When the Cat's away, the RATS will come out to play. And they came out with a bang! On a course that runs 1:10-1:20 slower than Mt. SAC, 16 teams traveled to Yucca Valley to compete in the 12th Annual Hi-Desert Classic. With the wind blowing a blustery 18-20 MPH & temps in the mid 80's, Granite Hills Boys & Yucca Valley Girls ran away from the competition.

Granite Hills dominated the boys competition, placing all 5 scorers in the top 16. They were led by Chris Rivera who placed 5th (16:59), out of 93 competitors. Their team score was a mere 38 pts., out distancing Los Osos by 36 pts. In 3rd place was Burroughs Ridgecrest with 114 pts. Individually, Allan Lloyd (Burroughs RC), won the race in 16:35, followed by Marcus Buckles (29 Palms), 16:50, & Brett Valencia (Los Osos), in 16:51. The course record is 15:52, set by Ryan Hall (Big Bear), in 1999.

On the girls side, the Trojans of Yucca Valley, successfully defended their title, scoring 43 pts to 2nd place finisher Los Osos with 64 pts. Estancia placed 3rd with a score of 74pts. The Lady Trojans were led by Emily Snyder, who placed 2nd (19:59) out of 80 competitors to Brianna Bently of Los Osos (19:52). Jzsanette Lindstrom (20:08), of Granite Hills rounded out the top 3 individuals. The Trojans placed all 5 scorers in the top 20 in a team time of 104:59, knocking 2:06 off the course record. The individual corse record is held by Joy Dahlberg (Hesperia), in 18:28, set in 1998.

In the lower level competitions, Los Osos took the JV Girls title with 31 pts. They were followed by Hesperia Christian (60 pts), & Hesperia (93 pts). Individually, Jacinda Fernandez won in a time of 21:51. Estancia captured the F/S Boys with a score of 33 pts. Granite Hills was 2nd (57 pts), & Hesperia was 3rd (80 pts). The individual winner was Miguel Perez of Estancia (18:21). Yucca Valley captured the JV Boys title with 38 pts, Burroughs was 2nd (67 pts.), & Hesperia Christian was 3rd (73 pts.) The individual winner was Keith Pasma of Los Osos (18:41).