By Katie Ngo
On Saturday, Nov. 2, the Fountain Valley High School (FVHS) cross-country teams raced in the Sunset League Finals. The FVHS teams were able to advance to CIF, with the boys’ varsity team placing second and the girls’ varsity team placing third.
The Sunset League consists of the seven local highschools: Corona del Mar, Edison, Fountain Valley, Huntington Beach, Los Alamitos, Marina and Newport Harbor High Schools. Only the top four varsity teams can advance to CIF Prelims, creating a heart-pumping atmosphere and strong competition from start to finish.
“It was kind of stressful, but at the same time, I was really excited,” sophomore Kimberly Vu said. “This is the last race of the season, and it’s for us to make it to CIF.”
The girls’ varsity team started their three-mile race at 9:00 a.m., speeding through Huntington Beach Central Park’s mix of bumpy terrain, cement and a single hill. The overcast clouds and slight chill made it the perfect running weather.
Senior Aya Roque led the Barons all the way to the finish line, finishing in sixth place, with an overall time of 18:41. Freshman Teagan Bradshaw managed to get 14th place, with a time of 19:34.
The girls’ varsity team as a whole received 100 points, beating Los Alamitos High School by just one point. The victory came with joyous excitement, as this year the team lost many seniors.
“Last year, we’re thinking, we’re not even gonna probably get a sixth or seventh place at league,” Stacy Ferris, the girls’ cross country team coach, said. “The fact that they got third, I could not be more happy and proud of them.”
Following just after, the boys’ varsity team began their race at 9:30 a.m. Senior Ethan Kwong finished strong, securing third place with a time of 15:34. Junior Ulysses Rios was hot on his heels with a time of 15:59, achieving sixth place.
Unlike with the girls’ team, the boys had no doubts in their abilities.
“We came with confidence because we had the idea that we’re probably gonna make CIF anyways,” Rios said.
Their races showed that their confidence was not unfounded. Mirroring the girls’ team, they beat Edison by a singular point.
“All seven of them did well because we only beat Edison by one point,” boys’ cross country coach Steven Knowles said. “That means everybody had to beat a guy in order to do that. So the whole team, in general, did great.”
The Sunset League Finals marks the end in many ways. It’s the end of the season for the rest of the team.
However, the Barons have set their sights on at least one more race: CIF Prelims. Both the girls and boys varsity teams will be at Mount San Antonio College on November 15 and November 16.
