The California High School varsity girls cross country team and Pintos Zach Merrill and Dakota Harris competed at the 2011 MSHSAA Class 2 State Cross Country Championships Saturday at Oak Hills Golf Center (5K), Jefferson City, where the Lady Pintos were led by junior Lizzy Kirby who finished 20th individually with 21:33, to earn All-State honors.
California's Ashlee Davis finished 27th with 21:51.
"Both Lizzy and Ashlee had great come-from-behind races," California Coach Josh Grotzinger said. "The girls team started in the very last box on the start-line at the bottom of a hill. Lizzy and Ashlee were around 80th place at the first mile and came back to finish 20th and 27th, respectively, with Ashlee just missing becoming California's third All-State finisher in two years. The rest of our girls also competed well with a bad start. Leah Korenberg passed at least 30 people in the last mile of the race to finish 76th with 22:55, and Elle Miller and Regan Downing raced well together to finish 135th with 21:51 and 140th with 26:25, respectively, to give us a 12th place finish overall, ahead of Fatima, who beat us three weeks ago. Sarah Couchman improved her ranking and placed 147th with 29:54, just behind Regan."
For more of this story check out the Nov. 9 issue of the California Democrat.