Royal boys unbeaten, girls fall to ranked Zillah in cross country
As usual, the Royal boys run in a pack. Early in the third round, Victor Garcia, Silver Beltran, Rudy Flores, Cristian Garcia, Victor Santillan, and Eduardo Rodriguez, Royal's lead group, prepare to make their final charge.
Usually a frontrunner, Kay Lester of Royal trails Madison Elizondo of Zillah, with Elizabeth Guadarrama (Royal) in the background as they run early in the third lap. She finished fourth. Guadarrama took 10th.
ROYAL CITY — The Royal boys remained unbeaten, but the Zillah girls outran Royal in the Zillah-Royal showdown in cross country at a race at the Royal Golf Course last week.
The Royal boys scored 28 points to defeat Zillah, with 59, Cle Elum, with 98, and Wahluke, with 107. Zillah’s girls scored 18 to Royal’s 41 and Wahluke’s 73.
Both Royal teams will conclude the SCAC season at Connell this Thursday against Connell and Kiona-Benton. They are expected to win, but it won’t be easy, especially for the boys.
The Connell boys team is probably the 3rd best team in the league. So we will definitely have to show up ready to race well against them,” coach Ben Orth said.
However, the girls might be somewhat challenged. Lead runner Kay Lester, a sophomore has a nagging knee problem that flared up against Zillah.
“I should have finished at least third,” she said.
Lester was okay for the first two laps. The problem occurred on the final lap, and she could not make her usual final push to move up.
It’s certain she would not have won the race. Zillah senior Alexis Redfield shot out like a canon. You couldn’t see the second girl when she crossed the finish in 19:12. Kalen Johnson of Zillah was second in 19:44, and Madison Elizondo of Zillah took third in 20:39.
Lester, who gave all the kick she could muster, finished in 20:41. Other girls from Royal in the top 10 were: 6. Gracelynn Miller, 9. Abigail Delay, and 10. Elizabeth Guadarrama.
Guadarrama said most of the Royal girls did not run their best. She could not pinpoint the problem, but she conceded the Knights “felt the pressure of going up against a state-rated team.” Zillah has been rated as high as No. 2.
The Royal boys didn’t have it easy, but they were never seriously challenged by Zillah. The leaders of the team ran around the course twice in an easy-going pack then came on in the third lap to take six of the top 10 spots.
But like Lester, boys leader Victor Garcia had no chance to win the race. College Place, a new high school, didn’t have much of a team, but it had a rabbit.
Kenneth Rooks went around the course in 16:16. He pulled away at the start like the road runner does from Wyle E. Coyote.
Garcia was Royal’s first placer. He came in third in 17:37, six seconds behind steady-running Eduardo Valdenea of Wahluke.
Other top 10 placers for Royal were: 4. Rodolfo Flores, 5. Silver Beltran, 9 Cristian Garcia and 10. Eduardo Rodriguez.