The Josh Ruff Invitational was the destination for the Oakdale High School cross country team on Saturday, Sept. 14 as the runners headed to Folsom High School for the event.

The varsity girls took 11th place out of 31 teams in the 5k event, paced by sophomore Haleigh Humble, running the course in 21:10 and finishing 20th overall. She was followed by sophomore Hannah Beth Norman in 22:23; freshman Kassidy Fmura in 23:21.

The Mustang varsity boys took 13th out of 44 teams in their 5k, with sophomore Simon Appel their top finisher in 18:35. Freshman Caleb Cavanaugh came in at 18:55 and freshman Dax Daley rounded out the top three in 20:10.

“We decided to run some more challenging races this year. This race is run on the SJS Section Championship course and with a very young team we wanted them to get the experience on a tough course,” said head coach Guy Fowler. “I thought we performed very well and got a good idea where we are in our training and what we need to do. This experience is going to pay off later on in the season.”

Now, the team turns its focus to the first Valley Oak League meet, set for Wednesday, Sept. 18 at 3:30 p.m.