Bucks 30th in X-country invite

Posted on 22 September 2011 by LeslieM

Deerfield Beach’s Brandon Bejarano finishes 83rd in the 29th annual Spanish River Invitational Cross Country meet at South County Regional Park in West Boca Raton last Saturday. Bejarano ran a personal best 18:06.86 over the 3.1 mile course. Photo by Gary Curreri

By Gary Curreri

 

Deerfield Beach High boys cross country coach Jerry Guthrie believes this could be the best team he has had in years.

“They are better than they have ever been to start the year, that’s for sure,” said Guthrie after his team finished 30th in the star-studded 29th annual Spanish River Invitational Cross Country meet at South County Regional Park in West Boca Raton last Saturday. “Our top guy (Brandon Bejarano) finished 83rd in this race, but he had a PR.”

Bejarano, a sophomore, whose previous best time was 18:20, ran 18:06.86 over the 3.1 mile course and has given Guthrie reason for optimism. The last time the Bucks boys’ cross country team reached states was in 2003.

“I think we have a good chance to go to state,” said Guthrie, who has coached the Bucks team since 2000. “I have already had coaches come up to me this year and tell me they think we have a good chance this year, given the way we started. I am looking for two to be in the 16s and three to be in the 17s and we will go to state. I am excited.”

In addition to Bejarano, the other boys’ finishers included Cleezy Andre, a junior (93rd overall, 18:14.58), sophomore Aaron Johnson (188th overall, 19:58.27),  junior Brian Johnson (201st overall, 20:28.99), junior Jourdin Andre (219th overall, 20:53.98), sophomore Perry Tony (226th overall, 21:00.85) and junior Ryan Lacava (241st overall, 21:33.69).

The Bucks finished with 758 points and it is something that was not lost on Guthrie and the team. They had higher expectations.

“It takes them down a peg and shows them they have a lot of work to do,” Guthrie said. “Even though we did well in our first race and we are going to do well in the county, they see, in order to go to state, they have to work harder. They are already talking about it. It is very good for them.

“I expected them all to do a PR and they all did except for one, and he doesn’t know what happened,” Guthrie added. “He’ll be back. He came in second in the first race we had and then he was second to last today, but you have bad days. He had sore legs and said he had nothing left.”

With no seniors in his top seven, Guthrie has high hopes for the squad.

“All of my kids are sophomores and juniors,” Guthrie said. “It bodes well for the next couple of years, and I think we will be there at the end of the season.”

 

Ely downs Taravella

Blanche Ely quarterback Darren Allen rallied his team from a 17-0 halftime deficit to defeat Taravella, 20-17, in a high school football game on Friday night. Allen completed 15 of 25 passes for 152 yards, threw two touchdowns and rushing for another. A 15-yard touchdown catch by Ely’s Jordan Fields with just under two minutes remaining was the deciding score.

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