The St. Francis High boys’ cross country team captured the Pacific Coast Athletic League Cypress division title thanks to a strong outing in Saturday’s championship meet at Toro Park in Salinas.
St. Francis senior Paul Kane placed second in 17 minutes, 26 seconds in the 3-mile varsity race to power the Sharks’ win. They finished with 18 points ahead of Stevenson School in second (45) and The York School in third (75).
The York School sophomore Michael Julian won the race in 16:31.
With the win, the Sharks automatically qualified for the Central Coast Section Cross Country Championships.
Senior Patrick McCarthy placed third (17:35), while sophomore Julian Vargas placed fourth (17:55) for St. Francis.
Other notable finishers for the Sharks included freshmen Christian Magaña in ninth (18:47) and Diego Ramirez in 10th (18:47).
Up next, the CCS championships will take place at Crystal Springs cross country course in Belmont on Nov. 16. The first race begins at 10 a.m.
PCAL-Mission: Monte Vista Christian junior Andrew Bachman earned a trip back to the CCS championships. He placed fourth in 17:33 in the PCAL Mission division boys’ 3-mile varsity race.
Palma High sophomore Moises Benito won the race in 16:41, followed by Gilroy High sophomore Noicholas Guzman in second (16:58) and Palma sophomore Benjy Altamirano in third (17:29).
Palma won the league title with 34 points, followed by Marina High in second (85) and Monte Vista Christian in third (96).
Mustangs senior David Wang placed 11th (18:01) and also made the cut, while junior Justin Lomeli placed 20th (18:32).
North Monterey County High sophomore Diego Villegas placed ninth (18:00) but missed the cut for the Division III bracket by seven seconds. Other notable finishers for the Condors include sophomore Arrell Calo in 16th (18:13) and junior Max Puga in 21st (18:35).
Watsonville High senior Damian Rivas placed 14th (18:09), followed by junior Domingo Martinez in 19th (18:32).
PCAL-Santa Lucia: Pajaro Valley High freshman Ignacio Aguado punched his ticket to the CCS championships with a second place finish in 18:40 in the PCAL Santa Lucia division 3-mile varsity race.
Oakwood High sophomore Ellis Richardson won the race in 17:58, while Anzar High senior Alex Avila placed third (19:06) to earn a spot at the championships.
Christopher High won the league title with 43 points, followed by Oakwood in second (66) and Kirby Prep in third (75).
Anzar junior Max Clark placed fourth (19:50), while Ceiba College Prep freshman Israel Carrisales placed sixth (20:21).
