Bonsall girls fifth, boys ninth at conference cross country championship meet

Joe Naiman

Village News Reporter

Bonsall High School’s girls placed fifth as a team at the Frontier Conference cross country championship meet Nov. 3 on the NTC Park at Liberty Station course in San Diego while the Legionnaires’ boys were ninth.

“It went great,” said Bonsall head coach Manuel Ramirez. “We were happy with the results.”

The Frontier Conference includes the Patriot League, the Pioneer League, and the Summit League. Four cluster meets involving all participating conference teams preceded the league championship meet which determined league champions. The league championship meet had 19 schools, although only 11 boys teams and seven girls teams had the minimum five runners for a team score.

All league cluster meets as well as the championship meet were at NTC Park, whose name reflects the site's former use as the Naval Training Center, on a 5,000-meter (3.1-mile) course. Bonsall’s boys placed fourth Sept. 7, had only four boys Sept. 21, were eighth Oct. 5, and took third Oct. 19. The second meet included a 14th-place result by Bonsall freshman Brady Cornish for the Legionnaires’ highest individual boys finish during conference competition.

The Sept. 7 girls race included a 14th-place time for Bonsall sophomore Ayla Nicknom, although the Legionnaires had only three other runners and were not scored as a team. Bonsall’s girls placed third Sept. 21 with Nicknom improving her position to 12th place. The Legionnaires were fourth in the Oct. 5 girls competition but had only four runners Oct. 19.

Cross country team scores are derived from the positions of a school’s first five finishers; the sixth and seventh runners are not scored but can add points to another school’s total. The Liberty Charter girls won the conference championship meet with 40 points. Victory Christian Academy placed fourth with 127 points. Bonsall accumulated 129 points. The score of sixth-place The O’Farrell Charter School was 131 points.

“I’m really proud of them. They definitely put in hard work, dedication,” Ramirez said.

Nicknom finished 21st with a time of 25:08.8. “She’s really putting in hard work,” Ramirez said. “She’s getting into the sport.”

The 23rd-place time of senior Alayna Walters was 25:41.8. Bonsall’s other three runners in the girls race are all juniors: Samantha Kylestewa took 34th place with a time of 25:56.9, Krislynn Pollard completed the course in 30:42.5 for 65th place, and Mary Ramirez became the 66th finisher 30:50.8 after the race began.

Last year, Walters, Ramirez, and Kylestewa were the only three Bonsall girls in the league championship race. The 25:40.9 posted by Walters gave her 33rd place, Ramirez was the 49th finisher and had a time of 27:12.3, and Kylestewa had the 56th-place time of 28:19.3.

Liberty Charter’s boys had the winning score of 23 points. Monarch Academy accumulated 191 points for eighth place, Bonsall scored 207 points, and Gompers Preparatory Academy had the10th-place total of 277 points.

“I’m satisfied with the results,” Ramirez said.

Bonsall’s boys were eighth as a team last year with the Duke brothers accounting for the Legionnaires’ two highest finishes. This year, junior Devin Duke was 35th with a time of 20:02.8 and senior Brayden Duke finished in 20:13.8 for 37th place. Last year, Devin Duke was 31st and had a time of 19:47.6 while Devin Duke placed 36th and finished in 20:09.2. Devin Duke ran the league championship meet junior varsity race as a freshman and had a time of 22:55.8.

Bonsall senior Nathan Winebrenner finished this year’s league championship meet race in 21:24.3 for 52nd place. A time of 22:09.0 gave junior Jason Martinez 56th; last year Martinez had the 49th-place time of 21:23.0. Cornish was 62nd this year and his time was 22:38.7.