By:Owen Fugit

Media Production

The Santa Clara Valley Athletic League (SCVAL) cross-country races have officially begun, with two meets in the past few weeks. On Sept. 20, Los Gatos gave it their all at Baylands Park, starting the first of many. At this meet, a total of five races were completed. The Los Gatos High School (LGHS) Varsity Boys’ team placed fourth overall out of 13 schools from across the valley, with sophomore Aydon Stefanopoulos placing third with a time of 16:01.6. JV was unable to finish the race high in the points, so LGHS had to settle for an overall position of tenth place. The Freshman/Sophomore joint Boys’ team was also unable to finish high in the points but placed LGHS firmly in sixth out of 13 schools in this category. 

In the Girls’ Varsity race, LGHS Senior Sophie Tau placed fourth with a time of 18:25.9. The LGHS Varsity team had no runners post a time greater than 22 minutes, an achievement that many competing schools were unable to attain, placing LG snugly in third place overall for this category. In the JV girls category, competition from other schools was fierce, the LGHS JV Girls’ team posted times that were only seconds away from their opponents. Even though the team fought hard, they were only able to secure an eighth-place position out of ten competing schools.

The Second SCVAL race happened at Crystal Springs on Oct. 6. Once again, five races took place. The LGHS Freshman/Sophomore team placed fourth overall out of 14 schools competing in this event. LGHS JV boys placed fifth out of 13 schools, due to more runners being present in this event than in the first SCVAL race. The LGHS Varsity boys did much better than their run at the previous race and placed third overall out of 13 competing teams. Stefanopoulos placed second this time, with a time of 15:39.8. Keeping LGHS in third place overall, The Girls’ Varsity team with runners like Sophie Tau and Sophomore Shea Elmore posted truly competitive times and helped LGHS maintain its hold on third place. The JV Girls’ team also fought, but the competition was fierce, and they were unable to make a significant dent in the standings. 

Across these two races, LGHS has been able to maintain its place as a tough opponent in the upper middle of the pack. Even though the season is just getting started, LGHS is ready to dominate in the coming races. The next SCVAL race will be at 3 PM on Tuesday, Oct. 18 at Baylands park.