Both the varsity boys and girls cross country teams qualified for the Section meet, turning in top performances at the subsections.

Hosted on Saturday, Nov. 9 at Frogtown in Angles Camp, the event saw plenty of quality efforts from the Mustangs.

Varsity Girls Division III (3 miles)

The team took third place overall to qualify for sections and individual efforts included: Kayden Legan, seventh, 20:25 (medalist); Hannah Beth Norman, ninth, 20:49 (medalist); Kassidy Fmura, 18th, 21:28 (medalist); Kendra Branch, 39th, 22:20; Karina Verduzco, 48th, 22:41.

There were 143 total runners in the race.

Varsity Boys Division III (3 miles)

It was a seventh place overall finish for the boys, with a total of 184 runners competing in the race.

Leading the Mustangs were Simon Appel, eighth overall, 16:48 (medalist); followed by Caleb Cavanaugh, 13th, 16:58 (medalist); Dax Daley, 34th, 17:55; Dominic Robles, 51st, 18:30; Daimien Linn, 57th, 18:43.

“Coach Vic Moreno and I are very excited that both teams have qualified for the SJS Division III Finals. The kids have been training really hard and they are ready to run,” head coach Guy Fowler said. “We rested Haleigh Humble this week and expect to be full strength (at Sections) in the girls race. If they can duplicate what they did this week, they will qualify for the CIF State Championships as team which has never been done at Oakdale High.”

The Section Meet is scheduled for Saturday, Nov. 16 in Folsom.

“Kayden Legan and Hannah Beth Norman continue to run well and with a little rest this week, they should be able to put up some good times,” Fowler added.

Both Legan and Humble qualified for the state championships last year and are looking to make a return trip.

“Simon Appel and Caleb Cavanaugh continue to be the 1-2 punch for the boys,” explained Fowler. “Both have an outside chance to qualify for the CIF State Championships but they will have to put in the season best performance to do so … which they are ready to do.”