It was a historic day for Claremont High School cross country as the girl’s team captured the first CIF title in school history Saturday in Riverside.

The charge was lead once again by senior Annie Boos, who captured sixth place, with the entire squad cruising right behind, giving the Pack a nearly 50-point advantage over second-place Anaheim Canyon High School.

Boos said she deviated from her usual strategy by going straight to the front and trying to hold on, instead of her usual tactic of pacing herself until the end. It seemed to work as her time of 17:01 was a scant 11 seconds off the top place. Rising star sophomore Sydney Hwang was not far behind at 17:31, followed by Jax Heckers at 17:55.

“It’s so great, especially because it’s my senior year. It was just a great way to end,” said Boos during practice on Wednesday. “We wanted to prove we are a really good team.”

The boys team did very well too, claiming third place, missing out on second place by a mere two points or 5 seconds in combined team time.

Senior Owen Bishop placed second at 14:51, just three seconds behind Ayala’s Steven Khan. Senior Ryan Renken was 12th at 15:09, followed by sophomore Ryan Cowgill at 15:13.

“It was a good day and a frustrating day,” said Coach Bill Reeves.

“We were winning the race with our top four guys but my usual number-three guy, Anthony Lamar, has been ill for a week and a half. He usually runs with Ryan Cowgill and Jonah Evans. If he had been there with them we would have won. We were just battling illness.”

Lamar ran 40 seconds slower than his usual pace, equating to 40 places in a competitive CIF race, according to Coach Reeves.

The girls went over the race strategy in practice and ran it to perfection. Boos went out with the leaders and Hwang stayed in sight of Boos. Then came Heckers and the rest of the Pack. The course narrows the first 800 meters, so Coach Reeves told his team to get out front early.

“You don’t want to get stuck,” he said.

Bishop, Renken, Boos and Hwang were named to the All CIF Team for placing in the top 15 spots.

Next up is the state competition this Saturday at Woodward Park in Fresno.

“I think this week at state the girls have a really good shot at winning,” Coach Reeves said. We are a strong second-half team, and the course will suit us well too.”

The top two teams will qualify go to the nationals in Portland, and Coach Reeves believes this year his team has a shot.

—Steven Felschundneff

steven@claremont-courier.com

GIRLS VOLLEYBALL

Claremont High School girls volleyball season came to an end Tuesday night when they lost to Saint Josephs in the CIF State Playoffs Quarter Final match, 3-2. The girls went down fighting, however, taking the match all the way to a 13-16 tiebreaker. Top stats include Simone Bliss with 21 kills, Emilee Rohrer with 20 kills, Kylie Robinson with 29 assists and Merisa Marquez  23 assists.

—Steven Felschundneff

steven@claremont-courier.com