Runners of the Week 1 and Up Coming Schedule of Races

RUNNERS OF WEEK 1
This is something that I am going to try this season. I am going to pick one male and one female runners to recognize based on their accomplishments during the prior week.

MARIA VARELA (Turlock) 12th--Maria won the Turlock v Pitman scrimmage. She improved her time from the previous year from 21:17 to 19:51. Additionally she was the fastest StanCo female finisher at the Running of the Warriors (5K) 19:49.

Moises Benavides photo credit: Greg Beliera

MOISES BENAVIDES (Downey) 11th--Moises steps into the big time of the SJS competitors by placing 6th at the Lodi Flame 5K  in the Varsity Boys' Division. His time was the fastest 3mi or 5K turned in this week by a StanCo athlete in a spate of races over ridiculously flat courses


Honorable Mentions this week: Ben Miller (Oakdale) won their Red-Yellow Intrasquad Meet; Abigayle Mitchell and Josue Esquivel both won their respective races in Hughson's Black and Gold Intrasquad Meet; Eric Alvarez (Turlock) won the Turlock v Pitman scrimmage; David Bosquez (Turlock) won the Running of the Warriors and placed 2nd in the Turlock v Pitman Scrimmage


UP COMING SCHEDULE OF RACES
I am also going to try and keep a running list of upcoming races and what teams are scheduled to compete in those races. Please always feel free to contact me if I have missed something (admittedly I am not all knowing).

Thur 9/1--Jaguar Invitational (Eagal Lake, Tracy) competing StanCo teams: Oakdale, Beyer, Orestimba, Pitman, Turlock, Turlock Christian. What am I looking for? The comparison of the VOL Oakdale boys v the CCC Pitman and Turlock boys. Also how does MMC Andrew Anderson (Beyer) fit in against Ben Miller (Oakdale) and Eric Alvarez and David Bosquez (Turlock). Additionally, how does Karina Prado (Oakdale) fair against Maria Varela (Turlock). It is a dusty, winding, narrow, spectator unfriendly course.

Fri 9/2--Nature's Bakery Reno Twilight Invitational (Sparks, Nevada) competing StanCo teams: Hughson. What am I looking for? Hughson has lofty expectations and this will be their first chance to compete against anyone (other than themselves) over a full distance course.

Sat 9/3--Thunder 2mi (Buhach HS, Atwater) competing StanCo teams: Central Valley.

Wed 9/7--TVL 1 (Legion Park, Modesto) competing StanCo teams: Hughson, Riverbank, Orestimba, Waterford). What am I looking for? Can the Hughson girls place five in the top 8, can the boys put 5 in the top 10...they should both take the team  wins.

Sat 9/10--Sierra Invitational (Legion Park, Modesto) competing StanCo teams: Riverbank, Modesto, Central Catholic, Central Valley, Ceres, Pitman, Turlock, Waterford, Oakdale, Johansen. What am I looking for? Modesto never runs their top 7 here so I am looking for the same things as Jaguar Inv the week before.

Sat 9/10--Lowell Invitational (Golden Gate Park, San Francisco) competing StanCo teams: Gregori, Grace Davis, Hughson, and Beyer. What am I looking for? The comparison of the Hughson and Gregori boys' and girls' teams both ranked highly in my preseason poll. This is one of the few times to directly compare a MMC and a TVL program over the same course on the same day.