Claremont High School cross country completed their very successful season with double fourth-place finishes in the California State Championships on Saturday in Fresno.

Claremont was expected to do well; after sweeping the Palomares League they went full- force into the post-season meets, culminating in a third place for the girls and fifth for the boys at the CIF Southern Section finals.

It was hot and windy for the CIF Finals at Mt. Sac so few runners posted good times. But the girls podium appearance was an improvement of four places from last year. The boys found themselves in a very competitive field, with only 16 points separating the Pack from second place and a single point kept them out of fourth.

Kiana Cavanaugh had the top girls time at 19:01, while the top boys time was Tab Backman at 16:01.

The Pack’s strong showing earned both teams a trip to the state finals at Woodward Park where the conditions were more favorable to top times. The course was a mixture of grass and pavement with some rolling hills and temperatures were in the 50s, an ideal situation, according to Coach Bill Reeves.

“The girls got a school record on the course and every boy got a personal record,” he said.

The girls race was so close that it came down to a tie- breaker. “We had the best season in Claremont cross country history,” said Coach Reeves. “Coming in one spot off the podium [at the state meet] gives us something to shoot for.”

The accolades continued Wednesday when the girls earned Team of the Year at the San Gabriel Valley Cross Country Awards. Coach Reeves was named Girls Coach of the Year, and all seven varsity girls and four boys were named to the San Gabriel Valley First Team.

Next season looks to be another great one for Claremont, with several key runners returning. Junior Ryan Renken will undoubtedly be one of the top-ranked boys as he consistently ran mere seconds behind older runners this year. Almost the entire girls team will be returning, including juniors Annie Boos and Janelle Baeskens as well as sophomores Alyssa Cantrell and Tess Rounds. 

CHS WEEKLY ROUNDUP

BOYS BASKETBALL

Claremont High School boys basketball won their non-conference game against Canyon Springs, 80-54, on Tuesday in Moreno Valley.

Junior Tyler Fraser scored a game-high 23 points, including four three-point plays. Senior Harlan Maass had 18 points including six three-pointers, while Kyle Scalmanini had 12 points.

On Saturday, the Pack defeated Northview, 79-35 in another non-conference matchup. Scalmanini had 22 points and an amazing 90 percent field goal percentage. Maass had 14 points, junior Davis Haley had 10 and junior Sammy Yagoda had nine. Claremont’s record is 2-0.

GIRLS BASKETBALL

Claremont won their non-conference away game against Pomona on Tuesday, 48-41. No stats were available. The Pack is on a bit of an early winning streak, also defeating Jurupa Hills, 58-33, on Saturday and Sultana, 51-42, on Friday. Their record is now 5-1.

GIRLS WATER POLO

Claremont lost their season opener to Etiwanda, 15-8, on Tuesday in Rancho Cucamonga.

FOOTBALL

Claremont offensive lineman Conner Tolliver has been named to the US Under-18 National Team and will compete against Canada in the 2015 International Bowl at AT&T Stadium, home of the Dallas Cowboys. Tolliver is one of 56 athletes to be selected for this honor to represent Team USA in the sport’s greatest annual international competition, according to a news release from USA Football.

The 2016 International Bowl is a collaboration of the sport’s national governing bodies in each country—USA Football and Football Canada—featuring top student-athletes.

—Steven Felschundneff

steven@claremont-courier.com