It was something reminiscent of the 2013 critically acclaimed film “Captain Phillips.”
Watsonville High’s star cross country runner Layla Ruiz stared down her teammates, told them to look at her and, bluntly, informed them she was the captain now.
“She came up to me and said, ‘I’ve been telling people I’m team captain, so I’m a captain,’” said Watsonville head coach Rob Cornett. “You’re not going to hear any complaining from me. I was glad she wanted to be the captain.”
Ruiz won’t be in the running for an Academy Award or a Golden Globe anytime soon, but the standout sophomore will be poised to capture plenty of other accolades this fall.
A year after being named the top female freshman cross country runner in all of Northern California, Ruiz is back and determined to improve on her breakout season.
“I feel like I have to improve, because I know a lot of people are watching me,” Ruiz said. “Whether it be other runners, spectators, coaches…I have to keep getting better.”
Ruiz last fall not only became Watsonville’s first female league champion since Martha Luna in 1989, but was also the program’s first CIF state meet qualifier since Consuelo Mata in 2000, following a third-place finish in the Central Coast Section Division I race.
She finished 30th in her division at the state meet, and took second in the Foot Locker West Regional freshman race.
To improve on last season will be no easy task.
“She’s not going to sneak up on anyone this year,” Cornett said. “She’s going to be in the spotlight, and there’s going to be some pressure on her that wasn’t there last season. The good thing is she only has one critic: herself.”
Cornett said Ruiz has only begun to scratch the surface of her abilities. The next step? Strengthening her hips, core and lower body to improve her closing speed and prevent nagging knee injuries, something she struggled with down the final stretch of last season.
“Her strength isn’t there yet, but we’re helping her get there,” Cornett said. “She accomplished all that [last year] without that base of strength. We don’t see why she can’t get faster over the next few years, and that’s a scary thought.”
Having one of the greatest high school and collegiate runners of all-time, German Fernandez, on the coaching staff will only help Ruiz realize her potential. Cornett said Fernandez, who still holds the Junior American national record for the 5,000-meters and the Junior Indoor World Record in the mile, had family ties in Watsonville, and the Wildcatz lucked out in adding him to the staff, which also includes Tony Roman, Eric Suprenant, David Knight and Crystal Ramirez.
“He asked if he could help, and it was a no-brainer to bring him on,” Cornett said.
Ruiz said stepping into the team’s leadership role wasn’t too tough after spending all of last year learning from now-graduated Daniela Salazar, a four-year star who also made the trip to state last fall. She said she also felt a responsibility to fill the position with no seniors on Watsonville’s roster.
Sophomore Carolina Avalos is the team’s only other returning runner from last fall. Avalos finished 13th at last year’s Monterey Bay League Pacific division finals and qualified for the CCS meet. But she’ll need to improve if Watsonville is to vie for the team title in the newly established Pacific Coast Athletic League Cypress division, which will also feature Gonzales High, Stevenson, Seaside High, Monterey High, York and cross-city rival Pajaro Valley High.
Watsonville also carries freshmen Yaviana Prado and Alia Paniagua-Magana, sophomore Yanely Gonzalez and junior MaryCruz Nico-Silva.
Across town, Christina Guerrero has taken over as the Grizzlies’ head coach after serving as an assistant last season.
Sophomore Karen Martinez returns for Pajaro Valley after placing 12th in last year’s MBL-P finals — the highest a female runner from the school has placed at league finals since 2011 — and advancing to CCS.
PCAL-SANTA LUCIA
Now in the PCAL’s Santa Lucia division, the St. Francis High Sharks are eyeing their first league title in the program’s history.
St. Francis will see Anzar High, Ceiba College Prep, Christopher High, Kirby, Oakwood, Monte Vista Christian, Santa Catalina and Trinity Christian in the league’s lower division.
Head coach Ramona Young returns a quartet of solid runners in juniors Camryn Ryan and Angelika Castro, and seniors Riley Croghan and Natalie Henn.
The addition of freshman Lizzie Randolph, who took second at the first Santa Lucia Center Meet of the season on Wednesday at Natividad Creek Park in Salinas, only further boosted the Sharks’ chances at a league crown.
“A lot of them know how to push hard individually, but getting them to work as a team has really helped them,” Young said.
M.V.C., coached by Michael Lanham, has not been able to field a full team this fall, but freshman Danielle Gomez has run well for the Mustangs.
Sophomore Andrea Gomez has done the same for Anzar.
PCAL-GABILAN
Coach Gustavo Ibarra’s Condors will again run against the powers of the Monterey Bay, as North Monterey County High was placed in the PCAL’s top division, the Gabilan, after yet another solid season last fall.
Senior Faith Mora is back after helping N.M.C. finish fourth as a team in the CCS D-IV race. Sophomore Andrea Villegas is also back and much improved, as well as senior Daniela Munoz.
The Condors will race against Alisal High, Carmel High, Gilroy High, San Benito High, Pacific Grove High, Notre Dame-Salinas and Soledad High in the Gabilan division.
SCCAL
The Mariners’ impressive reign over the SCCAL and CCS is in jeopardy this season.
Aptos won 13 of the last 15 SCCAL titles, and also captured eight straight section crowns during a talent-rich era of long-distance running that featured more than a handful of NCAA Division I caliber athletes.
But longtime head coach Dan Gruber has called this season a “rebuilding” year following the graduation of section champion and three-time state meet top-10 finisher Marea Zlatunich, who is now running at Cal Berkeley. Aptos also graduated Sofia Natividad, a fourth-place finisher in last fall’s CCS D-III race who is now running at the University of Chicago.
The Mariners do return junior Kailea Zlatunich and sophomore Susana Estrada from last year’s CCS D-III champion team. They also received a big boost from the addition of sophomore Kirsten Martin, a standout from the soccer team who has quickly taken over as the squad’s top runner.
Still, the Mariners will need a few more athletes to step up if they wish to remain atop the league. San Lorenzo Valley High, powered by star sophomore Azalea Groleau, looks to be the deepest team in the league. Santa Cruz High graduated SCCAL individual champion Mari Friedman, but still has senior Lila Roake at the head of a young but strong bunch. And Scotts Valley High will also be in the mix with senior Jessica Kain finally fully healthy.
