Gabilan Division cross country finals

 I don't put much stock into Center Meets because teams treat all three meets differently over the course of the season.
 Plus, teams tend to run differently on courses.
 That being said, Salinas holding off San Benito by a point at last week's final cross country Center Meet wasn't a fluke.
 These teams are that close going into today's Gabilan Division boys cross country finals at Christmas Hill Park in Gilroy.
 Salinas has run well at this location, behind distance aces Alfred Mejia and Christoph Klemsz. The key will be the Cowboys depth.
 Can they squeeze another runner into the top 10? Can the bottom half of the crew remain ahead of the Balers, who seem to be hitting their stride at the right time.
 Defending champion North Salinas won't be a factor as a team. But Brandon Gutierrez has won all three Center Meets.
 Don't sleep on Alisal, who behind Jorge Rodriguez, beat Salinas earlier this year at the Salinas City Meet.
 Kayla Clayton has won all three Center Meets this fall for Salinas. Fending off defending champion San Benito means peak performances from her teammates.
 Don't be mislead by Salinas' 49-57 win over the Balers at the last Center Meet. San Benito treated it more as a workout and still had three girls in the top 10.
 Arshdeep Bains and Gezelle Vilanueva were both top 10 finishers at the last Center Meet for the Cowboys.
 Alisal's Yesenia Espinoza has continued to drop time all season, as has Sofia Camacho of North Salinas.