As a driven, tight-knit unit, the five runners who comprise the nucleus of Scotts Valley High’s boys’ cross country team resemble a high-powered internal combustion engine.
Individually, each of the five – senior Mitchell Ross, his twin brother Logan, junior Patrick Goodrich, and sophomores Jeremy Kain and Austin George – is like a piston, injecting fuel into the engine’s chamber and stoking the fire that powers the engine.
“We’re all super-competitive,” Mitchell Ross said. “There’s a lot of friendly competition between us on our squad – we all look at (cross country) as a team sport for sure, but we all want to be No. 1. We really work off each other and push each other in workouts.”
Collectively, the quintet aims to propel the Falcons to even greater heights than they reached last season: Scotts Valley captured the Santa Cruz County Athletic League crown and placed second in Central Coast Section Division IV en route to finishing seventh in Division IV at the California Interscholastic Federation meet.
Given that all five runners except George were in Scotts Valley’s top seven last season, the Falcons have even higher expectations for 2019: According to the website PrepCalTrack.com, Scotts Valley enters the season ranked 53rd in the state overall and No. 2 among Division IV teams – above even the CCS’s reigning division champion, King City.
“We should challenge for a CCS banner against King City,” Kain said. “Last year they ended up getting it from us by a pretty marginal amount. If we train correctly and stay healthy, we should be able to beat them this year.”
Mitchell Ross and Kain are the literal front-runners for Scotts Valley’s No. 1 spot. Respectively, they placed second and third at last year’s SCCAL finals, 15th and 20th at CCS, and 44th and 64th at state.
“All last year, I wanted to beat him,” Kain said. “I still want to beat him.”
Kain finally did — albeit not in a meet — when the Falcons held a two-mile challenge on their school track during the first week of practice: The sophomore caught and surpassed Ross in the final 600 meters, thereby heating up the competition for top-runner status.
Ross actually welcomes the challenge that Kain presents.
“It’s always great to have him battle it out with me for No. 1,” Ross said. “Having someone nip at my heels makes me work a lot harder.”
Ross and Kain are runners with complementary styles as well as a strong bond, according to Scotts Valley coach Gretchen Schmitt.
“Mitch is extremely mentally tough and very strong – he can go a long way at a very good pace,” Schmitt said. “He helps Jeremy push his hardest the entire race.
“Jeremy has a tremendous amount of leg speed. He has an amazing kick – he pulls Mitch at the end. They each do better than they would individually because they have each other.”
Logan Ross and Goodrich were also part of last year’s team. While not as fast as his brother, Logan Ross performed well enough to earn a spot on the SCCAL’s second team and finished just one spot – and roughly two seconds – behind Mitchell Ross at the CCS meet.
Scotts Valley did lose two key members of last year’s squad, Darren Mudge and Rishi Chandiramani, to graduation. Another, Lukas Berg-Mills, is no longer at the school, according to Schmitt.
This left the Falcons in search of a fifth runner who could finish close enough behind the Rosses, Kain and Goodrich to make them fast as a team. So far, George has fit the bill.
That’s not to mention sophomores Evan Granados, Ryder Brabo and Drew Bryson, who are all vying for the No. 6 and 7 spots and give Scotts Valley a depth that makes them even more formidable.
“We’ve got five sophomores who all run under 5:45 in the mile,” Kain said. “We’ve got so many talented people, and we’re all able to push each other.”
While other teams throughout the SCCAL have individual standouts returning, none has as many as Scotts Valley.
Soquel boasts junior Eli Ainsworth, who advanced to the state meet by placing fifth in CCS D-III with a time of 16:56.4. Joining him are senior Javi Jenkins-Sorensen, the Knights’ captain, and junior Gavin Gasparotti, who competed in cross country as a freshman but took a season off to play football last year.
San Lorenzo Valley’s top returning runners are sophomore Cash Ebright and junior Corey Nounnan, who respectively placed 23rd and 27th at last year’s CCS finals. Nounnan also earned SCCAL first-team honors by placing seventh at the league meet.
Returning for Harbor is junior Jack Michaelis, who earned an at-large berth in the CCS Division IV meet as the third-fastest runner who didn’t advance with his team from the SCCAL meet. He performed well alongside the section’s best in his division, placing 26th.
Pirates coach Jaime Madrigal expects even bigger things from Michaelis in 2019.
“He’s had a heck of an offseason,” Madrigal said. “He’s brought his mileage up and he’s come in quicker. We’re going to lean on him the rest of the year.”
Harbor is also looking for strong performances from senior Kian Toohey, the team captain, and sophomore Joseph Hibbard.
Back for Aptos is junior Ben Laughlin, who finished 11th at last year’s SCCAL meet and placed 18th in CCS D-III. Also returning are senior Anton Jackson and junior John Eikemeyer, who didn’t compete in cross country last season but did post the SCCAL’s fourth-fastest 3,200-meter time during track season last spring.
Freshman Chase Jacques-Maynes is already challenging for a spot on the Mariners’ varsity squad.
“You don’t expect too much from a freshman,” Aptos coach Dan Gruber said. “It’s nice to see.”
Santa Cruz’s top returning runner is senior Raymond Brookman, a relative newcomer to cross country who competed for the first time last year. His initial season was “nothing spectacular,” according to Cardinals coach Greg Brock, but during track season last spring, he showed rapid improvement in the mile, dropping nearly 30 seconds off his mile time – from 5:02 to 4:35 – in less than a week.
