The Carlmont High boys team, with all five of its scoring runners finishing in the top 13, made it five straight Central Coast Section Division I cross country championships Saturday at Crystal Springs.

The Carlmont girls team, also attempting to win a fifth consecutive CCS cross country title, had its streak ended by Gunn, which won the CCS Division I girls title with 39 points. Carlmont was second with 42.

The Carlmont boys went in as slight underdogs to Bellarmine Prep, but the Scots received outstanding efforts from several runners.

Ben Heck followed his win at the Peninsula Athletic League finals with a second-place finish Saturday in 15 minutes, 26 seconds. He kicked past teammate and third-place finisher Nathan Lee (15:27) at the finish.

Lee, an 800-meter runner in track, improved his best time on the Crystal Springs course from 15:59 to 15:27.

Defending CCS champion Ethan Scardina, slowed by tendinitis, still ran well enough to place seventh in 15:35. Ben Bunk was ninth (15:50) and Chet Reyen 13th (16:04).

Carlmont scored 34 points, Bellarmine was second with 59.

"It feels good," Heck said. "I didn't know if we could do it. There was a lot of controversy early in the season, but we pulled through, pushed each other, didn't let anything slow us down."

The controversy referenced by Heck has to do with the coaching change at Carlmont. Jeff Gilkey, the coach that built the powerhouse program, was fired


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after entering a runner in a race under a false name. New coach Jennifer Randazzo has met with a great deal of resistance from some runners and especially from a vocal group of parents.

Carlmont's Jessie Petersen won the girls race by a big margin in a personal-best time of 17:28. Petersen was backed by teammates Megan Shearer (fourth, 18:31) and Abby Barker (fifth, 18:36), but Gunn had all of its five scorers finish before Carlmont's fourth runner.

"Six of our seven runners PR'd," Randazzo said. "Someone was better today. That doesn't mean we can't get them at state."

Half Moon Bay won the Division IV girls team title. Defending champion Sammy Hamilton struggled with the flu and finished eighth (19:25), but freshman Chondra Anderson placed fourth in 18:56.

Aragon sophomore Lauren Croshaw took third in girls Division II in 18:19. Her previous best was 18:52. Hillsdale's Melissa Hastings placed second in girls Division III in 18:49.

Half Moon Bay's Mitch Martin was second in boys Division IV in 16:04, and Hillsdale's Mitchell Lee came in sixth in 16:19. Woodside's Kyle Feuerhelm (11th, 15:44) and Peter Gunn (12th, 15:49) both qualified for the state meet in boys Division II, as did Terra Nova's Drew Davis (8th, 16:11) in Division III.

Woodside Priory won the Division V girls team title. Crystal Springs Uplands boys and girls both qualified for state in Division V.