Ceres High's varsity cross country program returned home from Patterson this past week with a pair of Western Athletic Conference dual-meet losses.
"We could have done better, team-wise," Bulldogs' head coach Katie Timmermans said. "But everyone ran a good time."
Ceres High's girls team lost 19-39 to the Tigers on Wednesday.
The Bulldogs dropped to 0-2 in the WAC standings.
Patterson improved to 2-0.
"They have a really good team," Timmermans said. "We have a really young team. A lot of our girls are getting used to running the 3-mile races."
Destiny Suarez, Jacqueline Rodriguez, Deborah Vasquez, Cynthia Renteria and Joanna Torrez contributed to Ceres High's point total.
Suarez was the Bulldogs' top finisher.
She placed fourth with a time of 25 minutes, 21 seconds on the 3-mile course.
"Destiny always gives her best," Timmermans said. "I know she can still improve."
Rodriguez (25:37), Vasquez (26:29), Renteria (26:29) and Torrez (28:05) took fifth, ninth, 10th and 11th, respectively.
"Jackie ran a good race," Timmermans said. "She was close to Destiny. That's exciting. That should give her confidence."
Ceres High's Maria Diaz (28:14), Alondra Carranza (28:14), Annabelle Verduzco (29:54), Marissa Prestia (31:06) and Adriana Ramos (31:26) finished 14th, 15th, 16th, 17th and 18th.
Patterson's Marilyn Ventura (23:01) was the overall winner, followed by Tiger teammates Desirae Ibarra (second, 23:09), Ada Jack (third, 24:04), Anacelia Barboza (sixth, 25:37) and Sophia Skelson (seventh, 25:37).
The Bulldogs had just one boys' competitor finish in the top five in losing 18-45 to Patterson.
"It's a tough loss," Timmermans said. "We'll use it to make us better."
Aaron Alarcon, Ceres High's top runner, didn't complete the race due to knee soreness.
"He was in a lot of pain," Timmermans said. "He's going to take a week off."
Bulldog Joseph Gutierrez placed third with a time of 19:33 on the 3-mile course versus the Tigers.
Ceres High's Fernando Cardoza (20:41), Kendrick Perata (21:20), Dominick Nicastro (21:45), Colton Johnson (22:22) Clemente Zavala (22:44), Rafael Ortiz (23:00), Mark Razo (28:07), Kolton Vaughn (28:30) and Carlos Fee (29:06) took 10th, 13th, 14th, 17th, 18th, 19th, 22nd, 23rd and 26th, respectively.
Patterson's Adrian Contreras (18:33), Alex Alvarez (19:21), Andre McDonald (20:07), Noah Mirelez (20:09) and Jerome Hughs (20:16) finished first, second, fourth, fifth and sixth against Ceres High. "We did pretty well for it being a tough course," Timmermans said while talking about her program's overall performance. "Most of the kids are improving each race with their time."
