Student-athlete from Templeton competes in elite cross-country race
Templeton’s Josh Bell.
Templeton’s Josh Bell finished 40th at Woodbridge Classic
– Templeton’s Josh Bell finished 40th in an elite cross-country race in Orange County Friday evening. The 41st Woodbridge Classic in Irvine included hundreds of runners from 14 states. Many of the best high school distance runners competed in a series of races for boys and girls.
The final races of the evening featured some of the fastest runners, including Tyrone Gorze of Crater High School in Central Point, Oregon. In August, Gorze represented the US at the World Championships for athletes under 20. In Cali, Colombia, Gorze finished 12th in the 5,000 meters. He was the fastest US runner in that event. At the Woodbridge Classic, Gorze ran away from the field after a relatively slow first mile (4:36). He ran the second mile in just over 4:20. He finished in 13:41.8. Senior Taylor Echohawk of Orem, Utah finished second (13:49.3). Senior Liam Heninger of Mountain View, Utah was third (13:55.2).
Finishing in 5th place was sophomore Josiah Tostenson of Crater High School, Oregon (13:57.4). In 2021, Josiah set a national record in the mile for middle school students. He ran a 4:23 mile as an 8th grader. Last spring, he won the Nike National Freshman Mile in 4:20 at Eugene. Tostenson’s older brother ran for Georgetown University. His older sister competed for Boise State.
The boys’ team from Herriman, Utah won the featured race at Woodbridge Friday night. They placed first with 117 points (5, 9, 18, 30, 55). Crater High School, Oregon was second with 130 points (1, 4, 39, 43, 52). Southlake Carroll, Texas finished 3rd with 160 points (12, 29, 36,.41, 42). Clovis High School was 12th with 392 points (10, 54, 69, 100, 159).
In the girls’ premier race at the Woodbridge Classic, sophomore Sadie Englehardt of Ventura High School finished first in 15:42.6. Patsy Godsey of Oaks Christian, Calif., was second. Samantha Humphries of Lewisville Flower Mound High School, Texas finished third. In the girls’ team results, Buchanan High School of Fresno finished first with 91 points (10,11,12, 23, 35), Carrol High School of Southlake Texas finished second with 107. Culbertson, North Carolina was third with 129 points.
Last year, then-sophomore Josh Bell finished 18th at the California State High School Cross Country Championships in Fresno. He was the first sophomore to finish, and there were only two juniors ahead of him. The other 15 runners to place above him were seniors. This year’s California High School Cross Country Championships will be held at Woodward Park in Fresno on Saturday, Nov. 26.
