Prep Roundup: Atascadero girls run to a meet victory

Atascadero High put up a dominant showing at the Atascadero Brug Invitational cross country races Saturday at Santa Margarita Lake, finishing first in the girls race with 43 points, while Paso Robles came in second at 58.

The two teams combined to place nine runners in the top 20 in the large-school race, including three each in the top 10, and all five Greyhound scorers in the top 14.

For Atascadero, Jillian McLenithan placed third overall on the 5K course (21 minutes, 24 seconds), Miriam Orozco placed seventh (22:04), Hannah Livengood placed eighth (22:08), Melissa Mannon placed 11th (22:24) and Julia Franco placed 14th (22:37).

For Paso Robles, Devin Corea finished second (21:21), Danica Boggs finished fifth (21:33) and Angela Sandoval finished sixth (21:36).

In the small-school race, Nipomo placed four in the top 13, finishing second with 57 points, 13 points behind first-place St. Joseph. Templeton placed fourth with 86.

For the Titans, Kyra Meko placed third (20:54), Gracie Albano placed fifth (21:03), Michaela Holland placed 10th (21:40) and Morgan Herlihy placed 13th (22:31).

The Eagles had Ann Taylor finish 11th (22:04) and Dana Alpert finished 12th (22:22).

Morro Bay competed but did not have enough runners to qualify for a team score. The Pirates’ Carina Hampp finished in seventh place (21:31).

In the boys large-school race, Zander Souza of Paso Robles finished third (16:58), leading the Bearcats to a first-place team finish with 51 points. Aidan Farrell finished in fifth for the Bearcats (17:07), and Nick Stair (17:26) placed 10th.

Nipomo’s Alex Hascall finished fifth in the small-school race (17:21), and Mission Prep’s Ethan Hopwood placed 13th (18:05).

Morro Bay was fifth in the team race with 130, Templeton was seventh with 171, and Nipomo was eighth with 177. Cabrillo won the team title with 31 points.

Arroyo Grande at the Desert Twilight Cross Country Festival

The Eagles boys placed first in the 3.1-mile championship race in Mesa, Ariz., on Friday night, scoring 63 points as a team. Josh Davis finished fourth (16:15), Blake Maule placed 14th (16:42) and Jonathan Corely placed 17th (16:49).

The Arroyo Grande girls placed seventh in the sweepstakes, a race that featured the state champions from Alabama, New Mexico and Arizona. Hannah Stevens placed 12th (18:41), and Emily Johnston placed 23rd (19:02) for the Eagles.

PREP FOOTBALL

Mission Prep 76, Riverside Christian 0

The Royals (4-1) scored six times in a span of 5 minutes, 45 seconds from the first to the second quarter, including two defensive touchdowns by Joey Donner on an interception and a fumble return, to crush the visiting Cougars (1-3).

Mission Prep’s Tyler Baty was 5-of-11 passing for 129 yards and three touchdowns, and Joey Hall was the Royals’ top receiver with four catches for 112 yards and two touchdowns. Baty also ran the ball three times for 34 yards and a touchdown. Donner was the leading rusher for Mission Prep, gaining 66 yards on four carries, including a 56-yard touchdown run in the third quarter.

Kings Christian 60, North County Christian 28

Keelan Willison was 12-of-23 passing for 130 yards and a touchdown in the loss for the Crusaders, putting him over the 2,000-career yard mark, making him the second North County Christian player to do so.

Daniel Katches set the school career touchdown record at 24 with his fourth-quarter scoring catch. Katches finished the day with nine catches for 108 yards. He was also the leading rusher with 78 yards on 11 carries and a touchdown for the Crusaders (2-2).

GIRLS VOLLEYBALL

Royal Tournament

San Luis Obispo finished fourth in Simi Valley, leading a strong showing from area teams.

The Tigers started off strong, beating Rancho Cucamonga 25-12, 25-11, Granada Hills 25-16, 26-24 and Newbury Park 25-15, 25-21. San Luis Obispo was the top-seeded team going into the playoffs.

In the first round, the Tigers beat Granada Hills 25-15, 25-20, but lost in the second round to Ayala 25-12, 25-20 and then lost to Notre Dame Academy 27-25 in the third-place match.

Ariel Becker led San Luis Obispo with 33 kills for the day, and Jessica Chellsen had 26 kills. Maggie Eppright had 61 assists. Both Chellsen and Eppright were named to the all-tournament team.

Arroyo Grande (15-5) finished second in its pool, beating Oak Park 25-22, 25-15 and Alemany 25-10, 25-18 before losing to Ventura 14-25, 25-23, 15-8. In the playoffs, Arroyo Grande lost to Royal 25-19, putting the Eagles in ninth.

The Greyhounds played Buena first in bracket play, losing 25-21, 25-16 before defeating Mayfield 25-22, 25-20. They then lost to Agoura 11-25, 25-20, 17-15.

Atascadero defeated Golden Valley in the fist round of the silver division playoffs 25-19, 25-23 before losing in the semifinals to Granada Hills 21-25, 25-20, 15-12. Brittany Davis was named to the all-tournament team for the Greyhounds.