Road to State Week #1

Coach Duarte's cross country team looks pretty solid this year. I predict another state championship season for the Aztecs and look forward to supporting the team throughout the year. Good Luck! Joe

September 19, 2007 - 10:24PM

Aztecs pace well on windy day

Walters, Bird close to personal records on home course despite conditions C.J. Daft Staff Writer HESPERIA — Sultana cross country coach John Mahr has experienced his share of windy race days in his 23 years of coaching in the High Desert. But with winds gusting up to 40 miles per hour for the Sultans’ nonleague dual meet with Barstow on Wednesday, Mahr couldn’t remember a day that was more brutal. But the wind didn’t seem to affect the runners — especially those leading the pack. “The fact that the kids weren’t affected is just amazing,” Mahr said. “(Barstow coach) Jim (Duarte) and I were talking before the race and were figuring it was going to be tactical and you just have to be tough. We’re not going to worry about times so much.” In a highly anticipated boys race, Sultana senior Brett Walters took the top individual spot with a time of 15 minutes, 22 seconds and was three seconds off his course record. It wasn’t enough for the team victory, though, and Barstow won 23-35. Sultana dominated the girls race, 15-48, led by junior Lainie Bird’s time of 18:56. The No. 1 Division III state ranked Aztecs, who won their seventh straight dual meet over the Sultans, were led by senior Anthony Solis (15:29) who took second and was backed by a strong supporting cast. Isaac Chavez (15:35) finished in third place, Andrew Romano (15:40) took fourth, Ian Barba (15:59) ran to a sixth place and Jeremy Trujillo (16:28) rounded out Barstow’s top five in eighth. More impressive than winning this race, Duarte was happy with the improved spacing between his runners. Last weekend at the Tri-County Invitational, Barba finished 45 seconds behind Solis as the No. 4 man. On Wednesday, that gap between the No. 4 and No. 1 runners was cut to 30 minutes. “That’s what we’re wanting,” Duarte said. “Closing the gap is important.” Added Solis, “We packed pretty good.” Kyle Gallagher (15:56) who finished in fifth and Art Parra (16:14) who took seventh were the only other Sultans besides Walters to finish in the top nine for Sultana. “We knew we were going to struggle against Barstow,” Mahr said. “We didn’t think we would struggle a lot but we struggled a lot against Barstow. We’re going to have to go back to the drawing board, shore some things up and get stronger in that area with the boys.” Sultana had no trouble in the girls race. Bird and senior Samantha Espinola (19:03) led the way as the first six across the finish line were Sultans. Espinola stayed with Bird until the pair reached Sultana’s Jay Reed Field for the final portion of the race. Bird, a junior, went on to finish a second shy of her personal best at the home course. “We have a lot of freshmen,” Bird said of the team’s prospects. “But I think we’re going to do pretty well. They’re stepping up.”