Morro Bay’s Festa Is Third in Boys’ Final

Senior Isaiah Festa of Morro Bay High battled a cold all week, but still finished third in the boys’ race of the Foot Locker national cross-country championships at Oaks Trail Golf Course at Shades of Green in Lake Buena Vista, Fla., on Saturday.

Festa struggled to a sixth-place finish in the West regional Dec. 6, but he bounced back Saturday with a time of 15 minutes 38.9 seconds over the sloppy, rain-drenched 5,000-meter course.

Senior Abdirizak Mohamud of Boston (Mass.) English High won in 15:22.7 to become the first two-time boys’ champion and junior Jorge Torres of Wheeling (Ill.) was second in 15:33.5.

In addition to Festa, three other seniors from the Southern Section finished in the top 15.

Ronnie Buchanan of Santa Maria Righetti was seventh in 15:50.2, Steve Smith of Chino Hills Ayala was 12th in 16:01.2 and Mark Gleason of Mission Viejo was 15th in 16:06.0.

Junior Lauren Fleshman of Canyon Country Canyon was the top Southern Section finisher in the girls’ race, placing 14th in 18:33.9.

Junior Erin Sullivan of Mt. Mansfield Union High in Jericho, Vt., won the girls’ title in 17:22.0. Junior Mariel Ettinger of La Grande (Ore.) was second in 17:51.1.