SHS teams primed for final meets
SAN JOSE — Is it possible for a cross-country team to graduate its strongest runner and be even better the next year?
After finishing first and second and watching the majority of their teammates set personal-record times Thursday against Silver Creek, Sobrato standouts Alan Rios and Winston Van Keulen had to consider the possibility.
In past years, the Bulldogs’ goal was to try and keep up with two-time state cross country finalist Lance Wolfsmith, who now runs for the Air Force Academy. This season, they have pushed each other side by side.
Thursday’s 21-35 victory was testament to that. Rios covered the 2.73-mile course on Montgomery Hill in 15 minutes, 57 seconds — just a step ahead of Van Keulen (15:59). Sobrato’s Mitch Schenkelberg and Ben King stayed close to each other as well, finishing behind teammate Derek Deisenroth (16:37) in 16:55 and 16:57, respectively.
Rios and Van Keulen’s times were good for fourth and fifth overall at the meet, which also included Andrew Hill, Santa Teresa, Piedmont Hills, Evergreen Valley, Leland and reigning Blossom Valley Athletic League champion Willow Glen.
“It’s the tightest this team has ever been,” said Van Keulen, who was one of nine Bulldogs who clocked a season-best time. “It’s the end of the season and everyone is PRing. That’s the way it should be.”
Coupling that effort with their 5-2 finish in division meets, you could say the Bulldogs were in stride for Monday’s 24-team BVAL Finals meet at Crystal Springs.
“It’s a lot different going into this part of the season without Lance, but, as far as the team goes, we’re healthier and better overall than we were at this point,” Rios said.
Veterans of yesteryear’s Sobrato team that had hopes of qualifying as a team for state, would have killed to be in the shape they are in now. The 2008 Bulldogs were hampered by injuries to Wolfsmith and Rios, and the rest of the team was burned up by a strenuous regular season. Sobrato eased back this fall, shifting focus from major weekend meets to BVALs and Central Coast Section Finals.
The change has paid off.
“We’ve taken more time off in between races,” said Rios, a senior. “It’s really showing. I’m still not as fast as I was sophomore year, but I’ve never felt this strong. I don’t think any of us have.”
That left the Bulldogs aiming high Monday. They liked their chances of placing in the top 12 and qualifying for a return trip to Crystal Springs — site of the Nov. 14 CCS Championship meet.
“This season says a lot about our program,” Sobrato coach Dave Wolfsmith said. “We lost a big part of this team in Lance, but we’re right back where we were. I think we have the talent to surprise some people at BVALs.”
Count Wolfsmith among those impressed by the Lady Bulldogs. Like the boys, Sobrato’s girls team graduated one of its best runners from 2008 in Alex Seda and was short on upperclass talent going into this season. But that left the door open for the emergence of sophomores Sarah Gilbert and Courtney Ellenburg, who placed fourth and ninth in 18:55 and 19:16 Thursday as Sobrato (3-4 league) lost by one point to Silver Creek.
“I’m really impressed with the progress our girls have made,” Dave Wolfsmith said. “A lot of the girls didn’t train over the summer. Sarah and Courtney; they were the ones that really put in time.
“It’s going to be good for next year because we’re only graduating two seniors. A lot of schools can’t say that.”
Ellenburg joined veteran teammates Rachel Sandberg (20:52), Emily Thoms (22:16), Cassandra Valenzuela (22:52) and Kiley Foster (23:41) is clocking new personal-best times.
“We want to go to CCS again,” Gilbert said. “If we keep getting PRs, we think we can. We have a really good team.”
Gilbert and Ellenburg were part of last year’s squad that earned a chance to prove itself against the best in the section. They wanted another one Monday.
“We finished (fifth) last year at league finals. We should do a lot better this time,” Ellenburg said.
NOTES: The print edition and a previous posting of this story stated the top eight teams at BVALs earn berths in CCS. This year, the top 12 advanced. Also, the Sobrato girls team did not tie Silver Creek, as this story mentioned earlier. The official scores at Thursday’s meet were not tabulated correctly.
