In traveling the almost four hour venture north to Fresno's Woodward Park two sets of Brave squads had similar goals in mind. One squad wanted to prove to itself that they still, after some minor early season setbacks, possessed what it took to compete with the best in the state. The other squad hoped to prove that they were ready when it came time to step into their older, more experienced Varsity counterparts. And while neither team walked away 100% happy with their final team outcome they both came away with the knowledge that the room for greatness was among them - a challenge they were ready to tackle head on in the up coming weeks.

Both the varsity and freshman-sophomore team's were able to experience highly competitive fields in their respective races. For the frosh/soph team they were able to come away with a 5th place finish and the confidence that they could one day soon step up to achieve the success that their varsity brethren had. They were led by sophomore Timothy Barreto who finished top 10 while also finishing as the Brave's #6 runner for the day.

The varsity team was led by senior Randy Skillens who made a great comeback after a shaky start to his season. His aggressive racing style helped pace him to a 5th place finish overall. He was followed by a rejuvenated Luis Perez, who set a personal record of 16:10 for the 5K course, and senior Kevin Urak who had an admitted "off day" while still running a speedy 16:18. Rounding out the varsity finishers were Matt Pruter, Victor Bonilla, Russell Gonzalez, and Bradley Bonilla. The group was able to manage a 5th place team finish in the "Championship Race."

Though mildly disappointed the varsity Braves came away with the feeling that they should have and could have accomplished more. This realization should inspire them throughout the remainder of the season as they look to capture the success of last year.

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