November 23, 2025

FULL RESULTS:    BOYS    GIRLS

WALNUT:  Sixteen teams in each division lined up on Saturday at the CIF-SS Finals with one goal in mind: earn one of the seven coveted spots to next week’s CIF State Championships in Fresno. For ML King, the mission was simple—qualify both teams for the first time in school history. Everyone knew what was at stake, and both squads arrived ready to leave absolutely everything on the course.

The boys program hasn’t missed CIF Finals since 2021, but last season still hung heavily in the back of their minds. After entering 2023 nationally ranked and experiencing heartbreak at Finals, this year’s group—full of new faces and fresh talent—came in with a renewed focus. They knew exactly what needed to be done.

From the gun, senior Maximo Zavaleta set the tone. Confident and fearless, he drove the pace immediately, taking the field through the first mile in a blazing 4:27. At that point, the Wolves sat in 8th place—just outside the qualifying line of top 7 —and the chase was officially on.

Maximo never looked back. He continued to stretch the field throughout the race, eventually crossing the line with the fastest time of the entire day: 13:59, a season best and a commanding CIF Finals victory for the second year in a row!

At the two-mile mark, King had clawed its way to 7th place, but by just a single point. That’s when the pack came alive.

The duo of Logan Carlson and Bradley Quezada worked together for nearly the entire race, with Quezada surging in the final mile to earn a career-best 28th place in his fourth appearance at CIF Finals. Carlson followed in 48th, with Mason Stehmeier closing hard—passing nine athletes in the final mile—and Marc Gonzalez sealing the scoring.

When the dust settled, the Wolves finished with 206 points, securing 6th place and officially punching their ticket to the State Meet.

Coach Ibarra shared afterward, “Maximo was ready to do his thing up front, and the confidence he showed in practice made it clear the pace would be tough for the competition. That early pace helped stretch the field and set our guys up to move through when it mattered.”

Mission accomplished. The boys were in.

With the boys successfully advancing, the energy shifted to the girls—who entered ranked outside the top seven for most of the season. The team had battled injuries, setbacks, and tough breaks, but they knew that if they ever had that one race where everything clicked, they could shock the field.

Senior leader Elizabeth Jacklin set the tone immediately, charging through the mile in 4th place with a bold 5:19 opener. Right behind her, Natalie Drewitz delivered the breakout moment the Wolves had been waiting for, passing the mile in 9th and looking every bit like the championship-level competitor she had worked to return to.

Disaster nearly struck early when Jude Abu-Ghazaleh went down in a fall, but her response defined the race—she got up, fought back, and repositioned herself as King’s #3.

Behind them, Jordyn Ramirez and Gracie Guzzetta held strong in the 4-5 positions, doing exactly what the team needed to stay in contention.

At the mile, the Wolves sat in 4th place—in qualifying position and on fire. But by the two-mile, the race had tightened and King slipped to 6th, clinging to the final qualifying hope.

Coach Machuca recalled, “It was stressful, but I just kept telling them: get to the track and finish. I felt the same energy we had last year, and something in me knew it was going to happen.”

Jacklin battled with the Division’s best, ultimately finishing 4th overall in a massive new PR of 16:39, improving on her 14th-place finish from a year prior. Drewitz came through next in 18th, her best race of the season when the team needed it most. Abu-Ghazaleh powered in for 29th, scraped and bruised but relentless to the end.

Ramirez delivered a huge performance of her own with a new personal best, finishing 69th. All eyes then turned to senior Gracie Guzzetta, whose closing 800m instincts kicked in the moment she hit the track. She surged home to secure the team’s final scoring place—and with it, their future.

The Wolves waited anxiously for results.

Then the announcement came: King finished 7th, earning a return trip to the State Meet for the second straight year. Not only that—they became the fastest girls team in school history for the 3-mile distance.

Emotions poured out at the finish. Anxiety, fear, nerves, excitement—every possible feeling surfaced. But above all, pride won out.

The Wolves had done it.

For the first time ever, both the boys and girls teams qualified for the CIF State Championships in the same year. With everything this group has endured, fought through, and grown from, few accomplishments could mean more.

Now, the focus shifts to Fresno. The Wolves will travel together on Friday, ready to enjoy a trip they earned with grit, teamwork, and belief.

A historic day.
A historic team.
A moment this program will never forget.