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Today's SCL race highly anticipated
If the weather is unseasonably warm and cold and flu season hasn't yet hit, 
then it must not be time for cross country's postseason. But it is. 

By Rich Rupprecht


One of the most anticipated races in these parts is the girls' varsity race in the 
Sonoma County League championships taking place this afternoon at Spring Lake.

Healdsburg senior Sarah Sumpter, who has been running some of the top times in the 
state and won a Division IV race at prestigious Mount San Antonio College, is going 
head-to-head against Casa Grande sophomore Jacque Taylor. Taylor also ran well at 
Mount SAC and last year won the SCL meet with the sixth-fastest time ever at Spring 
Lake. Taylor was also an NCS champ.

The girls' race begins at 3:30 p.m. at the boat dock. Casa Grande, also with sophomore 
Dominique Ratto running well, is the team favorite.

The SCL boys' race should have a purple tint to it, as in the Petaluma Trojans.

Last year Petaluma posted a perfect score of 15, with the top-five finishers. The 
Trojans could certainly repeat that feat.

Already, Petaluma set a new boys' team record of 79:16 at Spring Lake, and Petaluma's 
top five -- Sterling and Devin Lockert, Brandon Felipe, Cole Yungert and Hugh Dowdy -- 
will be going after that mark.

Petaluma, defending NCS Division II champs, is the top-rated team in any division in 
Northern California, is No. 1 ranked in Division II in NCS and ranked third in the state 
in Division III behind Loyola of Los Angeles and Newport Harbor. Coach Jim Lynch 
believes the Trojans have a legitimate shot at winning the first ever state championship 
by an Empire boys' team.

The North Bay League cross country championships are Friday at Spring Lake with the 
varsity girls' race at 3:15 p.m. and varsity boys' race at 3:45 p.m.

The Maria Carrillo girls and boys lead the NBL after regular season league meets. The 
Puma girls, led by sophomore twins Lauren and Cara Curtin are ranked No. 2 in Division 
III in NCS and the boys, led by seniors Nathan Huckeba and Alex Hartz are ranked No. 3 
in NCS.

Montgomery's Celeste Berg and Santa Rosa's Alicia Leuth are also considered among race 
favorites as is Cardinal Newman's Joe Withers.

The Coastal Mountain Conference, featuring Willits' Kenny Smith, takes over Spring Lake 
on Thursday for its meet. The NCS meet is at Hayward High on Nov. 17.

Moving on

Montgomery volleyball player Corrine Rich has received an academic scholarship to attend 
the University of Pennsylvania next fall.

NBL soccer meeting

An open-to-the-public meeting, which includes a vote of all eight North Bay League 
principals on whether to change next year's NBL soccer season to winter or keep it in the 
fall, has been set for Nov. 27 at 3:30 p.m. at the Santa Rosa High Auditorium.

You can reach Staff Writer Rich Rupprecht at 521-5275 or rich. rupprecht@pressdemocrat.com. 

 

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