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"Two-four-six-eight, who do we appreciate?"
It's a question teams have been asking in post-game celebrations for decades.
But the girls cross country team at Los Gatos High School went that one better last week, and it resulted in a Santa Clara Athletic League De Anza Division championship for the Wildcats.
The Gatos girls finished two-four-six-seven and placed their first five finishers in the top 15 overall to run up a low 31 points and easily claim the division crown. Lynbrook was second at 53, with Monta Vista third at 64.
Erica Williams, Carolyn Penner, Shana Ravel, Ali Rubnitz and Ariana Nicewonger were the first five finishers for the Wildcats, and their combined placing added up to the title-clinching 31 team points.
Williams, a senior, covered the 2.95-mile course at Crystal Springs in Belmont in 19:38.8 to finish a solid second. Saratoga's Alicia Follmar was the league champ, running 19:15.1.
Penner, also a senior, was fourth in 19:58.7 for the Cats, edging fifth-place Dana Underwood of Monta Vista by just over a second at the finish line.
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Photograph by Sean Penello
Junior Shana Ravel of Los Gatos follows her shadow to a league sixth.
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Ravel, a junior, was a solid sixth for Gatos in 20:24.5, with Rubnitz, a freshman, seventh in 29:29.5.
Nicewonger, another freshman, ran 12th in 20:44.9 to round out the top five for the Wildcats.
Junior Greg Geldman finished 11th in 17:25.7 to lead the Los Gatos boys to a team fourth at the division finals.
Junior Nathan Young was 19th in 17:57.7, with sophomore Sean Bardes 23rd in 18:09.2, senior Marcus Huynh 25th in 18:11.8, and junior Tyler DeSantos 28th in 18:20.2.
Los Gatos freshman Stephanie Wilcox was an individual champion for the Wildcats in the girls junior varsity division. Wilcox ran 21:49.9 to easily defeat runner-up Anjali Kumar of Saratoga, who was second in 22:15.4.
Still, the Los Gatos girls could manage just a third-place finish in the team standings behind Monta Vista and Lynbrook.
Freshmen Stephanie Girsback (11th in 23:15.4), Sanishya Fernando (12th in 23:16.7) and Becky Chappell (15th in 24:30.5) each finished in the top 15 for the Wildcats.
Freshman Seth Smart was sixth in 18:42.8 and sophomore Alex Hudson finished ninth in 19:09.3, but the Los Gatos boys frosh-soph team could manage just a team fourth at league finals.
In the boys junior varsity division, Chris Parides was 19th in 19:54.6. The Wildcats finished fifth in the division.
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Photograph by Sean Penello