Schneider finished 15th out of 189 competitors in the Division II boys race. He ran the 3.1-mile Woodward Park course in 16:05, 24 seconds faster than his 2004 effort when he placed 52nd in Division I. Overall, out of the 944 male athletes that competed in five races last Saturday, Schneider's time was the 69th fastest.

In Division V, The King's Academy had full teams running in both the boys and girls races. Led by freshman Priya Pappu's 13th-place effort, the Knights placed sixth out of 20 teams in the girls competition. The boys team, paced by junior Sean Robinson (17:50), earned 13th out of 21 teams.

Pappu's run of 20:03 was 36 seconds better than senior teammate Jessica Butelo, who placed 26th. Juniors Monica Monari, Emily Henderson and Kristen Butelo, senior Samantha Mix and freshman Monica Junge also competed for the Knights.

Robinson placed 58th out of 168 runners in the Division V boys contest. Other members of the King's boys squad were senior Richie Jercha, juniors Anthony Laurel, Eric Miller and John Devilliers and sophomores Joe Sereda and Matt Giusti.

Homestead Cup

Most of the 38 high school boys soccer teams entered in the 12th annual Homestead Christmas Cup will be in action on Dec. 3 as group play continues with 16 games at five sites.

Hosted by Homestead and organized and directed by Mustangs coaches Luis Comesana and Jeff Kordes, the Christmas Cup has grown into one of the Bay Area's best pre-season soccer tournaments. This year's field features 20 teams from last winter's Central Coast Section playoffs, including defending Division I champion Watsonville and Division II winner Archbishop Mitty. Local teams competing in the event are Homestead, Cupertino, Fremont, Lynbrook, Monta Vista, Prospect, Saratoga, Leigh, Los Gatos, Pioneer, Leland, Lincoln and Willow Glen.

Homestead will host three games on Saturday, beginning at noon. The Mustangs and Lynbrook will clash at 1:45 p.m. Meanwhile, both Lincoln and Willow Glen will host five games Saturday, beginning at 8:30 a.m. Among the games set for Lincoln are Fremont-Lincoln at 10:15 a.m., Santa Cruz-Los Gatos at noon and Leland-Aptos at 3:30 p.m. At Willow Glen, a Harbor-Saratoga match follows the Rams' 1:45 p.m. contest against Menlo Atherton.

Other games Saturday include a 1 p.m. double-header at Mitty and Monta Vista's 2 p.m. clash at Gilroy. Two games also will be played on Dec. 5.

Knights win softball title

For the third consecutive year, The Kings Academy's junior high softball team is the Bay Area Christian Schools Athletic League champion. The Lady Knights dominated the 20-team league this fall, sporting a team batting average of .500 while rolling to a 13-1 record.

The Knights, who have posted a 36-2 during the last three years, lost their only game this season just before the playoffs. But the extra-inning defeat to Redwood Christian of San Leandro served as a wakeup call for manager Scott Efting's squad.

The Knights outscored four playoff opponents, 74-13, as they successfully defended their crown. Walnut Creek Christian put up a strong challenge in the semifinals, but the Knights won 10-6 and earned a rematch with Redwood. TKA avenged its only loss with a shutout win in the championship game.

Members of the "threepeat" Knights were Kathryn Chin, Tina Cook, Allison Wong, Ashlirae Scott, Meghan Green, Alex Viveiros, Kiley Soetje, Katie Martin, Rebecca Bliss, Rachel Witkovski, Shavaugn Sierras and Rachel Tubb.