After the St. Augustine Invitational two weeks ago I made the comment that the boys cross country team would ‘probably be no match for Clairemont.’  Well boil me up a pot of crow because Coronado came-up winners at our dual meet with the Chiefs last Tuesday by the score of 24 - 33. 

The victory elevates our chances of winning a fourth straight Central League championship, from long shot to chalk, with Christian the only possible spoiler in our last dual meet of the season October 30th.  The Patriots also had a close meet with Clairemont, losing by only 5 points.

This year, the other three teams in the league, Madison, Crawford, and, Lincoln are out of the hunt for the top spot.

The race up-front was just as exciting as the team's win with Islander Ben Enowitz going head-to-head with the Chief's top two, Eamonn McCarey and Nick Pradel.  After two miles, the quick pace took its toll and Ben opened a gap that grew to a margin of 35 seconds at the finish and a personal record for Ben of 16:01 over the City Conference’s three-mile course.

Coronado’s David Grimes (17:36), Sean O'Brien (17:46), and Kevin Siefert (17:55) took the next three places followed by Turner Stanley (eighth in 18:09), Ben Green (10th in 18:25), and Andy Centeno (11th in 18:39) to round-out the varsity finishers.  Michael Davies, on the comeback trail, finished 12th in 18:44 followed by Cotter Stacy (18:56), Kramer De Laurentis (19:16), Gabe Salvatierra (19:26) and Jordan Vance (19:35) in under 20 minutes.

As expected the girls’ race was no contest, so Clairemont didn't push the pace with Islanders Sallie Privett, Adie Davies, Annie Lovering, Cassie Callahan, and Sadie Gimber taking the first five places. Coco O'Brien and Selina Schmeck, still a bit leg-weary from the Central Park Invite 3 days prior, finished eighth and ninth respectively, to win by the score of 15 - 46. 

Like the boys, the girls’ route to the league title is through Christian. Last year the Islanders won league with a one-point victory, while the year before the Patriots took it by one point. This year's rubber match favors the Islanders but you can bet Christian, both boys and girls, will show up ready to run.

All six Central League schools run their dual meets on Tuesday and during last week's boys’ race with Clairemont, our biggest cheering section was the Christian boys team. They knew if we could pull it off they'd have a shot at part of the league title on Oct. 30th.  If you're an Islander cross country fan, this will be the meet to watch.