Team News and Updates

Branson has 2 state Champs!

Thu, 20 May 2010 22:34:28 -0700

Pictures here.
At last Sunday's California High School Mountain Bike State Championships in Grass Valley, the Branson Mountain Bike Team pulled out a 2nd place team standing and 3rd place series overall standing in a field of 34 Division 2 schools from across the state. The good news doesn't stop there! Sophomore Eliel Anttila and Freshman Kate Courtney were both crowned State Champions and overall Norcal League Series winners in their respective races and divisions. Branson was the only team in the entire state to have two state champions this year!  Other results included Senior Will Patterson who, in his last high school race, placed 9th in Varsity. Junior Sven Beer finished 16th in Varsity. In JV, Graham Jessup finished 17th, Senior Evan Curhan finished 45th, and Padraig Minihane finished 50th in a large and competitive field. Sophomore John Ericson delivered yet another consistent 11th place result, while in Freshman division, Tim Morris finished 11th, RJ Pearce finished 20th, and Danny Lee finished 28th.  Outside of the league, Branson rider Danny Lee pulled off an overall win in his class at the Summit Shorttrack Race Series. Although he didn't podium, Tim Morris had a solid first race in his new category. Even though the NorCal Mountain Bike Race series is officially over, at least 5 of our Branson riders will be heading to Granby, CO for the USA Cycling Mountain Bike Nationals in mid-July. Wish them luck! GO BULLS!

Branson Fills the Podium

Thu, 13 May 2010 22:35:03 -0700

The Wednesday afternoon Summit Shorty Races up at McInnis Park continue and in this week's race, the Branson Freshmen dominated the podium in their race with Tim Morris placing a convincing first and Danny Lee a strong third. Sophomore Eliel Anttila placed third in his category. In addition to their practice rides and core workouts, these races are excellent preparation for the State Championships to be held on the picturesque Loma Rica Ranch in Grass Valley this weekend. If you are in the area for the Tour of California, come and see how well run and truly exciting these NorCal races are! And to correct an earlier mistake, Tim Morris placed third (not fourth as reported in the last update) in his second Summit Shorty race.

Fort Ord : Race 4

Thu, 6 May 2010 22:27:34 -0700

Last weekend in Monterey, the Branson Mountain Biking team made an impressive showing. Out of the twenty seven Division 2 high school teams, Branson is currently in third place. For such a small team, this is a significant achievement!  Individual results included two first place finishes: Eliel Anttila in the Sophomore category and Kate Courtney in JV. In the Varsity category, Will Patterson placed an impressive 6th place in a very competitive field of both Division 1 and 2 teams. John Ericson finished 11th in Sophomores, JV rider Graham Jessup and Freshman Danny Lee both pulled off a 21st finish in their respective categories and Sven Beer placed 32nd in the Varsity group.   Branson riders continue to develop their racing techniques outside league races. The Summit Shorty Race Series held at McInnis Park offers a short, fast and intense course. Yesterday, Danny Lee prevailed for a strong third place finish. In the other previous races, Freshman Tim Morris placed fourth and and Eliel Anttila got a second and a third place.   The team is preparing for the State Championships to be held in Grass Valley on Sunday, May 16. If you're in the area to watch the start of the Tour de California, then head on over to root for your Branson Bulls Mountain Biking Team!

Summit Shorty Series

Wed, 21 Apr 2010 20:55:51 -0700

The Branson MTB team posted some more good results today!

Tim got 4th in Cs at the Summit Shorty, while Danny had a solid race with a finish in the middle of the pack after fighting cramps and allergies early on in the race. Eliel finished second in the B class, just a bit behind first. A fun race, and good practice. Inexpensive, local, and a load of fun!

More about the Summit Shorty here.

Sea Otter Update

Mon, 19 Apr 2010 22:51:51 -0700

The 20th Sea Otter Classic was held under sunny skies in Monterey last weekend. Members of the Branson Mountain Bike team made a strong showing on the rugged 19 mile cross country course that wound up and down the coastal foothills near Laguna Seca.

Kate Courtney finished 4th in Category 1. Will Patterson got a 5th in Cat 1 (which rode the course twice for a total of 38 miles). In Category 2, Eliel Anttila placed 5th and Sven Beer got a 7th. Freshman Tim Morris placed 17th in Category 3.

As Coach Alexander price stated, "I am very proud of the team and impressed by how many are racing outside the league. Great Job!"

And if these strenuous races weren't enough....after riding the mountain bike race on Friday, Will got on his road bike and pulled off a 2nd place in the Category 5 Road Circuit on Saturday and then he and Sven headed back north to go to the Prom! Ah Spring! Ah Youth! Go Bulls!