Panthers 24-33 as none of the league's other four schools had complete teams. Freshman Mark Doud claimed the victory, the first of five Vikings in the top ten of the race.
A short turn around this year for the section championships which due to the Veterans Day holiday will be held on Wednesday November 10th on the storied West Valley course.
