Rylee Blade leads Corona Santiago to ASICS Cool Breeze Invitational title, ML King boys also win

POMONA, Calif. – Rylee Blade extended her streak of Sundown Showdown victories in the most magnificent fashion Saturday night, highlighting multiple meaningful victories for Corona Santiago High at the 10th ASICS Cool Breeze Invitational.

Martin Luther King halted Great Oak’s impressive run of team titles at the meet with a spectacular showcase of strength up front to prevail at the Pomona Top Boys Cross Country Teams By Section Entering The Fall SeasonFairplex.

And Glendora senior Dylan Flores delivered the most exceptional effort of his high school cross country career to secure the spotlight in a deep Sundown Showdown boys competition.

Blade, a Florida State-bound senior, smashed her own 3-mile record at the venue by running 15 minutes, 49.7 seconds to become the first athlete in meet history to win three consecutive Sundown Showdown races, leading the Sharks to their first marquee team win at the event with 49 points.

Blade lowered her mark from 16:30.0 last season, when she became the first female competitor to eclipse the 17-minute barrier at the Pomona Fairplex.

She now boasts the fastest performance at any of the three courses showcased in meet history, including El Prado Golf Course in Chino and Brookside Golf Course in Pasadena.

Corona Santiago junior Braelyn Combe ran 16:45.4 to place second in the 3-mile Sundown Showdown girls race, as the Sharks went 1-2 at the ASICS Cool Breeze Invitational at the Pomona Fairplex. Photo by Ken Martinez

Braelyn Combe, Blade’s junior teammate at Corona Santiago, added her name to that prestigious list Saturday by placing second in 16:45.4, with Murrieta Valley junior Arielle Avina also achieving a sub-17 performance by taking third in 16:55.6.

Blade would have been the No. 3 runner in the Sharks’ boys lineup Saturday, becoming the second female competitor in meet history to eclipse the 16-minute barrier, along with Sadie Engelhardt of Ventura clocking 15:59.9 on the 3-mile layout at Brookside Golf Course in 2021.

Following Blade and Combe, Audrey Buckley was 10th in 17:39.6, Taylor Davis captured 20th in 18:16.7 and Kinsley Whitecavage was the Sharks’ fifth scorer in 24th place by running 18:19.8.

Anna Hill finished 26th in 18:24.7 and Lauren Reightley achieved 33rd in 18:37.0 for reigning Division 1 state champion Corona Santiago.

Avina and Jordin Lieberman, who earned eighth in 17:29.7, helped Murrieta Valley place second with 100 points.

Claremont, led by freshman Grace Smith finishing fourth in her high school debut in 17:08.6, took third with 126 points, followed by Great Oak at 166 points and Martin Luther King with 170 points.

Mackenzie Forrest, a junior at Tesoro, was fifth in 17:09.9 to help the Titans secure sixth place at 185 points.

Elizabeth Jacklin of Martin Luther King was sixth in 17:28.5, Sage Creek’s Gabriella Peters placed seventh in 17:28.7 and Great Oak’s Avery Smith grabbed ninth in 17:37.0.

Glendora senior Dylan Flores prevailed in the Sundown Showdown boys race in 14:27.6 at the ASICS Cool Breeze Invitational at the Pomona Fairplex. Photo by Ken Martinez

Flores overcame a three-second deficit at the midway point and surged late to prevail in 14:27.6, the second-fastest performance by a male athlete at the Pomona Fairplex, trailing only the 14:23.5 effort achieved last season in the Sundown Showdown by Cathedral’s Emmanuel Perez.

Maximo Zavaleta, a junior at Martin Luther King, was runner-up for the second year in a row, but he improved 23 seconds from last season to clock 14:30.4.

Maximo Zavaleta, left, placed second in the Sundown Showdown boys race ahead of Zion Ortiz from Burroughs Ridgecrest, right, to lead Martin Luther King to the team title at the ASICS Cool Breeze Invitational at Pomona Fairplex. Photo by Ken Martinez

Zavaleta was supported by four Wolves finishing in the top 15 to triumph with 123 points, snapping Great Oak’s streak of four consecutive Sundown Showdown victories, as the Wolfpack earned runner-up honors Saturday with 168 points, just two points ahead of third-place Hart at 170.

Brad Quezada was 11th in 14:59.9, Logan Carlson captured 13th in 15:07.2 and Alex Wesolowski placed 15th in 15:10.9 for Martin Luther King, which also had John Sosa secure 104th in 16:11.4, as the Wolves improved from a fourth-place performance last season, trailing Great Oak by a 100-point margin.

Great Oak, which competed without senior Westin Brown, was led by Jack Paradise placing 12th in 15:04.6 and Jacob Brown taking 24th in 15:21.8.

Zion Ortiz, a senior at Burroughs Ridgecrest, took third in 14:37.9, Tesoro senior Griffin Kushen finished fourth in 14:41.3 to help the Titans also place fourth with 186 points and South Torrance’s Liam Miller grabbed fifth in 14:46.9.

Riverside Poly junior Jace Deledonne secured sixth in 14:52.5, Oak Park’s Grant Jones was seventh in 14:54.7, Sage Creek’s Josiah Bowman earned eighth in 14:56.7, Hart’s Eli Ahten achieved ninth in 14:57.7 and La Serna’s Grant Miller took 10th in 14:58.8.

Viewpoint junior Olly O’Connor won the boys varsity small school race in 15:16.7 and was 20th overall among all male competitors racing at the meet.

San Marcos edged La Canada by a 165-167 margin in the team matchup, with Sonora taking third at 170 points.

Channel Islands junior Uriel Texis triumphed in the boys varsity large school competition in 15:22.5.

Chino Hills captured the team victory with 109 points.

Agoura junior Reese Tamburro was victorious in the girls varsity small school race in 18:42.0, finishing just in front of Calabasas senior Sofia Francini in 18:45.9.

Hart prevailed in the team competition with 84 points.

Temecula Valley senior Rachel Thamer ran 18:54.8 to secure victory in the girls varsity large school race.

Liberty High of Menifee delivered a dominant team performance, winning with 47 points.