The Arcata Tigers continued to showcase their dominance in H-DNL cross country with a pair of team victories in the third league meet of the fall, hosted by Del Norte on Wednesday.
The Arcata boys placed seven runners in the top 12 and scored 29 points on the way to a comfortable team win, while the girls team had four of the top six runners and won by an even larger margin.
But while the Tigers posted both team wins, the individual victories went to Fortuna’s Juan Ornelas in the boys race and to Brookings-Harbor’s Leila Newman.
After coming close and placing in the top three in each of the first two league races of the season, Newman won the girls race by 53 seconds.
The outstanding freshman, who is taking league by storm this year, finished the 5K course in a time of 20 minutes, 12.1 seconds, almost a minute better than second-placed Zelia Stoll of Arcata, who posted a time of 21:05.2.
A pair of Arcata seniors finished third and fourth.
Rose Mondragon continued her impressive season in third in a time of 21:41.1, followed by Sonya Chisholm (23:05.6) in fourth.
Del Norte’s Aria Cardenas rounded out the top five and finished in a time of 23:06.0, followed in turn by Arcata’s Nehla Espiritu-Blackstone, Fortuna’s Elizabeth Stevens, Arcata’s Sylvie Hunter, Fortuna’s Meztli Chinas and Eureka’s Evelyn Ladika.
As a team, the Tigers scored 14 points, with Fortuna (41) a distant second.
In boys’ action, meanwhile, it was a good day for Ornelas.
The impressive Fortuna junior posted his first league win of the year, finishing the 5K course in a time of 16:53.7.
Arcata junior Flynt Reno-Moore was nine seconds back in second and finished in a time of 17:02.9, with his teammate Micah Cristian in third, crossing the finish line in a time of 17:09.6.
Ornelas’ teammate Caden Bailey (17:58.4) was fourth, followed by Del Norte’s Hanon Jones (18:04.8) in fifth.
As a team, the Tigers took the victory by 16 points, with Ornelas and the Huskies (45) in second and Del Norte (59) in third.
Rounding out the top 10, Del Norte’s Michael Haapala placed sixth, McKinleyville’s Jason Weldon was seventh, and Arcata’s Cedar Bunch Kramer, Zander Storm and Tyler Johnson placed eighth through 10th.
The fourth of five regular-season league meets will take place at McKinleyville next Wednesday.
The league championships, which will take place as usual at the Arcata Marsh, is scheduled for Nov. 14.
