Bonsall girls 11th at CIF cross country meet

Bonsall High School's girls cross country team placed 11th among the Division V schools at the CIF San Diego Section meet Nov. 23 on the Morley Field course in San Diego.

The Legionnaires accumulated 269 points, which are based on the positions of a school's first five finishers. Guajome Park had the 10th-place total of 266 points. Mountain Empire was 12th with 303 points. Fifteen Division V schools had the minimum five girls to obtain a team score.

The Ford twins, who are seniors, were Bonsall's first two finishers. Isabella Ford placed 49th among the 123 runners with a time of 23:11.3 on the 2.96-mile course and Abigayle Ford had the 50th-place time of 23:12.3.

"They raced really well. They finished strong, and I'm really proud of them," said Bonsall coach Tamara Miller.

"They pace one another," Miller said. "It was neat to get them to a point this season where they would push that pace every single race."

The Ford twins were both in Bonsall's cross country program for all four of their high school years.

"I tried my best and it was a team effort and we did what we had to do to make it a good final race," Isabella Ford said. "Today's race was really good. I'm happy with how we performed, and I'm proud of all the girls."

"I think we did our best and we showed who Bonsall really is," Abigayle Ford said.

That included taking the leadership of the race when sophomore Milana Collier struggled during the CIF meet. Collier finished 53rd with a time of 23:25.2.

"The CIF was brutal, but I know that I did try my best," Collier said.

Collier was in front of the Ford twins during the second mile before falling back. "I started off strong," Collier said.

No specific cause was identified, although Collier went from the finish line to the first aid tent after the race.

"I was starting to struggle really hard," Collier said. "I made sure that I would not stop."

Bonsall's other two runners at the CIF meet, senior Faith Gioia and freshman Mikayla Gioia, are sisters but not twins. Faith Gioia completed the course in 25:07.0 for 75th place. Mikayla Gioia took 90th place with a time of 26:01.1.

"This year we were closer than ever, and that helps us push each other," Abigayle Ford said.

"I am proud of what we accomplished," Collier said.

"I'm really proud of myself and all the other girls from my team," Collier said. "We did our very best, and we have such great chemistry together."

"They always raced with their hearts, so it was a great finish to the season," Miller said.

Miller added that the Ford twins and Faith Gioia contributed to the program as well as to the 2019 season. "I'm sad to see the three seniors go, but I know the team will continue to build upon itself," Miller said.