Ytxzae Enriquez zipped through the last mile on Saturday to place 72nd in the CCCAA State Championships at Woodward Park in Fresno.
Enriquez, a freshman from Carpinteria High, covered the 4-mile course in 22:04. Teammate Jacob Schroder was 106th in 22:24.
"They ran together through three miles and then Ytxzae finished strongly to pass many runners and pull away from his teammate," said coach Scott Fickerson.
Enriquez was 102nd at the midway point and passed 30 runners in the last two miles.
San Diego Mesa won the team title, beating American River 37-65.
Ismael Ramirez of Sequoias won the race in 20:14, beating Stefen Rasmuson of San Diego Mesa by one second.
Ytxzae Enriquez Jacob Schroder
