Members of Ceres High’s and Central Valley’s cross country programs competed in different divisions at the Sac-Joaquin Sub-Section Championships earlier this month in Tuolumne County.

“One hundred percent of our runners set personal records for that course,” Hawks’ head coach Michael Mrgudic said.

Central Valley’s varsity boys posted a team score of 605 en route to a 21st-place finish during the Division-I race, staged on Nov. 9 at Frogtown in Angels Camp.

Frankie Klino was the Hawks’ top runner. He placed 94th with a time of 19 minutes, 23 seconds on the 3-mile course.

“Frankie rolled his ankle halfway through the race and still bounced back and had a strong finish,” Mrgudic said. “He was resilient.” 

Central Valley teammates Enoc Reyes (20:86), Joshua Michelena (21:57), Jackson Stokes (22:05), Javier Contreras (22:48), Alejandro Rodriguez Arroyo (24:57), Marco Coria (26:04), Ivan Anaya (26:27) and Isaiah Ramos (29:30) took 121st, 148th, 150th, 156th, 159th, 160th, 162nd and 163rd, respectively.

Alyssa Ontiveroz was the Central Valley girls team’s top runner. She placed 103rd with a time of 27 minutes, 10 seconds on the 3-mile course.

Hawk teammate Milianna Rios (32:40) took 113th.

“They both took several minutes off their previous-best times on the course,” Mrgudic said. 

Karen Magallon, Aubrey Tyler-Pannell, Manroop Kaur and Pauline Anaya represented the Hawks during the Division-I frosh-soph girls race.

Magallon was Central Valley’s top runner. She placed 72nd with a time of 16 minutes, 55 seconds on the 2-mile course.

Tyler-Pannell (17:43), Kaur (17:52) and Anaya (24:16) took 95th, 97th and 133rd, respectively.

Ceres High’s varsity boys took 23rd with a team score of 655 during the Division-II race. 

The Bulldogs finished ahead of the Western Athletic Conference-rival Johansen Vikings (24th, 666).

Johansen bested Johansen three times during the WAC season. 

“That (beating Johansen) was exciting to see,” Ceres High head coach Owen Brown said. “That was a little bit of redemption for us.”

“We ramped up our workouts going into Frogtown,” he added. “It gave us an extra edge. Our hard work paid off.”

Martin Bolanos Aleman was Ceres High’s top runner at Sub-Sections.

He placed 116th with a time of 19 minutes, 02 seconds on the 3-mile course.

Ceres High teammates Sergio Torres (19:11), Andres Marcial (19:27), Ivan Rodriguez (20:33), Shaan Gill (22:49) and Alexis Rodriguez (24:22) took 121st, 126th, 149th, 183rd and 196th, respectively.

“None of them have ever run that fast on that course,” Brown said. “They all PR’d.”

Bolanos, a fourth-year runner, accomplished his individual goal.

He earned bragging rights over sibling Cesar (class of 2023).

“He beat his older brother’s time on that course,” Brown said. “He was so excited. I’m happy for him. He showed extra dedication knowing it was his last year. He was motivated.”

Ivan Rodriguez enjoyed a bounce-back performance at Divisionals.

He struggled to a 69th-place finish at the WAC Championships.

“Ivan didn’t do well at the last meet because he got a little dehydrated,” Brown said. 

Ceres High’s varsity girls team had just one participant at Sub-Sections.

Senior Jaden Stahl placed 88th with a time of 24 minutes on the 3-mile course.

“It was her final race,” Brown said. “She had a good performance. It’s one of the best sprints to the finish I’ve seen her have.”

Stahl managed to have a productive cross country career with the Bulldogs despite missing time with foot and hip injuries.

She set a personal record while claiming an eighth-place medal at the 2023 WAC Championships.

She took 13th at the conference finals as a sophomore.

“Jaden has a lot to be proud of,” Brown said. “We’re going to miss her. It’s going to be hard to replace her. She brought leadership and dedication to the team. She tried to push some of the other runners.”