November 7, 2025

Written by Mario Machuca

FULL RESULTS

EASTVALE:   The Cross Country teams toed the line Wednesday afternoon at the Big VIII League Championships at Eastvale Park, marking the end of the regular season and the beginning of the postseason push for the varsity squads.

The day began with the JV Girls, who put together a solid showing against a tough field. Abbey Starling led the way for the Wolves, followed by Hannah Palardy and the trio of Hayden Shelton, Emma Castillo, and Sophia Balsells. The group’s strong effort earned them a 3rd-place team finish behind two strong Santiago and Roosevelt squads.

Next up were the JV Boys, who showed just how deep this program runs. Frank Stewart successfully defended his title, becoming the JV League Champion for the second year in a row. Close behind were Max Guzzetta and Chase Collopy in 3rd and 4th, with Andrew Moyo and Andrew Phillips rounding out the scoring five in 6th and 9th. Mayson Machuca, Logan Ambos, and Ethan Pendleton also earned JV All-League honors with their top-21 finishes. The JV Boys dominated the race, taking the team title with 23 points over Santiago’s 46.

The Varsity Girls followed, battling it out with the top-ranked Santiago Sharks. Elizabeth Jacklin continued her outstanding season with a 2nd-place finish. Teammates Jude Abu-Ghazaleh and Natalie Drewitz worked together to claim 6th and 7th, earning All-League honors. Not far behind, Jordyn Ramirez and Gracie Guzzetta packed up strong to finish 10th and 11th, closing out the scoring. The Wolves would finish just 11 points shy of Santiago, placing 2nd in league for the third consecutive year.

Capping off the day were the Varsity Boys, who delivered an impressive performance to defend their league crown.  Maximo Zavaleta took command early and claimed his third straight Big VIII League individual title. Logan Carlson had his best race of the season, placing 3rd, while Bradley Quezada followed in 6th. Mason Stehmeier and Smooth Watkins sealed the scoring in 8th and 9th, with Marc Gonzalez right behind in 11th. John Sosa would also earn all league honors with his 17th place finish.

The Wolves tallied just 27 points to Roosevelt’s 39, securing their third consecutive League Championship and doing it in undefeated style.

The three-peat is laden with history: It is the 175 league title in the school’s history, all sports combined and it is the 4th league title for the boys cross country program over the last six seasons – not a small task given the competitive Santiago and Roosevelt programs that annually pose a challenge to winning.  The title is also a milestone 10th league championship in the program’s history dating back to 1999 when the boys cross country team earned the first league title of any sport in Year One of King High’s history.  This win is also the sole league title for MLK in this Fall Sports season.

Like their predecessors, every Wolf who raced on Wednesday showed tremendous grit, heart, and pride, closing out the regular season in outstanding fashion.

The top 12 athletes from each squad will now advance to form the CIF roster, ready to take on the challenge of CIF Prelims next week at the historic Mt. SAC course.