On Saturday, the Fillmore boys and girls Varsity cross country teams traveled to Riverside. There they competed on the same course they will run on for both the CIF Division 4 Southern Section Prelims and Finals. The fairly flat Course is 3.0 miles and is run on an abandoned golf course (dry, dusty, not green). Fillmore athletes competed against 33 other teams.

Seven girls toed the line at 10:15 a.m. in the Division 2 race. Under hot, dusty, and dry conditions, Nicole Gonzalez was the top finisher for the Flashes running to a 105th place finish in a time of 22:11.6. She was followed by Angelica Herrera 115th in 22:41.3, Alianna Tapia 121st in23:00.9, Jasmine Vegas 127th in 23:10.3, Syenna Ponce 133rd in 23:30.2, Lorena Perez 136th in 24:12, and Giselle Perez 140th in 25:03.8.

The seven Varsity boys toed the line 15 minutes later under similar conditions. Davis Flores led the Fillmore contingent running to 26th place in 16:09.7. He was followed by Fabian Del Villar 28th in 16:12.1, Erick Gutierrez 38th in 16:18.9, Michael Camilo Torres 56th in 16:39, Alex Manzo 62nd 16:42.8, Jesse Martinez 63rd in 16:43.3 and Rey Laureano 68th in 16:50.9. The top five scorers were separated by 33.1 seconds and finished sixth in the team competition. Medal winners were Davis Flores, Fabian Del Villar, and Erick Gutierrez.

Fillmore also ran in the boys Junior Varsity Race and was led by race winner Jesse De La Cruz. Jesse captured first place in a winning time of 16:39.3. He was followed by Matthew Munoz 6th in 17:33.4, Dave Bustos 14th in 17:53.6, James Flores 25th in 18:12.3, Juan Carlos Laureano 32nd in 18:20 and Andres Gonzalez 88th in 19:52.2. This was the best finish for a Fillmore team, as they captured the team title, and in the process outran 18 other teams. Medal winners in this race were Jesse De La Cruz, Matthew Munoz, James Flores and Juan Carlos Laureano.

The Flashes teams will next compete on their home course at Elkins Golf Course on November 7th. This meet is scheduled to start at 3:30 P.M. The course is run over a mostly grass surface with some paved paths. There are two very challenging hills. This meet is the final Citrus Coast League Meet that will determine League Champions, Team Championships, and Varsity Teams that will represent our League at Division 4 SS CIF Finals. Come out and cheer for us.