Nov 8th Central League Individual Championships
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CHS Cross Country Teams Run to Strong Central League Finishes

Cross Country runners are used to running through pain. Anyone who’s worked the finish line of a cross country championship meet knows how tough this sport is. Some runners have to be helped down the chute because they can’t take another step. Some cross the line, fall on their backs and just lie there spent. Others have physical injuries incurred during the race from a fall or other mishap.

The latter was the fate of Islander Michael Davies at the Central League finals last Thursday at Morley Field. Cross Country gets its name for the terrain one must traverse between the start and the finish line.

Halfway through the race in the rock-strewn ‘Desert Loop’ portion of the course, Davies came down hard on a stone and broke a bone (specifically the second metatarsal) in his foot. Of course he didn’t know it at the time and of course, he didn’t stop. He ran through the pain, limping in to a sixth place finish over the 3-mile course in 17:06, earning a spot on the All-League Team. The bad news is that his season is over and he’ll be in a cast for the next 8-10 weeks.

In the same race, Ben Enowitz had his own drama. The pre-race favorite and defending league champion, Clairemont’s Bernardo Bahena, had more competition than he bargained for as Ben matched him stride for stride. Sprinting to the finish, it looked like there might be an upset as Ben had a slight lead a few yards from the line. A last surge from Bahena however, gave him his second league title in a row. Both runners were clocked in 16:25, which is a personal best time for Ben by over 20 seconds.

Not to be outdone, David Grimes also set a personal best time by over 20 seconds, after a close photo finish duel with Clairemont’s Eamonn McCarey. Both runners were clocked in 16:44, with Grimes in fourth place just two seconds from the third place finisher, also from Clairemont. The next four All-League finishers were all from Christian High School.

Turner Stanley improved his personal best time by over 30 seconds to place 12th in 18:07. He was followed by Cotter Stacy (19th), Kevin Siefert (22nd), Alton Smith, Leo Legidakes, Frank Harrison, Alex Fish and Tim Sebring.

In contrast to the close finishes in the Boys Race, the top three girls ran alone with Islander frosh Sallie Privett claiming her first league championship by finishing first in 18:25 over the same 3-mile course run by the boys. Christian’s Devin Marshall was second in 19:41, followed by Islander freshman Adrianna Davies, who was third in 20:37. Our other All-League finisher was freshman Coco O’Brien, who placed eighth with a time of 21:28. She was followed by Sheila Braun (16th) and Lindsay Pettee (20th).