Harriers on track for prelims
by KAREN LU
Hoping to repeat their league championship title, the harriers will compete at League Finals on Nov. 3.
The harriers competed in their second league meet Oct. 19, taking first place in boys varsity, boys JV, girls JV, girls frosh-soph, and second place for girls varsity and boys frosh-soph.
Girls varsity lost to the Alhambra Moors with a final score of 39-42. Boys frosh-soph took second to the Bell Gardens Lancers with a score of 42-58. The top five runners’ points of each level were added in the end to give the final score for each school and the team with the lowest score winning.
Photo by CARRIE CUNNINGHAM
“We’ve been working pretty hard, especially since Alhambra has been on our tail and is our biggest competitor,” said senior Susan Gonzalez. “I lost by a second to the Alhambra girl, which caused them to get first. For the final league meet, I have to push even harder so that it doesn’t happen again.”
Competing at the Bell Gardens Invitational at Cerritos Regional Park Oct. 15, the harriers placed second for junior girls and third for sophomore girls. Medals were awarded to the top 65 finishers of each race. In the boys races, medalists included: seniors Gustavo Gonzalez, Josue Gutierrez, Jakob Macedo and Jason Sanchez; juniors Jonathan Perez, Mitchell Saisho and Demian Sanchez; sophomores Dustin Vu and Richard Flores; and freshmen Kevin Burgose and Jerry Flores. In the girls races, juniors Alicia Amamoto, Lizbeth Cano, Grace Cervantes and Gabriela Ocariz, and sophomores Marai Atanacio, Emelee Carrillo and Miriam Perez received medals.
“We have some new people that have really stepped up in varsity, which gave the seniors a challenge,” said senior Andres Cazares-Dominguez. “It really made our varsity team a lot stronger than what it already was. I’m expecting that we will win league finals because we have a strong team.”
The harriers competed at the Santa Clarita Invitational at Castaic Lake Oct. 8 and placed third for JV boys.
“The kids have worked extremely hard, and it has put them in a position to win all league titles once again,” said Head Coach Manuel Quintero. “We’ve had some ups and downs, but ultimately everyone that belongs here is here. It is now in the hands of the Spartans to win all league titles.”