Warrior boys share third among league cross country teams

Joe Naiman

Village News Reporter

The league championship cross country meet Nov. 13 at Guajome Park gave Fallbrook High School's boys a share of third place among the six Valley League teams while Fallbrook seniors Lucas Chase and Dawson Fluck earned all-league recognition.

The league championship weighted formula gives 25% apiece for positions at each of the two league cluster meets and 50% for positions in the league championship meet. Fallbrook was third in the Oct. 1 league cluster at Guajome Park with Escondido placing fourth. Fallbrook and Escondido were also third and fourth respectively at the Oct. 29 league cluster at Kit Carson Park.

At the league championship, however, Escondido was third with 88 points and Fallbrook placed fourth with 108 points, so the two teams tied for third place.

"We needed one more guy being closer up to the other four," said Fallbrook High Head Coach Marco Arias.

Cross country team scores are based on the positions of a school's first five finishers; the sixth and seventh runners are not scored but can add points to other team's totals. Escondido took first, 11th, 13th, 18th, 25th, 26th, and 37th. For Fallbrook, senior Lucas Chase was 14th; senior Dawson Fluck took 17th place; sophomore Fisher Phillips was the 22nd runner across the finish line; sophomore Devin Huntington had the 24th-place time; senior Ivan Ixta finished 34th; freshman Daniel Wilson had the 47th-place performance, and freshman Connor MacMillan obtained 51st place.

The top 10 finishers earned Valley League first team designation while the next 10 finishers were given berths on the Valley League second team. Chase and Fluck thus both received second-team recognition.

"Lucas Chase breaking into the top 20 was awesome," Arias said. "Those younger guys were likely a couple of spots away from making the top 20."

Chase had a time of 18:44.8 on the 5,000-meter (3.1-mile) course. Fluck finished in 19:15.2.

Fluck finished second in the first league cluster meet but battled illness afterwards and had limited training. "He gave me everything," Arias said.

Phillips was also battling an illness which limited his training. His time Nov. 13 was 19:29.9. "I wasn't expecting his best day to happen," Arias said.

The 20th-place finisher, Valley Center freshman Dylan Lopez, completed the course in 19:28.4. Huntington also had less than desirable training throughout the year, including the summer, due to a foot injury. Huntington's time at the league meet was 19:31.7.

"I'm looking forward to all these guys being healthy," Arias said.

Ixta completed the course in 20:25.9. Wilson took 21:53.4. MacMillan crossed the finish line 23:29.9 after the start of the race.