FHS Senior Luis Leon who placed 68th in 19:59.1 in the Cool Breeze Invitational. Photos courtesy Coach Kim Tafoya.

Sophomore Emma Orozco placed 33rd with a running a time of 23:47.6 in her first race at the Cool Breeze Invitational.

The boys and girls cross country teams competed at the Cool Breeze Invitational on Friday. This early season meet showcased some of the top ranked teams and individuals in the state. The meet was held on a relatively flat course on a grass surface at the Brookside Country Club near the Rose Bowl in Pasadena. The first race was run at 4 P.M. in the late afternoon. Many of the races were run after sunset under the coolness of a lit course.

In Fillmore’s first race, two JV girl competitors finished the race in season best times. Emma Orozco finished in 33rd place running a time of 23:47.6; she was followed by teammate Eva Vieyra 56th in 25:31.

The JV boys’ team toed the starting line in Fillmore’s second race and were the highest scoring team for the Flashes on the day, finishing in 4th place. They were led by Jesus Cadena who placed 8th overall in a time of 17:23.6, he was followed by Alex Recancoj 21st in 18:14, Luis Leon 68th in 19:59.1, Daniel Cruz 77th in 20:14.1, Andrew Otineru 88th in 20:38.6, and Anthony Gonzalez 143rd in 22:46.4. Jesus Cadena and Alex Recancoj were medal winners.

Two athletes also ran in the sophomore girls’ race. Isabel De La Cruz finished in 52nd place and posted a time of 26:30.6. Teammate Emma Ortiz finished in 82nd and ran a time of 27:47.5.

The sophomore boys’ race also saw two competitors. Erick Gutierrez ran with the front runners and finished in 6th place, posting a personal record of 17:20.2. Erick was also awarded a finishers medals. Antonio Estrella also ran and placed 133rd in 24:30.1.

The freshman girls also featured a squad of 4 competitors who navigated their first 3 miler successfully. Angelica Herrera, Daisy Guerrero, Isabel De La Cruz and Jasmine Vega all ran well. Unfortunately, results were unavailable at this time.

The freshman boy’s team also navigated the course successfully. Newcomer James Flores led this team crossing the line in 65th place in a time of 19:37.1; he was supported by Alotl Aparicio 108th in 20:49.4, and Eneyin Ortega 165th in 24:48.3.

The next race, the Sundown Showdown featured many of the top teams in the state and grouped all 5 divisions into one super race. Leading all Fillmore girl athletes, as she has for the last 3 seasons was senior Carissa Rodriguez. Carissa ran a personal best time of 17:47.3, averaging 5:56 per mile pace, and finishing in 27th place. She was followed by Diana Perez 75th in 18:44.7, Nicole Gonzalez 84th in 18:48.8, Vanessa Avila 149th in 19:46, and Ebony Venegas 217th in 21:04.9. In the team standings, the girls finished in 15th place out of 33 scoring teams. Carissa was the lone medal winner in this race.

The final race of the day was another Sundown Showdown race in the varsity boys division. Again, many of the top teams in the 5 CIF divisions were here to compete. The Flashes were led by sophomore Rey Laureano who ran an excellent 15:59.0 and finished in 114th. He was followed by Nick Villela 140th in 16:09.1, Jesus Martinez 143rd in 16:11.8, Jesse De La Cruz 184th in 16:39.2, Juan Carlos Laureano 216th in 17:09.9, Davis Flores 234th in 17:30.1, and Alex Manzo 244th in 17:42.1. The Flashes placed 26th in this race that featured 33 top teams.

The cross country teams will next compete on the College Park course in Oxnard on Tuesday, September 11th at 3 P.M. This is the first of three meets in their new league, the Costal Citrus League. This meet will be one of three that will determine league championships and CIF post season competition. Hope to see you there.