Ceres High’s cross country program will have a roster size of 18 runners for the second year in a row.

“I miss the days of having 30-plus runners,” head coach Owen Brown said. “Cross country is a demanding sport, physically and mentally. It makes it hard to recruit.”

“We have a mix of athletes with abilities,” he added. “I’m trying to get them trained to be the best they can be.”

Erick Henry (Sr.), Andres Marcial (Sr.), Josiah Martinez-Gontiz (Sr.), Anthony Savala Alvarez (Sr.), Sergio Torres (Sr.), Christian Valadez (Sr.), Nickolas Albiani (So.), Jayden Jaimes (So.), Elija Villamarin (So.), Isaiah Villamarin (So.), Muaz Elhassan (Fr.), Joseph Estrada (Fr.), Aiden Gutierrez (Fr.) and Johan Navarro (So.) make up the Bulldogs’ 14-person boys team. 

Torres is a fourth-year runner.

He took 21st at the 2024 Western Athletic Conference Championships.

He posted a time of 19 minutes, 6 seconds on the 3-mile course at Ceres River Bluff Regional Park.

“It’s good to have him on the team,” Brown said. “He’s committed. He got a few of the other kids to train over the summer.”

Marcial (20:46) and Christian Valadez (22:14) placed 37th and 53rd, respectively, at the WAC finals last season.

Jaimes (14:40) and Elija Villamarin (14:57) finished 35th and 40th, respectively, at the WAC Junior-Varsity Championships a year ago.

Ceres High’s girls team will compete with a four-person roster this fall

Marissa Pacheco (Sr.), Mariana Cortez (Jr.), Clarissa Rivera (Jr.) and Isabella Sabala (Jr.) will represent the Bulldogs.

Unable to post team scores due to a lack of numbers, Ceres High’s runners will vie for individual success.

“It’s unfortunate they can’t compete as a team,” Brown said. “They’ll try to set personal records every time they run.”

Rivera is a second-year runner.

“She’s by far our best girl,” Brown said. “Her brothers ran for me. It’s a family thing.”

“I wish she would have started as a freshman,” he added. “She has talent. She just needs little more training.

Sabala placed 16th with a time of 20:19 at WAC junior-varsity finals.

Ceres High’s boys and girls finished seventh and last, respectively, at the 2024 WAC Championships.

Ceres High’s boys totaled 184 points.

“The expectation is to finish in the middle of the pack,” Brown said.

Ceres High’s girls totaled 123 points.

“We’ll try to do the best we can this season,” Brown said. 

When asked if both teams could be perennial league title contenders in the future, Brown said: “It would take an offseason commitment. They can’t let other distractions get in the way.”