WALNUT — The temperature had just crossed 50 degrees when the CIF Southern Section’s Cross Country Championships started Saturday morning. It didn’t take long for things to start sizzling on the course. The Santiago Cross Country team pose for a photo with their runner up plaque at the CIF-SS Cross Country finals in Walnut on Saturday, Nov. 23, 2024. (Photo by Paul Rodriguez, Contributing Photographer) Megan Crum, center, of Temescal Canyon starts the Division 1 race at the CIF-SS Cross Country finals in Walnut on Saturday, Nov. 23, 2024. (Photo by Paul Rodriguez, Contributing Photographer) Sarah Kim, left, of Woodcrest Christian, passes Jeanna-Marie Lotz of Arrowhead Christian during the Division 5 race at the CIF-SS Cross Country finals in Walnut on Saturday, Nov. 23, 2024. (Photo by Paul Rodriguez, Contributing Photographer) Braeyln Combe of Santiago competes in the Division 1 race at the CIF-SS Cross Country finals in Walnut on Saturday, Nov. 23, 2024. (Photo by Paul Rodriguez, Contributing Photographer) Isla Bulmer, center, of Claremont competes in the Division 2 race at the CIF-SS Cross Country finals in Walnut on Saturday, Nov. 23, 2024. (Photo by Paul Rodriguez, Contributing Photographer) Racers begin the Division 2 Girls race at the CIF-SS Cross Country finals in Walnut on Saturday, Nov. 23, 2024. (Photo by Paul Rodriguez, Contributing Photographer) Maddie Caughey of Big Bear accepts her award medal at the CIF-SS Cross Country finals in Walnut on Saturday, Nov. 23, 2024. (Photo by Paul Rodriguez, Contributing Photographer) Maddie Caughey, center, of Big Bear, center, takes off at the start of the Division 4 race at the CIF-SS Cross Country finals in Walnut on Saturday, Nov. 23, 2024. (Photo by Paul Rodriguez, Contributing Photographer) Maddie Caughey, right, of Big Bear, runs the Gauntlet part of the course during the Division 4 race at the CIF-SS Cross Country finals in Walnut on Saturday, Nov. 23, 2024. (Photo by Paul Rodriguez, Contributing Photographer) Leah Slagter of Arrowhead Christian Academy competes in the Division 5 race at the CIF-SS Cross Country finals in Walnut on Saturday, Nov. 23, 2024. (Photo by Paul Rodriguez, Contributing Photographer) Kiera Domieden of Redlands East Valley collapses after finishing the Division 3 race at the CIF-SS Cross Country finals in Walnut on Saturday, Nov. 23, 2024. (Photo by Paul Rodriguez, Contributing Photographer) Katie Hornung, center, of Redlands East Valley recovers as she finishes the Division 3 race at the CIF-SS Cross Country finals in Walnut on Saturday, Nov. 23, 2024. (Photo by Paul Rodriguez, Contributing Photographer) Rylee Blade of Santiago, center, begins the Division 1 race at the CIF-SS Cross Country finals in Walnut on Saturday, Nov. 23, 2024. (Photo by Paul Rodriguez, Contributing Photographer) Show Caption1 of 13The Santiago Cross Country team pose for a photo with their runner up plaque at the CIF-SS Cross Country finals in Walnut on Saturday, Nov. 23, 2024. (Photo by Paul Rodriguez, Contributing Photographer) Expand The first race of the morning at Mt. San Antonio College was the Division 1 girls championship, and the much-awaited showdown between Trabuco Hills and Santiago. Santiago defeated Trabuco Hills by 16 points last season to claim the team championship, and the Sharks went on to captured the CIF State Division I crown. Trabuco Hills exacted some revenge Saturday, outpacing the Sharks for a 36-67 victory and the program’s first section title following five runner-up finishes. Depth was the key for Trabuco Hills, which had fours runners finish in the top nine. The Mustangs had better finishes than Santiago in all five of the scoring spots. “Trabuco Hills is the No. 1-ranked team in the Southern Section. They came out and did what they were supposed to do,” Santiago coach Rick Etheridge said. “We’re going to reflect on this and come together as a group and as a family this coming week. We’ll give it