“He could be the wild-card in our league,” Brock said.
Also returning for Santa Cruz is junior Hunter Kelly, who played water polo in addition to running cross country last season but is focused on one sport this year. Freshman Jim Ratliff, whose older sister Kate won an individual state title in 2014, is expected to contribute immediately.
Rounding out the SCCAL is Mount Madonna, which will be led by juniors Sammy Caudill, Oliver Messinger and Ronan Lee. Freshmen Sam Kaplan and Jacoab Sirk-Trough will be expected to contribute for the Hawks, who need them to field a full team.
Pacific Coast Athletic League
Mission Division: Monte Vista Christian leaped up two divisions after winning the title in the fourth-tier Santa Lucia Division last season.
With several of his top runners returning, Mustangs coach Michael Lanham is confident his team will be just as competitive, even though MVC will be facing much tougher teams.
“I looked at our competition, and we’re right alongside every school around there,” Lanham said. “It’s going to be very competitive.”
Juniors Justin Lomeli and Andrew Bachman and senior Jin-Hao Wang all placed among the Santa Lucia’s top five last season, earning all-division honors. Senior Jordan Ohlava and junior Alex Becerra also return for MVC.
Freshmen James Ponzio and Dominic Ursino and sophomore Michael Martin give the Mustangs some much-needed depth.
For Watsonville, Miguel Leon is looking to come back strong after battling injuries during both the cross country and track seasons, while fellow senior Damian Rivas “put in a lot of good mileage this summer,” said Wildcatz coach Rob Cornett.
Junior Domingo Martinez and sophomore Sebastian Abonce should also be key factors for the Wildcatz this season.
Cypress Division: Pacific Collegiate boasts a returning state meet qualifier in junior Connor Spangrud, who placed 12th in CCS D-V last year.
“He’s clearly going to be a contributor for us,” Pumas coach Charles Koontz said.
PCS has another solid junior in Brigham Aldrich, whom Koontz calls “a workhorse who’s put in a ton of work and gotten steadily faster over two seasons.” Senior co-captains Miles Vonell and Taegan Dunton also return, and the Pumas should get a life from SLV transfer Gregor McDonald once he becomes eligible.
St. Francis, meanwhile, has a potential rising star in Julian Vargas. The sophomore logged roughly 500 miles during the summer, many of them with Santa Cruz alumni Mari Friedman and Anaya Ward, women who run for NCAA Division I schools – Oregon State and UC Davis, respectively.
“(He) incessantly picked their brains,” St. Francis coach Ramona Young said. “He continues to be a student of the sport and is like a foal who is learning how to train.”
Vargas’ work has already paid off: He’s dropped nearly two minutes off his best time from last season.
Also back for the Sharks are team captain Patrick McCarthy and fellow seniors Paul Kane and Matthew Kasinsky. Freshmen Diego Rodriguez, Christian Magana and Santiago Ramirez should also contribute to the Sharks’ success.
Santa Lucia Division: With just five runners, Pajaro Valley has just enough to field a full team. The Grizzlies will be led by senior Bernie Mora, though freshman Ignacio Aguedo has already come on strong.
Kirby Prep is led by two returning seniors, Elijah Stone and Asa Becker. Sophomore Gabe Ravanello should also contribute to the Griffins’ success this season.
IF YOU GO
Thursday’s meets
SLV, Aptos at Scotts Valley: 4 p.m.
Harbor, Santa Cruz, Mount Madonna at Soquel: 4 p.m.
Cross-Town Classic: Boys, 4:10 p.m., Girls, 4:40 p.m. Wilder Ranch State Park
ONES TO WATCH
Mitchell Ross, Scotts Valley, Sr.: The Falcons’ top returning runner placed second at the SCCAL finals, 15th at the Central Coast Section Division IV meet and 44th at state.
Logan Ross, Scotts Valley, Sr.: Though not as fast as his twin brother Mitchell, he did place one spot behind him at last year’s CCS meet.
Jeremy Kain, Scotts Valley, So.: After placing third at the SCCAL finals and 20th at CCS, he’s challenging Mitchell Ross for the Falcons’ top spot.
Austin George, Scotts Valley, So.: The Falcons already had a solid core four; he gives them a “good, tight top five,” coach Gretchen Schmitt said.
Eli Ainsworth, Soquel, Jr.: The Knights’ standout came in sixth at the SCCAL finals, then qualified for the state meet by placing fifth in CCS Division III.
Corey Nounnan, San Lorenzo Valley, Jr.: The Cougars’ top returning runner, he placed seventh at last year’s SCCAL meet and among the top 30 at the CCS finals.
Jack Michaelis, Harbor, Jr.: A wild-card qualifier for the CCS Division IV meet, he finished in the top 30 and is looking to return this season.
Connor Spangrud, Pacific Collegiate, Jr.: An at-large qualifier for the state Division V meet in 2018, he’ll be a major contributor to the Pumas’ success.
Ben Laughlin, Aptos, Jr.: The Mariners’ top returning runner came in 18th in CCS Division III after placing 11th at the SCCAL meet.
Julian Vargas, St. Francis, So.: A student of the sport, he logged 500 miles over the summer while training with collegiate runners Mari Friedman and Anaya Ward.
— Ray Hacke
