CROSS COUNTRY: Corvese leads Bulldogs at extended Earthquake Invite

Running at San Benito High’s Baler River Course for the first time Saturday, Sobrato’s Ryan Corvese didn’t know what to expect.
And that was a good thing.
Because of a hornet’s nest on the course, the cross-country track was extended from 3.1 miles to 3.7 miles and any knowledge  of the previous mapped out route would have been counter productive. With no knowledge of the course, Corvese ran, and ran fast, finishing in second place among 65 racers with a time of 18:23.
In the end, it was a good thing he had no previous knowledge of the course, he said.
“It didn’t effect me too much,” Corvese said. “I went out with a goal in mind – win. I thought I had a pretty good race and with BVALs coming up in a few weeks, I’m pretty good with that. Today, I felt solid and I didn’t care how long it was. I just gave chase.”
And his second-place finish will only make him stronger as the year continues, he said.
“It gives me confidence,” he said. “I felt really strong today, but I hope I get stronger. It will leave me wanting more. Second is great but there is better.”
Corvese preformed well, running nearly the entire race in second behind Leland’s Ryan Ho, who finished with a time of 18:23.
As a team, Sobrato finished tied for fourth place with Alisal. The Bulldogs trailed teams from Madera South, Leland and San Benito.
Cody Hulme (19:47) finished in 10th place for Sobrato, giving the Bulldogs two finishers in the top 10. Freshman Nolan Dozier placed 28th with a time of 20:53. It was his first ever varsity race.
“I think we had a pretty strong showing today,” Corvese said. “We looked good out there.”
Austin Heiser’s (21:08) and Christian Hughes placed 34th and 38th to round out the Bulldogs top times.