By Leonard COUTIN

On Thursday, Sept. 26, the Pacific League altered its normal running schedule. Instead of racing all divisions, the top varsity members were omitted from competition in the newly formed Pacific Cluster Meet No. 1. This meet featured four races: boys and girls JV/varsity combination as well as the frosh/sophomore boys and girls race. The Pacific League eliminated the League No. 1 as a scoring varsity meet.

“We decided to try something different as we thought three League meets were too many,” explained Mark Evans, head coach at CV High School. “By going to a League preview meet it gives us a chance to add an invitational or two that we might not be able to do with three League meets.” 

The Arcadia home course has served as both a League meet race and was originally the site of League finals. Burbank wanted to have everyone on this new course as it would like to add it to the League rotation. 

“Since it was not scoring in League it gave us a chance to rest some athletes and have them train harder during the week,” added Evans. “Burbank, for example, sat out its varsity and flew to Portland for a meet on Saturday.  [CV] ran some varsity girls who needed to race and, in a couple of cases, two will miss the Clovis meet so we wanted to get them a race.”   

Perhaps most importantly, Evans and other school coaches agreed that these changes were very positive and will give the varsity competitors a change to experience higher competition at future invitationals.

The JV/varsity races were combined and the scorekeeper separated each division’s final score. Although the top varsity runners did not compete, the new Debell Golf Cross-Country Course proved to be both challenging and fulfilling for the runners. The course started with a 600m uphill run then a lap around one of the most scenic routes to a downhill dirt path with a slight uphill portion to a 600m downhill run to the finish line.

Testing the course for the first time, runners in the Pacific League Cluster No. 1 meet ran four separate races late in the afternoon. The meet featured two JV races and two frosh/soph races for girls and boys. Race No. 1 featured the JV varsity girls on the three-mile course.

Taking control was Falcon senior Natalie Bitetti with teammate junior Juiliana Cheney. Working hard and running steady throughout the course paid off for the Falcons. Bitetti, who performed especially well for a newcomer to the team, won in a time of 21:19.00 followed by Cheney (21:28.7) and senior Sarah Benitez (22:48.3). Placing 10th was Michelle Longlax (24:04.5).

“For the girls, Taili Sherwood-Kong ran very well for her first race of the season. Natalie and Juliana both ran well,” said Evans. “Rebecca Doherty had a very good race, but stepped in a hole towards the end of the race and sprained her ankle. She still finished second.”

Final JV girls race scores: CV 21, Burroughs 34. Burbank, Glendale, Arcadia, Muir and Pasadena DPN

The Falcon boys also were strong led by junior Nolan Brown who took the win running 17:56.6. He was followed by teammates senior Christian Peraza (18:05.6) and junior Dylan Haworth (18:08.2). Falcon seniors Ravi Riley placed ninth (18:49.6) and Andrew Kazangian finished 19th (19:44.3).

Finals JV boys race scores: CV 34, Burroughs 36, Burbank 58, Glendale 119, Pasadena 141, Arcadia 157 and Muir DNP

The next League meet will be Oct. 17 at CV Park, 3901 Dunsmore Ave. in La Crescenta and will be worth one point for every team one defeats. League finals will be two points for each team one defeats.

  Leonard Coutin