Dos Pueblos boys cross country qualifies for State Championship

WALNUT, Calif. - The Dos Pueblos High School boys cross country team placed third at the CIF-Southern Section Division 2 Finals which earns them a spot in next weekend's CIF-State Championship in Clovis.

Eamon Gordon came in sixth place overall while Cullen Gully finished ninth to lead the Chargers.

Here is a team report provided from DP on the boys race:

The Chargers were led by Senior Eamon Gordon. The standout runner was always in close proximity to teammate Cullen Gully, and the two of them worked their way through the field throughout the race. At mile one, Eamon and Cullen were 24th and 30th respectively. By the end, they had moved up to 6th and 9th. In doing so, they boosted their team's scores tremendously. We were placed 9th at mile one and ended in 3rd, showing the grit and determination that runs deep throughout our team. And they weren't alone.

Our third and fourth runners were Owen and Phil, in 29th and 30th place. But, they didn't start that far up. Owen moved up from 47th, while Phil was 67th! This type of patient racing gave us a lot of forward momentum as the racing moved from early excitement to late in the race "lay it on the line" drive and determination, as Coach Smedley put it. Owen must have known that Phil was right in his shadow, or he'd have fallen victim to the wild sprint speed Phil is known for at the end of any race. The two made our third place finish possible.

In our fifth and final scoring position, Oliver improved 45 seconds over last weekend's Prelim qualifying race. He moved up one place from start to finish, which was just enough to secure our final team standing. With just a two point edge over 4th place Saugus, his contributions to the team meant we leave with our best finish ever (as far back as accessible records indicate).

In our 6th and 7th positions, Captains Andy Brennan and Ashton Smedley finished in 85th and 89th respectively. Andy took a conservative start and passed 20 runners en route to his in the exact same position he held last season when Mt. SAC held the championship on their rain course. Ashton inched his way up through the field and improved his placing by one position. From the season's start to finish, these standout student-athletes served as strong leaders and will have forever made an impact on our program. While I'm sad to lose Andy to graduation in June, I'm excited to see what he does in Track season. We'll be putting the Mt. SAC Relays on our Track & Field schedule for this coming season so we can return to this excellent facility.

DP's Coaching Staff is proud of the kids for racing their with great determination and purpose. They reminded me that we have 10 guys in contention for racing next weekend at the State Championship. We'll see who looks ready to go at practice next week, and put our best team forward after Thanksgiving. For DPHS, it's a great day. And for me, I'm grateful to get to work with such incredibly driven young people and adults. It makes DP the place to be.

Meanwhile the DP girls cross country team finished 12th out of 15 teams in Division 2 to end their season.