CIF-SS PRELIMS::

Braves Advance

St. John Bosco Cross-Country reaches CIF Finals Fourth Straight Year

Some positives and some not-so-positives could be taken from this year's CIF-SS Preliminaries. It was the fourth consecutive year that the program has advanced a team to the finals race, this feat in itself is a huge positive for the team. The scoring members of the team posted a 22 second time gap, the lowest margin of the day for any boys team. The Braves had a few of its runners step up to solidify their spots while others opted to take it easy and run in trainers. And while all these factors play into a positive atmosphere there is one lingering fact that subjects itself to negativity - on this day the Braves (ranked #1 in the Southern Section) were not the best team. This realization should act as motivation in the week leading up to CIF Finals as the Braves prepare to prove that they can be the best team in their division. Nonetheless the Braves raced through without their third man by their side and completed phase two in their quest for the "BIG" titles.

The Braves were lead by junior Randy Skillens (16:02) and senior Luis Uribe (16:03). Their choice to run in training shoes may have prevented them from running faster times, but the two athletes looked in control and will bring their best come finals. The other three members of the scoring five all placed in the top 19 of the race and ran strong. Juniors Kevin Urak (16:15) and Luis Perez (16:19) ran solid to help advance their team, while senior Matt Estrella (16:24) ran to a huge Mt. SAC personal best to step up for his team in the absence of a few runners. Estrella more then solidified his spot in the Braves top seven and looks to duplicate, if not better his performance at CIF Finals. Racing through an annoying cold, was senior Jon Sandoval. A week after stepping up at league finals as the teams 5th runner, Sandoval took a few steps down as he struggled through his race in a time of 16:41. Making his first varsity appearance in more then a year was sophomore Jon Batres. His performance at last weeks league finals was good enough to earn him a spot on the squad. He took full advantage of it as he gutted through to a respectable 16:54. The Coaches were pleased with his race after only fifteen days of training under his belt.

Next week the St. John Bosco cross-country team will race after a season long dream as they attempt to capture the Southern Section Division 2 crown. We expect all those involved with the team to come support and cheer these talented athletes on. Their race will start at 8:45am and will once again be held in Walnut CA, at Mt. San Antonio College (Mt. SAC).