SRHS cross country team soars
By Hector Trujillo
The Scripps Ranch High School (SRHS) mens and womens cross country teams were crowned CIF-San Diego Section Division II champions at Morley Field on Nov. 16, which also qualified the teams for the CIF State meet on Nov. 30 held at Woodward Park in Fresno.
The SRHS womens team finished in the top 10 overall at the state competition with junior Jada Kim leading the team with a time of 18:34.
Kim was a huge part of the team’s success this season, winning two races and finishing fourth overall at Morley Field, just missing the school record by three seconds, while sophomore Ellie Cannon also finished under 19 minutes.
Junior Ben Stephens was first for the boys team with a time of 15:51, just eight seconds from breaking the school record.
Scripps Ranch competed this season in the same league as schools such as Cathedral Catholic High, which went undefeated as Western League Champions with a perfect 20-0 record in 2023. Scripps Ranch defeated the Dons four times in meets and invitationals this season.
“We have so much talent and had four different girls finish first for our team,” Falcons head coach Chuck Warren said. “It’s not just one outstanding runner, there’s quite a few of them.”
Among the other standout runners were freshman Olivia Liu who finished second overall and just two seconds from first place at the CIF-San Diego championships, with Scripps Ranch finishing with five runners between second and 13th place overall.
The SRHS men ended up winning the CIF-San Diego Section title in a close three point victory over Mt. Carmel, while the SRHS women won in a more dominating fashion over Mt. Carmel.
Four teams from Western League, including Scripps Ranch High, competed in the CIF state meet, making it one of the most talented leagues in California. The Falcons men finished in second place behind Cathedral Catholic this season in league before their CIF-San Diego Division II victory led largely by the efforts of Stephens and fellow juniors Nathan Bamford and Brandon Sun along with that of sophomore Nico Cruz.
The womens team was full of standout underclassmen with three of the top-six runners being sophomores in Ellie Cannon, Riley Martin and Tegan Karanda, alongside senior Ally Van Duren.
“They are all outstanding runners in track and field as well,” said Warren, who got the best from his runners once again with the help of assistant coach Eileen Quinn.