RAMS RUN THEIR WAY TO IMPROVED PERFORMANCE

BY DAN SANKEY
Staff Writer

Vince Harrington barely beats a Butte runner to the finish line. ALEX HYDE / SPECIAL TO THE GUARDSMAN

Under the shadow of the football team’s billboard at Ram Stadium, this year’s cross country team ran hard together. Efforts paid off with solid improvements at the Lou Vasquez meet held at Golden Gate Park on Sept. 29.

The men’s team ran to an eighth-place finish out of 15 after not qualifying in the season opener at the Fresno Invitational because they lacked eligible athletes at the time.

After finishing ninth in the state last year, six men and three women returned this season to a leaner team.

“We don’t have big numbers, but we have big talent,” coach Tony Kauke said.

Kenny Sparks, a top runner in the Coast Conference and NorCal division, returned after being sidelined with an Achilles tendon injury to place 20th with a time of 21:18.

Francis Gadayan, the 800-meter state champion last spring, jumped up 19 places from his finish in Fresno, improving from 43rd to 24th on the course in Golden Gate Park to finish 1:36 behind leader Romaldo Sanchez of Los Angeles Trade Tech College.

With the best NorCal championship finish last year for the men in 35 years — missing qualifying for the state championship by one point — the past two seasons have brought gains to the program.

Diane Gooding, ranked fifth in the state in the heptathlon this year, recorded a personal best finish of 12th place in the women’s race, with a time of 19:56.

“Diane’s our number one gal,” said Eloise Connolly, who finished 54th — six places higher than she placed in Fresno. With a time of 22:2, she was 3 minutes, 25 seconds behind leader Emmy Barr of Sierra College. The men and women were adamant about their goal to continue with escalating performances toward the Coast Conference Championship, held at Golden Gate Park on Oct. 27.

“The women did a great job,” Kauke said. “Diane did really well — she broke 20 minutes for the first time.”

Challenges ahead include conference rivals American River College for the men and Hartnell College for the women. Hartnell beat City College last season in their first meeting by one point, but the Rams stepped up and defeated them at the state championship.

“Our goal is to contend to win the conference championship and try to be on the podium at the NorCal Championships,” Kauke said. “Whether that’s realistic or not, we need to reevaluate and see.”

Cross country championships are won or lost in the final three meets, whereas a team’s result in earlier meets has no bearing on qualifying for Conference, NorCal or state championships.

“Sure, we want to run good on Saturday, but on Sunday I’m already thinking of the next meet,” Kauke said. “When the name ends in ‘championship,’ we want to win there.”

e-mail: dsankey@theguardsman.com

City News Editor Dan Powell contributed to this report.

SCOREBOARD

Football

The Rams dominated against West Hills College, winning 59-6. Maurice Purify collected 187 yards on five catches for four touchdowns, and was named Commission on Athletics Pass Receiver of the Week.The Rams were tested by 4-0 Laney College, which managed to put the Rams down 0-6 in the first quarter. But the Rams battled back, blemishing Laney’s record with a 27-8 win. Tyreece Jacks rushed for 196 yards and two touchdowns on 23 rushes. Purify added 65 yards off of three catches with one touchdown. Receiver Aaron Straiten scored an additional touchdown, with five catches and 75 yards in the contest. — Miles Harwell

Men's Soccer

The men’s soccer team improved their overall record to 2-5-1 after going winless in their first four games. They managed a 1-1 tie with 11th ranked Hartnell. The team then went on to shutout Napa, 1-0 with Yuen San Klopatowski scoring the goal. On Sept. 23, the Rams beat San Joaquin Delta 4-1. Klopatowski scored two goals and Jeff Stock and Nate Manna added a goal apiece. The Rams were then blanked 1-0 by West Valley on Sept. 27. Most recently, the Rams lost 3-2 to Consumnes River on Sept. 30. Coach Lucarelli said injuries hindered the Rams, with Sal Valasquez and Klopatowski each having sprained ankles, and Manna missing two games with a strained quadricep. — Dan Verel

Women's Soccer

Since winning their opening game against Marin, the Rams have struggled in the inaugural season. The Rams lost to DeAnza 7-2. Lindsey Offenbach and Diana Samson each scored a goal in the loss. On Sept. 20, the Rams were shut out against Cabrillo, 3-0. Then on Sept. 23, the Rams nearly defeated Chabot, but lost in the end, 1-0, despite a solid defensive performance. The Rams were then blown out 8-1 against community college powerhouse Hartnell. Offenbach scored the single goal. The Rams were dealt another disappointing loss on Sept. 30, losing 2-0 to Ohlone. The overall record stands at 1-7-2. — Dan Verel