Runners can State their place at Saturday's CIF championships at Woodward Park

The 37th running of the CIF State Cross-Country Championships — all at Fresno’s Woodward Park except when the meet wasn’t run in 2020 due to the COVID-19 pandemic — will take place Saturday.

It’s the best of the best throughout California and spread out among five divisions for boys and girls teams and individuals.

Among Kern County high schools, three teams — the McFarland High boys and girls and Del Oro boys — are running as a complete, seven-member team. The Cougars swept the CIF Central Section Division IV titles on Nov. 20. Del Oro boys were the Division III runner-up, losing the title by one point, but still qualified as a full team for State.

Individually, there are eight runners — two boys, six girls — competing in division races.

Salvador Quezada from Liberty, who was a fourth-place finisher in the section Division I boys race, will run in the Division I State race at 11:30 a.m. Ridgeview’s Yuridia Rivas-Sandoval, who was 13th in the section Division I girls race, competes in Division I State girls race at 1 p.m.

The day’s first State race at 8:30 a.m. has Centennial’s Shane Sparks in the field. Sparks was seventh in the section D-II final. Two girls are slated for the Division II State race at 9:30 a.m., Natalie Flores of Independence and Stockdale’s Adelyn Curran. Flores was the section D-II third-place finisher and Curran was fifth.

Del Oro boys, led by Noel Huato, will run at 9 a.m. in the Division III race and there are two girls in the State D-III race at 10 a.m. R.F. Kennedy’s Yazmin Ayala and Cesar Chavez’s Sarah Diaz were second and ninth overall in the section final.

McFarland’s boys team will run in the Division IV State race at 10:30 a.m. and the McFarland girls will be in the D-IV race at noon.

The lone local runner in the Division V State girls race is Garces’ Michelle Antongiovanni. The race will be run at 11 a.m.

All times are approximate, and could be delayed due to weather or other elements.

Tickets to attend the State Championships are $12 for general admission and $8 for children ages 5 and up, high school students and seniors. Children 4 and under are free. There is no charge for parking, but all spectators must purchase a ticket to enter the park for Saturday’s races. Tickets can only be purchased at gofan.co.