FROGTOWN – Two members of the Orestimba High cross-country program produced strong performances in the post-season action on Saturday.

Competing at the CIF Sac-Joaquin Section Sub-Section Cross-Country Meet at Frogtown that is at the Calaveras County Fairgrounds, the Warriors’ Samantha De La Cruz and Joseph Garcia placed in the top 20 in their respective races.

“Samantha and Joseph both ran great races today,” said Orestimba head coach Scott Felber.

De La Cruz, a junior, took 14th place with a time of 20 minutes, 46.3 seconds in the Division IV varsity girls race.

In the D-IV varsity boys race, Garcia, who is also a junior, had a 27th place finish as he was clocked at 17:44.4.

The course in the foothills of Calaveras County was certainly a challenge for the two Warriors and everyone in all divisions competing.

“Frogtown is a tough course with some tough hills,” Felber said. “It takes a lot of grit and determination to be able to work their way up some of the toughest hills we run in just the first mile, continue to work and try to move up in the second mile and still be able to persevere through the more tough hills in the last mile. It’s not uncommon to see runners fall, turn an ankle, or need to visit the medics during or after the race.

“Any time my kids do well in a race there, it shows a lot about them.”

De La Cruz and Garcia have qualified for the section’s Cross-Country Meet championships at the Willow Hills Course on the Folsom High School campus this Saturday. The D-IV varsity boys race is scheduled to start at 10:30 a.m., while the D-IV varsity girls have a noon start time.

A maximum of five individuals, not on an automatic team entry and per the criteria in each division that qualify from this meet would advance to the CIF State Cross-Country

Mike Bush is a multimedia journalist who was born and raised in the Stanislaus and Merced County areas. Follow him on X/Twitter @MikeBMultimedia and Instagram @mikebushmedia.