Warrior boys fourth in cross country league opener

Fallbrook High School’s boys cross country team began Valley League competition Sept. 30 with a fourth-place result at the league cluster meet at Kit Carson Park in Escondido.

“It went really, really well,” said Fallbrook head coach Marco Arias.

Team scores utilize the positions of a school’s first five finishers; the sixth and seventh runners are not scored but can add points to opponents’ totals. San Pasqual’s boys won the meet with 47 points. Mission Hills had 66 points for second place. Ramona was third with 69 points. Fallbrook accumulated 73 points. Valley Center had the fifth-place score of 111 points. Escondido had 153 points to place sixth.

“We were four points away from third and seven points away from second,” Arias said. “I think we’re in a position to make that push for the number two spot.”

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. The second league cluster meet will take place Oct. 14 at Guajome Park and the league championship meet will be held Nov. 3 at Kit Carson Park.

Only one of Fallbrook’s five scored runners had previously competed at a league cluster meet. “Everybody else was new,” Arias said.

Mission Hills junior Joel Ras was the top individual finisher and won the race in 17:01.1. Ramona senior Ryan Pilar had the second-place time of 17:36.5. Mission Hills sophomore Liam Beighley was third at 17:50.1. Fallbrook junior Jose Rivera finished fourth with a time of 18:00.7.

“I think he can actually end up being in the top three. I think he can make that move up,” Arias said of Rivera. “He just keeps getting stronger and stronger.”

Fallbrook’s second finisher, sophomore Jaden Herrera, was 13th overall and had a time of 18:51.7. Herrera finished less than a second and a half behind two San Pasqual runners. “He went out a little cautiously,” Arias said.

A time of 18:56.4 gave sophomore Timothy Rouse 16th place. The 18th-place time of 19:08.3 was posted by sophomore Connor MacMillan, who was on the varsity last year.

Fallbrook’s next two finishers, senior Tyler Dudley and junior Braden West, finished next to each other. Dudley became the 22nd finisher 19:25.2 after the race began and West had the 23rd-place time of 19:26.3. Fallbrook’s seventh finisher, sophomore Daniel Wilson, was 32nd overall with a time of 19:59.3.

Four Fallbrook boys competed in the junior varsity race. The fastest of those, junior Abiezer Moreno, placed 16th and had a time of 21:53.5.