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Gibson, Guthrie win in Valley League cluster meet

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The North County Conference has replaced cross country dual league meets with a pair of league cluster meets in which all of the league’s teams participate, and in the Valley League races at Kit Carson Park in Escondido on Friday, both girls individual winners were part of the Ramona High School team.

Junior Gwendalyn Gibson was the first finisher in the varsity girls race. Sophomore Sarah Guthrie was the individual winner of the junior varsity girls race.

Ramona’s top varsity boys finisher was second-place Gabe Plendcio, and the highest Ramona junior varsity boys finish was the third place of Colton Meskell. Both varsity races and the junior varsity boys contest were on a 3.0-mile course, while the junior varsity girls ran 2.6 miles.

Gibson had a time of 20:01. She ran the first mile with the race’s other leaders.

“She just took off up the hill,” said boys and girls head coach Sherri Edwards. “The rest of the race she ran by herself.”

Gibson finished the race 26 seconds ahead of second-place Natalie Dudley of Fallbrook. At one time Ramona’s Marissa Talle was in second place, but she fell going up the hill and fell a total of three times during the race.

Ramona’s second finisher, Madison Huckey, placed 17th overall with a time of 22:05. Perla Cruz was the 19th finisher at 22:24, Brittany Davidson had a time of 22:27 for 20th place, Chloe Knowd took 21st place and finished in 22:28, Robyn Turner had the 27th-place time of 23.14, and Talle finished the race in 24:00 for 34th place.

Cross country team scores are determined by adding the positions of a team’s first five finishers; a school’s sixth and seventh finishers are not scored but can add points to other teams’ scores.

A school with fewer than five runners in a race does not receive a team score. Ramona placed fourth among the four Valley League schools with full teams.

“I was a little bit disappointed about how our team placed,” said Edwards. “Obviously I was really pleased with Gwen.”

The presence of only four Ramona girls deprived the Bulldogs of a team score in the junior varsity girls race, but those four runners finished among the top five.

“If we just had one more, we likely would have won,” Edwards said.

Guthrie had a winning time of 20:06. Lexie Waples placed third at 20:42, Tuesday Christopher finished fourth with a time of 21:01, and Carmen Ocampo earned fifth place with a 21:15 performance.

“That was exciting to see all the blue up front,” Edwards said.

Adam Monzon of Valley Center won the varsity boys race in 16:12 while Plendcio’s time was 16:22. The Jaguars also took the third, fourth, sixth, seventh, 10th, and 11th finishes and won the race with 21 team points. Ramona was second with 44 team points.

“I was happy with the way the boys ran,” Edwards said.

Joey Jauregui had a time of 16:52 for fifth place, Colin McNulty received ninth place after completing the course in 17:28, Jackson Sutter took 17:58 and finished 15th, Mitchell Sutter was the 17th finisher 18:06 after the race began, Brandan Ruland had a time of 18:14 for 20th place, and Danny Edwards posted the 23rd-place time of 18:19.

The finish was the first since Sept. 11 for Jackson Sutter, who dropped out of the Sept. 19 Mt. Carmel Invitational after hurting his foot and did not race in the Sept. 26 Dana Hills Invitational. It was the first finish of the year for Danny Edwards, who is recovering from an off-season injury.

The junior varsity boys also finished second as a team. Meskell’s third-place time was 19:14.

Billy Miller placed sixth and finished in 19:34. Chris Duffy raced for 19:58 and placed 11th, Sean Duffy finished 19th with a time of 20:54, and Emiliano Ramos placed 29th at 21:31.

The Bulldogs will run in the Southern California Invitational at Guajome Park in Vista on Friday.

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