CROSS COUNTRY TEAMS HONOR SLV RUNNER CASH EBRIGHT
Dozens of runners race with headbands, an Ebright trademark
FELTON >> Cross country runners from Scotts Valley and San Lorenzo Valley highs — joined by Cougars’ football players who briefly stepped away from practice — gathered at the starting line of the 2.92-mile course Thursday to pay tribute to SLV runner Cash Ebright.
The Cougars’ senior, 17, was pulled deep into North Coast waters off the shore of Laguna Creek Beach on Sept. 20. His body was found six days later.
Ebright was a standout on the Cougars’ cross country and track and field teams who enjoyed automobile restoration, snowboarding, boxing and downhill mountain biking.
He loved being active and the runners knew there was no better way to honor than him than to run like him. Ebright always wore a headband while running, so others did the same Thursday.
“Cash was like a really good friend,” said Marco Evans, a senior for the Cougars. “I didn’t know him outside
of running, but I ran with him almost every day for a long time. It’s really sad that we lost him, but we’re going to live out life for him, live like he did, give it our all, put everything you got into whatever you’re doing.”
As a sophomore, Ebright finished fourth at the 2019 SCCAL Championships, completing Pinto Lake Park’s 2.97-mile course in 15:15 — just five seconds off the pace of champion Jeremy Kain of Scotts Valley.
Ebright loved to run with a headband, and nearly everyone who observed the moment of silence was wearing a red one — boys and girls from both teams, parents and coaches. SLV’s school colors are red, black and white.
Others, who knew him more closely, including those who competed with him years ago in the Junior Olympics, wore two headbands, the second being white with a pattern.
Once the starting gun sounded, the football team roared with enthusiasm as the banded runners raced from the track into Henry Cowell Redwoods State Park — a bunch of banded ants dwarfed by towering trees — and out again.
The runners ran for themselves, they ran for Ebright and they ran with a smile on their faces. It has been said that running is therapeutic; Thursday was a double dose of it.
“It was a really fun race to be a part of and honor Cash,” said Haven Finley, a junior for the Cougars. “It’s the last league meet and last home meet too for the seniors, so it was kinda emotional. But it was a really fun race, in general.
“I hope he’s proud of us and I hope he’s doing well up there. We miss him.”
Falcons coach Todd Hoffman, at the behest of his athletes, ordered dozens of custom headbands to hand out to the runners and those in attendance.
“It was good for our runners and we wanted to support SLV runners — one big family, this community,” Hoffman said.
Some of Hoffman’s runners not only competed with against Ebright, but with him. He said it has been a difficult month for those who knew the colorful Cougar.
“Now, I think they’re really happy to be able to celebrate Cash,” Hoffman said. “This isn’t anything but a celebration to honor his memory and what he meant to everybody.”
Kain, who recently committed to Duke University, competed with Ebright in the Junior Olympics; they won a national championship as teammates.
“Just being with him and racing against him and having some genuine conversations with him is what I look back on — the good memories,” Kain said. “I think it’s kinda cool do this small thing in honor of Cash today. It’s, obviously, definitely a bummer, but its good that we’re getting to live through Cash a little bit here with the headbands.”
Scotts Valley sophomore Ashlyn Boothby — the defending SCCAL champion — won the girls’ race in 21:34. SLV’s Finley was second in 23:16 and followed by Falcons sophomore Dresden Brabo (23:45), her senior teammate, Greta Feague (23:48), and Cougars junior Colleen Murata (23:54).
Falcons junior Amber Boothby didn’t wear a sticker (bib), but ran her first race after sitting the past three with a pulled quadriceps muscle. She went at her own pace so
she wouldn’t further aggravate it heading into the SCCAL Championships at Pinto Lake Park on Nov. 4.
“I talked to Todd and said ‘ I feel like I can try and it might be a nice confidence builder for me,’ ” said Amber, the SCCAL
individual cross country champion in 2019, “Because I’ve been really nervous about getting back into racing. So I though if I could if I could try it and run it lighter than I normally would, it might help me with league.”
Following the race, she said she felt “really good.”
Kain, the two-time defending SCCAL champion, won the boys’ race in 18:51. Senior teammate Austin George was second in 19:07.
Scotts Valley’s Ryder Brabo, an SCCAL title contender,
didn’t run as he recovers from illness.
Evans was the only SLV finisher in the top nine. He crossed the finish line in 19:49 and was followed by Falcons juniors Jonah Verinsky (20:09) and Aiden Boothby (20:40).