Bulldog girls win JV cross country league title; Varsity finishes dual meets with 3-2 record

By Joe Naiman

Last year Ramona High School’s girls varsity and junior varsity cross country teams were both win-less in dual meets. This year the Bulldog varsity finished with a 3-2 record while the junior varsity team was undefeated in its five Valley League dual meets.

The varsity squad will compete in the league meet on Saturday at Guajome Park, and since each school is allowed 12 runners at the league meet, coach Kim Toth will utilize two of her junior varsity competitors. There is no league meet at the junior varsity level, so Ramona’s JV sealed its league championship, Nov. 1, with wins over Valley Center and Oceanside in a tri-meet at Guajome Park.

The varsity split the tri-meet, defeating Oceanside by a 15-50 score and losing to Valley Center by a 27-30 margin.

Valley Center had the first two finishers. Anna Mazzola was Ramona’s top finisher and placed third overall with a time of 16:07. Ciara Lucas took fourth place at 16:08. Arianna Ruland had a sixth-place time of 16:27, Francheska Gonzalez took 16:40 and eighth place, Delaney Toth’s time of 16:48 gave her ninth place, and Teresa Leon had a 17:02 performance for 10th place. Perla Cruz and Rachel Brown both had times of 17:13 with Cruz receiving 11th place and Brown taking 12th. Julie Ward’s time of 17:15 made her the 13th finisher, and Cassidy Blankenbaker finished the race in 17:37 for 15th place.

The Bulldogs had the top five junior varsity times. Angelina Gray and Elizabeth Schweizer both had times of 17:44 with Gray receiving first place and Schweizer second. Chloe Knowd completed the race in 17:45, while Kim Klarer and Holly Trout both had 17:48 performances.

“Everybody has moved up the line with their times,” Kim Toth said. “It’s a very exciting season.”