In inaugural cross country race, Clovis High’s Caudillo shows he’s still No. 1

The road to his final cross country season could have started out with fewer, speed-reducing turns on the 2-mile course at Woodward Park for Clovis High School senior Christopher Caudillo.

The defending state 1,600-meter champion figured that cost him a shot at the course record of 9 minutes, 3 seconds set by C.J. Albertson.

Caudillo finished first in the Fleet Feet Summer Sizzle with a time of 9:07 on Saturday (Aug. 13).

“I was hoping to go sub-9, but I wasn’t really familiar enough with the course,” said Caudillo, who added he wasn’t sure “where I was going a couple of times.”

Saturday’s win, he said, was “a boost of confidence” and shows him where he is right now.

That’s a problem that front runners encounter. Runner-up Carter Spradling of Clovis East was 15 seconds behind at 9:22.

Caudillo’s teammate, Joshua Delgadillo, a junior, was third in 9:24.

Delgadillo will be the one pushing Caudillo in practice, much like Nathaniel Ávila did last year before graduating and running for Fresno Pacific University.

“He’s just stepping up this year. He might even be better than Nathaniel was last year as a junior,” said Caudillo of Delgadillo.

“He’s really savvy. He’s able to keep up with me in workouts, and almost even on some.”

Caudillo has penciled in the state Division I individual title as his main goal, but defending team champion Newbury Park and its stable of elite runners will now move to Division II.

He is targeting a top 5k time this season in the 14:30s or even 14:20s.

Clovis High might be a contender with Caudillo, Delgadillo and junior Jalen Morales (a fifth-place time of 9:32 on Saturday). Clovis High won the team title with 47 points, ahead of Madera South (57 points) and Buchanan (63 points).

Does being one of the area’s top runners present a challenge in the form of expectations or pressure for Caudillo?

“I don’t really think much about how other people look at me,” said Caudillo. “There’s always pressure on you. You never overthink it.”

He sees an individual state title as a “boost of confidence.”

Caudillo did take a two-week break from running earlier this summer.

“It was a long season from the end of December all the way to mid-June. That’s a lot of running,” said Caudillo. “I took two weeks of just being a teenager again, just kind of enjoying myself.”

Buchanan High senior Noah Ray was fourth in 9:28.

Clovis High won the junior varsity team title with 39 points. Madera South freshman Miguel Rebollo won the individual race in 10:37.

Alta Sierra Intermediate won the middle school title with 18 points. Fresno Christian eighth-grader Blake Bay won the race in 10:35.

Nathaniel Ávila won the open race in 9:31.