I’m so happy that they were able to experience it.” Apani Barnes (left) of PUC held off Upper Lake’s Zoey Petrie for seventh place in the girls race. “I’m very proud,” Ponts said of the efforts of Fernandez and her other runners in both the boys and girls races.
Middletown had five runners in the top seven, only PUC’s Delgadillo and fifth-place finisher Donavan Fernandez of Upper Lake (18:51) breaking up the steady stream of Mustang jerseys at the finish line. Sixteen boys lined up for the start and Rascon jumped out to an early lead and kept putting distance between himself and the field as the race progressed. Rascon crossed the finish line in 16:01, a second slower than his personal best and almost two minutes ahead of runner up Gabrielle Delgadillo of PUC (17:48). By the second mile I got that confidence (back).” I haven’t run since Footlocker in December. They finished fifth and sixth, respectively.Īdded Rascon, one of the top small school runners in the Redwood Empire, “I was a little nervous, it was kind of scary because it’s been a long time. Donavan Fernandez (left) of Upper Lake leads Middletown’s Isaiah Diaz. “I’m really proud of my team, they did great,” Kinsel added. We were more excited than nervous, just pumped for the season.
It’s the first meet we’ve had in a long time. “I’m proud of these guys, they gave it their all,” said Tiraterra, Middletown’s first-year coach. Nicole Pyzer of Middletown placed third in the girls race. It’s now back in business under head coach Samantha Ponts and the Cougars acquitted themselves quite well in their season debut. The school shut down its cross country program following the 2016 season. While Middletown’s veteran squad returns several seasoned runners, both boys and girls, the Clear Lake contingent on Wednesday featured only two girls - including the girls race winner - while Upper Lake’s entire team was running its first race ever. Combine all of that with first-meet nerves and the euphoria of competition and you had the makings of a pretty good day with no shortage of bright smiles. The general feeling prior to Wednesday’s season opener was one of great happiness and perhaps even greater relief that the COVID-19 sports embargo had finally, mercifully ended. Isaac Rascon of Middletown nearly set a personal-best time in winning the varsity boys race. The first sport back was cross country as the Middletown runners, some of whom who had lost everything they owned in the fire, refused to give in, quickly pulled themselves together despite great personal loss, and demonstrated what resilience and toughness are all about during the Viking Invitational at Spring Lake in Santa Rosa. Back in 2015, when the Valley Fire ravaged the town as well as the surrounding areas of Hidden Valley Lake and Cobb Mountain, Middletown fall sports came to a screeching halt. It was only fitting that Middletown - joined by county teams Clear Lake and Upper Lake as well as Napa County schools Calistoga and PUC Prep of Angwin - fired the first shot in Lake County’s long-awaited return to competition. Clear Lake’s Hannah Garrity, a freshman, won the girls race Wednesday at Six Sigma Ranch and Winery.
“The irony,” Middletown High School cross country head coach Taylor Tiraterra said of the return of competitive sports to Lake County, long delayed by a COVID-19 pandemic that shut down the county’s high school sporting world back on March 12, 2020, or almost a calendar year before Wednesday’s five-team meet took place at Six Sigma Ranch and Winery near Lower Lake, ushering in a return of some kind of normalcy for local prep athletes. LOWER LAKE - This fall sport took place in the wintertime on a spring-like day.
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