San Lorenzo Valley delivers team effort

The San Lorenzo Valley girls cross-country team will get a chance to defend its state title in two weeks after the Cougars won their third consecutive Central Coast Section championship Saturday. Even though their top runner, Stephanie Hamilton, finished eighth, the Cougars bettered six of the top 15 teams in the CCS and won the Division III team competition.

Presentation sophomore Melissa Grelli won the race in 17 minutes, 40 seconds, the 12th-fastest girls time at the Crystal Springs Course. Sacred Heart Cathedral junior Melissa Gallagher finished second at 17:41.

San Lorenzo Valley Coach Rob Collins had considered this to be a rebuilding season for the Cougars, who had three freshmen, three juniors and one senior on the course Saturday.

``Division III is the toughest division,'' Collins said. ``We had a shot at winning so we went for it. They are very team-oriented and still learning.''

In recent years, San Lorenzo Valley was led by Alejandra Barrientos, state champion in 1999. But Barrientos graduated last year and is now running for UCLA.

Raquel Barrientos, Alejandra's younger sister, said this season has been different for the Cougars.

``Everyone's more competitive and has put in a bigger effort,'' Raquel Barrientos said.

The top two boys and girls teams in each division advanced to the state meet Nov. 24 at Woodward Park in Fresno. (The Castilleja girls and York boys teams were the only Division V squads to qualify.) Five runners not on those top teams, provided they finished in the top 12, also qualified.

Aptos senior Brett Gotcher had at least a 50-yard lead throughout much of the Division I boys race and repeated as champion with a time of 14:56 -- 28 seconds off the fastest boys time on the course and 31 seconds ahead of second-place runner Patrick Hernandez of Hollister.

``My goal was to run away and hammer the course,'' Gotcher said.

Other winners Saturday included: