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Cohesive Puma girls finish first Despite fall, Maria Carrillo dominates, heads to state Sunday, November 21, 2004 By DEWEY FORGET THE PRESS DEMOCRAT HAYWARD - With only a few yards left in one of the most important races in her stellar career, Amy Robinson fell. The Maria Carrillo senior, physically spent, struggled to her feet and completed the race to finish third for Maria Carrillo in the North Coast Section Div. III championships at Hayward High on Saturday. It was a poignant scene and a courageous effort by the team captain and emotional leader of the Pumas, who are the No.1- ranked girls team in the state. Robinson, who led most of the way over the 3.0-mile course, before being passed in the final 200 yards by eventual winner Mo Huber of Acalanes and teammate Leanne Fogg, said the incident was "embarrassing." But it may become the definitive moment for the Pumas in what has become a magical year. Without a superstar, the Pumas are the ultimate team, rooting for each other and working together as a cohesive unit. Robinson's performance was representative of that spirit, according to Carrillo coach Danny Aldridge. "Amy ran a gutsy race. To go out that fast and take the lead. She just came up a little short." Aldridge said. The Pumas placed six runners in the first 13 places to capture the team title and qualify for the state meet Saturday at Woodward Park in Fresno. Miramonte and Campolindo, both state ranked as well, ran second and third, respectively. Kristen Sanzari was fourth for Carrillo; Jacqui Wentz 9th; Kristin Fladseth 11th; Jessica Chapman 13th and Tiffany Roberts 44th in the 97-runner field. It was a dominating performance by Carrillo, whose total team time was 1:32:42, an average of 18:32 a runner. "That was remarkable," Aldridge said. "To score that low in the NCS, they really went for it. We exceeded our expectations. We had five girls under 19:00, that's unheard of." The Carrillo boys' team, led by Alex Wolf-Root and Michael Brew, also advanced to state, finishing third behind Campolindo and Miramonte. Piner's Dawit Tesfasilassie qualified for state in Div. III, running third behind Jake Schmidt (Redwood) and Chris Vizcaino of Campolindo. Casa Grande's Mike Becker and Montgomery's Alex Conley - advanced to state in Div. II, and in boys' Div. IV, Brian Cole (St. Helena); Matt Machi (Healdsburg) and Mike Perez (Lower Lake) will be going to Fresno. Ashton LeSieur (Casa Grande), as expected, will make the trip to state with a third place finish in Div. II girls, along with Rancho Cotate's Shannon Rich and Taylor Parks (Petaluma). Santa Rosa Christian, led by Jeff Jackson, who ran second in Div. V in 16:31, moves on to state.
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