Bearcats kick off water polo season
ATASCADERO HIGH SCHOOL
The Greyhounds boys and girls cross country teams competed last week in a dual meet against the Righetti. The Hounds made the trip down the Santa Maria and came home with two victories. Not only did the Hounds roll to victory, but they also took first place in both races led by Faith Rocha and Kyle Shatwell.
The Greyhound girls were absolutely dominant in their victory on Friday placing six girls inside the top seven in the race. Rocha led the way with a time of 20:19, followed by Kelsie Rigby in second with a time of 21:07 and Anna Archibald at 21:08. The pack of Hounds was split by Righetti’s top runner, Mara Gutierrez, who placed fourth, followed by three more girls in orange. Quinn Dubrul (21:46) placed fifth, and Amelie Lovo (21:58) came in sixth to round out the Atascadero top five.
Atascadero’s Shatwell ran the race of the day for either team, boys or girls, using the entire 5,000 meters to gain on his competition before taking them with a blaze of speed at the end. Shatwell finished with a time of 17:34, just barely ahead of Righetti’s Cory Campbell, who finished at 17:34.6. Two Warriors followed Shatwell in second and third place, but it was the Hounds who placed three runners in the top five. Karl Walrod came in fourth for the Hounds with a time of 18:08, followed closely by Dane Hardy at 18:11. Two more Warriors crossed the line in sixth and seventh, but Atascadero slammed the door shut and took home the victory when Owen Fang, KJ Sanchez and Nathan Cooks came in the round out the top 10.
TEMPLETON HIGH SCHOOL
The Templeton boys cross country team continued their hot start on Saturday, defeating Pioneer Valley 23-32 to notch their third win in a row and bring their overall record to 3-1. Saturday’s cloud cover appeared to boost to the Eagle runners as every boy in the race improved on their time from last week. Josh Bell took the top spot in the race for the boys and left scorched earth behind him with every step he took as he broke the Templeton school record for a second consecutive week with a time of 16:04. Bell was so fast Saturday that he was nearly two minutes ahead of the closest competitor. The Eagles placed three boys in the top five and five in the top ten. Nicholas Jansen (18:05) finished third overall, followed by Jayden Buck (18:19) in fourth and Max Chalekson (18:41) in sixth.
The Eagle girls also put together a strong race but were only able to field four runners, which is not enough to generate a team score. Maddie Bobbitt also continued her own streak of dominance on the girl’s side, winning her third consecutive race, this one by more than a minute. Bobbitt finished with a time of 20:36, followed by three Panthers and Hannah MacFarlane (23:12), who rounded out the top five. Mariana Perez and Ashlyn Estes finished in eighth and ninth respectively with times of 24:04 and 24:07.
PASO ROBLES HIGH SCHOOL
The Paso Robles Bearcats hosted their first cross country race of the season this Saturday and earned another victory for both the boys and girls teams. The Lady Bearcats defended their home turf with a lopsided 26-41 victory while the boys were in a much closer race but came out with a 26-30 win.
The Paso Robles girls placed four of their runners inside the top five and six inside the top 10. Charlotte Castelli led the way, finishing first with a time of 19:15 and followed by Sydney Moore, who placed second. One Nipomo runner split the pack of Bearcats, finishing third but was followed by Jaiden Anguiano (20.42.3) in fourth, Madeline Loff (20:52.8) in fifth, and Sophia Berry (20:59.3) in sixth place.
The Bearcat boys were also able to take the top two spots while placing six runners inside the top ten. Jason Scruggs led all runners with a time of 16:34.5, followed by teammate Cameron LeClair who finished second with a time of 17:05.4. The top two Bearcat runners were followed across the finish line by three Nipomo Titans before the second wave of crimson tank tops crashed upon the finish line. Diego Ortega placed sixth with a time of 17:50.9, followed by Joseph Martinez (18:13.4) in eighth and Manuel Cruz (18:14.8) ninth, which gave the boys the slim victory.
The Bearcats also kicked off their water polo season Saturday at home against Santa Ynez. Unfortunately, the Pirates were too strong in the water for the boys and girls as both teams dropped their season opener. Each team fought hard but, in the end, could not muster enough offense to get the victory. The girls fell 10-7, with goalie Kaitlyn Rebrand recording 19 saves. The boys dropped their game 17-12. Riley Lowery led the Paso Robles boys offensively with five goals.
