Led by top contender Blade and impact transfers Combe and Siana, Santiago seeks first section crown in program history at Mt. SAC, along with possible state title and NXN berth

By Landon Negri for DyeStat

On perhaps the precipice of greatness, Corona Santiago High cross country coach Ricky Etheridge pointed to a mid-September result as his best benchmark.

“One beautiful thing about that is our girls finished seventh without the transfers – that was our highest finish ever,” Etheridge, in his 10th season, said of the Bob Day girls sweepstakes race Sept. 16 at the 42nd Woodbridge Cross Country Classic.

“We were going to be a great team this year, with or without the transfers. But hey, our arms are wide open and welcoming to whoever wants to be a part of our program.”

Perhaps that race was a harbinger of things to come for the south Corona high school. Perhaps it was the addition of transfer standouts Braelyn Combe and Madilyn Siana from Rancho Cucamonga, perhaps it was the continued success and leadership of Rylee Blade, or perhaps it was the development of the rest of the Sharks’ young roster.

More likely, it was the combination of all those factors that has Santiago’s girls entering the CIF-Southern Section championship meet Saturday eyeing a first section title.

Ranked No. 1 in Division 1, the Sharks will have to defeat second-ranked Trabuco Hills and third-ranked Saugus in the 8:45 a.m. PST final, likely contested on the emergency rain course at Mt. SAC in Walnut, in order to reach the promised land of a section title.

The Sharks’ ultimate goals, though, are higher. Blade says a Nike Cross Nationals berth Dec. 2 at Glendoveer Golf Course in Oregon, a state title or podium appearance and, yes, a section crown, are on their list.

“It would mean a lot because we’ve never done it in school history,” Blade said.

Two years ago, the Sharks squeaked into qualifying for the state meet, getting in No. 7 from their finals race. Blade was 12th her freshman year at the section finals, Audrey Buckley was 22nd, and Santiago ultimately placed 15th in Division 1 at the state championships.

They came back stronger last year, as Santiago was second in Division 1 by a 76-81 margin behind perennial power Great Oak at the section championship meet.

Individually, Blade ran third behind Division 1 champion Kelli Gaffney of Great Oak and Santa Monica’s Phoebe Benun. As a team, Santiago was ninth.

Good, but not good enough.

“Last year, we were runners-up at CIF,” Buckley said. “That feeling has not left.”

Santiago opened this season by placing second to Division 4 title favorite JSerra High by a 43-101 margin in the Sundown Showdown race at the ASICS Cool Breeze Invitational, followed by the aforementioned seventh-place Woodbridge showing.

Add in Combe and Siana, and that helped produce a fourth-place finish Oct. 7 at the ASICS Clovis Invitational, led by Blade (second, 16:45.8) and Combe (eighth, 17:49.8).

Two weeks later, at the 75th Mt. SAC Invitational, Blade was able to sit as the Sharks finished second in the Division 1-2 sweepstakes race, with Combe emerging victorious in 17:33.0 on the traditional 2.93-mile layout. By the time this past weekend arrived, Santiago rolled through its heat in Division 1, despite sitting four starters.

“We saw it this weekend,” Blade said of the Sharks’ depth. “We were able to not run with four people and still were able to come out with the win.”

As one of the top runners in Southern California, Blade has been more than an ace, though she’s been that, as well, placing second at last year's state meet in 17:36.5.

“It really boils down to Rylee’s focus,” Etheridge said. “There's athletes that want to talk about being good, but not willing to work at being that good – I’m talking about elite. It’s the mental focus, so Rylee has made the switch in her head, so now everything she does revolves around being at her best when it comes time to run.

“Rylee has dedicated her life to being the very best runner she can be,” he added. “That mindset is hard to come by.”

In turn, she certainly helped set a precedent for other Santiago runners.

“When you’re a leader who is the caliber of Rylee Blade, she takes the pressure off of everyone else,” Etheridge said.

Sophomore Taylor Davis bought in. She finished third in the Big VIII Championships earlier this month in Eastvale.

“I feel like I’ve grown more as a person from this year to last year,” Davis said. “A lot of that is that I’ve grown to love this sport a lot more. Last year, I didn’t like running; I didn’t like the workouts.

“Having the two transfers coming in, I knew there’d be six solid runners,” she added. “I didn’t really want to be that sixth runner and not scoring. I took it a lot more serious.”

Last season, Combe was part of a group at Rancho Cucamonga team that was third behind Great Oak and Santiago at section finals.

As opportunity beckoned at Santiago, “it was just a great opportunity for me in Coach Etheridge and hopefully, a strong future in running,” she said.

The move has been a boon, even with friends still at Rancho. Combe still counts the Cougars’ Nicole Alfred as one of her best friends.

“It’s been really fun,” she said. “I’m really happy with not only me, but everyone on the team has improved so much. Especially Rylee. It’s insane to be on a team with someone who is one of the top runners in the country.”

Siana, the Sharks’ only senior, summed up her feelings in similar fashion.

“I would say I feel more confident, especially when it comes to my teammates seeing their dedication,” she said. “I know I can depend on them.”

It’s those intangibles that has Santiago believing it’s a true team coming together at just the right time.

“My vision is to build impact, young runners, train them up to become elite, and athletes who can possibly compete and go to college on scholarships,” Etheridge said.