our best effort (at state) and see what happens.” Santiago’s Rylee Blade also was looking to defend her Division 1 individual title Saturday. Blade set a blistering pace early and led the Trabuco Hills duo of Holly Barker and Millie Bayles by 5.3 seconds and 6.5 seconds, respectively, after the opening mile of the race. Santiago Braelyn Combe trailed her teammate by 6.1 seconds. Barker and Bayles worked in tandem during the second mile, and trimmed Blade’s lead to less than two seconds as the final mile started. Barker and Bayles eventually overtook Blade and finished 1-2 with times of 16:40.7 and 16:45.6, respectively. Blade was third at 16:40.6, while Combe was fourth at 17:08.5. “I’m disappointed with the result but happy with how I was able to overcome a few things during the race,” said Blade, who signed with Florida State earlier this month. “I believe everything happens for a reason, and I feel I will come out stronger because of this… It gives me motivation to get back to work.” For Blade, that means preparing for her final CIF State meet at Woodward Park in Fresno on Saturday, Nov. 30. Blade is the defending Division I champion. Audrey Buckley also turned in a strong performance for the Sharks on Saturday morning, as she finished 12th in the Division 1 race with a time of 18:00.5. Santiago was 1 of 3 Inland girls teams to advance to the state meet from Division 1 race. King was fifth, led by strong runs by Elizabeth Jacklin (14th, 18:07.4) and Natalie Drewitz (15th, 18:10.4). Great Oak placed seventh to secure the final Division 1 qualify spot. The Wolfpack were led by Makenna Mitchell (20th, 18:19.5). Three Inland runners earned Division 1 state qualifying spots as individuals. Temescal Canyon’s Megan Crum crossed the line fifth with a time of 17:31.8. “I’m really happy with that time. That’s a 10-second PR for me,” Crum said. “I knew it was going to be a super-fast pace with some of the runners out there, so I tried to keep myself in good position. I wanted to control my pace on the hills, and I did that. I was the top individual qualifier, so I’m happy with that.” Vista Murrieta’s Erika Kirk (eighth, 17:41.8) and Rancho Cucamonga’s Nicole Alfred (10th, 17:49.3) qualified for state for the fourth consecutive season. Claremont and Murrieta Valley finished fourth and fifth, respectively, in the Division 2 team standings to advance to the state meet. Isla Bulmer led the way for Claremont with a 10th-place finish (18:02.5). Grace Smith was 12th (18:19.7) and Jillian Terrazas was finished 17th (18:28.27). “We had some girls really step up for us today,” Claremont co-coach Mark Batres. “Jillian ran amazing, and Kaitlyn Smith (19:48.7) also had a strong race.” Related Articles High School Sports | Woodcrest Christian’s Eyan Turk and King’s Maximo Zavaleta claim CIF Southern cross country titles High School Sports | California School for the Deaf-Riverside football team rallies past Flintridge Prep to win third straight section title High School Sports | Murrieta Valley football survives Oaks Christian to reach CIF Division 2 title game High School Sports | La Serna football cruises past Summit in CIF-SS Division 5 semifinal High School Sports | Centennial football falls to No. 1 Mater Dei in CIF-SS Division 1 semifinals Murrieta Valley was led by a fourth-place finish by Jordin Lieberman (17:48.8). Arielle Avina finished 11th for the Nighthawks with a time of 18:16.5. Big Bear was the sixth Inland girls squad to qualify for the state meet, as the Bears finished sixth in the Division 4 standings. Maddie Caughey finished 15th with a time of 18:54.6, and Ahzira Camara was 35th in 19:58.8. Three Inland runners qualified for state as individuals from the Division 5 race. Arrowhead Christian Academy had two of those runners: Jeanna-Marie Lotz, who finished fourth in 19:28.3, and Leah Slagter, who was seventh in 19:37.5. Woodcrest Christian’s Sarah Kim placed fifth in a time of 19:32.1.