Benicia High’s cross country program had a great day at the Solano County Athletic Conference championships, held Wednesday at Community Park.

BENICIA HIGH’S varsity cross country program had seven runners earn All-SCAC honors at Wednesday’s league championships held at Community Park. They are (back row from left) John Kuta, Duran Reyes, Luis Ramirez; (front row) Enid Partika, Rachel Kravitz, Allie Yip and Zoe Bumgarner.

Benicia freshman Duran Reyes won the boys varsity race as the Panthers narrowly won the team championship over Vanden. Senior Zoe Bumgarner took second place in the girls varsity race and the Lady Panthers easily won the team title. Asha Woodmansee took first place in the frosh/soph girls race while Ethan Legro took second for the frosh/soph boys.

Reyes has won 4-of-6 SCAC races this year and took the lead in Wednesday’s race when he passed Vanden rivals Erick Fierro and Jacque Handerson on “Eternity Hill.”

“I was tested a lot by Erick and Jack,” Reyes said. “They’re great runners and they pushed me. Once I got past them, there was no looking back.”

Reyes finished in a time of 16:51.96, comfortably ahead of Fierro (17:03.14) and Henderson (17:15.20).

“He’s just really focused and that’s rare for a freshman,” Benicia coach Julie Moore said of Reyes.

“It feels great,” Reyes said after winning the individual championship. “I’m pretty nervous before every race, but once I hear that gun, it all becomes mental and I just try to run as fast as I can.”

Benicia and Vanden’s varsity boys – the two best teams in the conference throughout the regular season – each finished with 31 points as a team Wednesday, but the Panthers won the tiebreaker when their sixth runner – Nick Thorton – finished in 11th place, two places ahead of Vanden’s sixth runner. It was the eighth straight SCAC championship for Benicia’s boys.

“Vanden and Benicia knew what was on the line today,” Moore said. “I knew it was close, but the way they were running when they got past that hill, I knew we’d get the sixth man. They brought it together.”

Sophomore Luis Ramirez took fourth place in 19:23.27 and teammate John Kuta took seventh in 17:51.72. Reyes, Ramirez and Kuta each earned All-SCAC honors.

Bumgarner had won every SCAC girls varsity race she entered this season but was out-run by American Canyon’s Tesia DeLeon, who took first with a time of 19:34.59. Bumgarner was second with a time of 19:48.40.

“I got beat up on the hill and had to push myself at the end,” Bumgarner said. “But I’m happy with it and I’m happy with my time. You can’t always be first.”

“We have high hopes of her going to State,” Moore said. “Even the team as a whole is a possibility because the girls are running good.”

Benicia’s varsity girls easily won the SCAC team championship, finishing with 21 points to American Canyon’s 48. Enid Partika was third in 20:54.53, Allie Yip took fifth (21:23.94) and Rachel Kravitz was sixth (22:11.70). Bumgarner, Partika, Yip and Kravitz were each named All-SCAC.

Benicia’s varsity girls and boys advance to the Sac-Joaquin Section Subsection meet Nov. 8 at Frogtown in Angels Camp.

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