FAIRFIELD — Between the turkeys and the yams, two full Vacaville varsity teams and three local individuals are gearing up for Saturday’s California Interscholastic Federation cross-country meet at Woodward Park in Fresno.
It’s the pinnacle of racing for California high school trail runners. The 17 local athletes have high expectations for themselves after earning an extra two weeks to train after qualifying for the big event based on their strong performances in the Sac-Joaquin Section Finals in Folsom.
Rodriguez senior Kate Kimball is the only runner in the town of Fairfield. She will compete in Division II after finishing ninth in the section.
“She feels strong and confident and has really had a great two weeks,” Rodriguez head coach Isaac Diaz-Reyes said in an email. “As she told me in training, she’s nervous at the moment but thrilled to have the opportunity to show all the work she’s put in to get here.”
Vacaville High rookie Khloe Delatorre will join Kimball in the Division II race. Delatorre finished 13th overall in the section. The two will take the 3-mile course at 12:30 p.m.
Vacaville Christian junior Kara Krulick will compete among the girls in Division V at 9 a.m. She was seventh overall at the section meeting.
The Vacaville boys have advanced their full squad to Division II. Senior Donovan Cheruiyot was the section champion after running under 16 minutes (15:55.7). Junior Colton Walker was seventh, second Jackson Stream was eighth, junior Justus Hundley was 14th, junior Josiah Rowland was 18th, second James Rowland was 28th and senior Lorenzo Cilia closed the seven in 34th. The Bulldogs run at 11 a.m.
The Vacaville Christian Boys finished second in Division V and also have seven state runners. Freshman Gunner Lyon finished seventh in the sectional meet and was followed by second Apollo Adam in ninth, second Maverick Adam in 14th, senior Aaron Laxamana in 26th, senior Harrison Jones in 27th, second Lukas Donaldson in 40th and second Timothy Damon in 58th. Vacaville Christian leaves at 10:30 a.m.
The top three teams in each division win trophies. The top 10 individuals from each medal race.
