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By DEWEY FORGET THE PRESS DEMOCRAT Maria Carrillo cross country coach Greg Fogg has some very big shoes to fill. Fogg took over the ultra-successful Pumas' program when long-time coach Danny Aldridge retired this year. Aldridge is attributed with building the Puma's cross-country team into a formidable presence in the North Bay League, North Coast Section and the state meets. The transition seems to be going quite well, thank you very much. The Pumas continued their NBL dominance Friday at Spring Lake, winning the boy's and girls' league championships, their fifth consecutive. The Pumas boys (29), ran first, fourth and fifth, to propel them to what appeared to be an easy win. Santa Rosa (59) was second, Montgomery (66) third, followed by Ukiah , Cardinal Newman, Rancho Cotate, Piner and Elsie Allen. Carrillo's Nathan Huckeba was the boys' individual gold-medal winner in a time of 15:33 over the 3.05 course. Joe Withers (Cardinal Newman) was second in 15:37, followed by Ukiah sophomore Andrew Zellman (15:38). Grant Williams of Carrillo was fourth, just ahead of teammate Alex Hartz. If there was any pressure on Fogg, to carry on what has become a legacy of winning at Carrillo, it wasn't evident. "We actually wear the same size shoe," Fogg said. "It's all about the environment here. Danny and I are a lot alike, I guess that's because I worked with him for four years. "We try to keep the kids relaxed. Right now both teams are so giddy it's hard to keep them contained. We are trying to hold them back" I'm OK with running good, but we want to peak at NCS and state." At the start of the boys' race, it resembled a cavalry charge across the meadow and onto the blacktop in front of the lake. But, at the one-mile mark, Huckeba had established a clear advantage over Withers. Huckeba extended his lead with one mile remaining, and sprinted home in complete control. Williams had one of his best races of the season, running a personal-best 15:45. "I'm very excited," he said. Our team as a whole was great." Sophomore twins Lauren and Cara Curtin led the Pumas girls. Lauren won the gold in 18:24, while Cara crossed the finish line second in 18:41. Montgomery's Celeste Berg was third, Jordan Davis (Carrillo) fourth, and Julie Nacoazi (Montgomery) fifth. Team honors went to Carrillo (23), followed by Montgomery (49), Santa Rosa (65), and Ukiah. "I was a little nervous before the race," Lauren Curtin said. "When the gun went off, I calmed down. It's really great running with my sister, not everyone gets to do that. I'm excited about NCS, I've never ran in a big race like that. Cara said her sister, who is 19 minutes older, encourages her during the race. "When I fall behind, she yells "come on Cara', and I start to catch up." The NCS meet Saturday at Hayward High kicks off a grueling two week schedule. The state meet at Fresno's Woodward Park is one week later on November 17th. Carrillo boys and girls will be among the favorites in Division III. The boys are ranked No.3, and the girls third.
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