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CIF-SOUTHERN SECTION
CROSS-COUNTRY
DIVISIONAL FINALS
Saturday, November 22nd, 2008 @ Mt. SAC, Walnut
Dana Hills sweeps D1 titles! Boys run 76:41 (#2 all-time)!
Saugus girls motor again! CdM girls nip Orange Lutheran!
DIVISION I BOYS
Recap by Rich Gonzalez
Editor, DyeStatCal/ESPN RISE
Heavily favored Dana Hills wins with 71 points and the second-fastest team time in course history, with the Dolphins led by new CIF-SS
Individual champion Tyler Valdes (14:51) as all seven team members dip under 15:50! Rancho Cucamonga enjoys its best day in program
history with a stunning second-place finish in 77:48, shoring up their team gap to spread just 47 seconds at the championships!! Royal,
now healthy and hitting its stride, rallies big time with the revent return on Travis Edwards as the Highlanders rock to a third-place finish
and a tickety to Fresno --and six of those kids return next year! Arcadia, throwing down yet another strong effort in a season full of rock steady
performances, returns to Woodward Park! Upland, a team which suffered a major postseason setback a year ago, nails it just right to also
advance! Vista Murrieta was given a real scare here as the division's #2 team had only three finishers in the top 50 to place sixth but still
advance! El Toro wins the tug-of-war with Sea View League rival Trabuco Hills for the last berth to state, 193-210! Tyler Valdes used his
leg speed to win in pacing four runners under 15 minutes, with Crescenta Valley's Zack Torres (14:55) rallying to edge Mission Viejo's
James Cameron (14:56). Jose Lezama was fourth in 14:59, with Upland's John Guzman running the race of his life (15:02) to lead early
and hold for fifth! Lancaster's Pedro Zaragoza and Burbank Burroughs' Western Nelson join Torres, Cameron and Lezama as individual
qualifers to state! The top 10 finishers were all seniors! Top junior was Royal's Travis Edwards (15:20), top sophomore was Arcadia's
Ammar Moussa ((15:11), with Rancho Cucamonga's Luis Gutierrez rolling across the course to be the top frosh in 15:33!
DIVISION I BOYS CHAMPION DANA HILLS: Tyler Valdes (12), Ryan Valdes (12), Zak Phillips (12), Taylor Hogshead (12), Anthony
LaCambra (12), Blake Ahrold (11), Jesus Molina (11), Head Coach Tim Butler
Team results | Individual results
DIVISION II BOYS
Recap by Rich Gonzalez
Editor, DyeStatCal/ESPN RISE
The mega-showdown we expected between top-ranked Thousand Oaks and second-ranked Loyola fully materialized, with Loyola
answering the call with a great lead quartet and timely improvement at #5, but it STILL wasn't enough to reel in the Southern Section's
most improved program of 2008! The Lancers of Thousand Oaks gapped just 52 seconds and had its lead quarter all finish among the
top 20 individually to earn a 73-90 decision! Loyola, which clocked a Division II team-time record of 77:26, was led by sophomore and
newly crowned individual champion Elias Gedyon, who was timed in 14:50, fastest of the day by one second! Loyola beat Thousand
Oaks head-on at each of the first three scoring positions, but the Lancers responded with clearly superior depth to win the team title
and roll to a 77:45 clocking! Westlake, which ran very well on a shortened version of this course in Week #1 of the season, seemed to
go into partial hiding (also known as quality training mode) in midseason before returning with a roar here, with Coach Troy Burns'
crew earning a third-place finish here! Then the South Bay took over! South Torrance (169), Redondo Union (173) and North Torrance
(200) represented the South Bay with excellence in finishing 4th-5th-6th in the team standings! Ayala, a team outside of the divisional
top 10 for much of the year, had its best seasonal peak in ages with a 224-point effort that was just enough to upset powerful Saugus
(also 224). It came down to the sixth runner, with the Bulldogs' Cole Firman being the hero of the day! Gedyon was one of two runners
to break under 15:00, with the other being highly talented Edison of Huntington Beach junior Matt McElroy, who screamed to a big lifetime
PR of 14:58 on the course! Redondo Union's Cody Schmidt (15:02) edged sophomore Heyden Wooff of Camarillo (15:05), with Loyola
having two others under 15:10! Seniors J.P. Slater and Andres Diaz rolled across in 15:09! Schmidt was the top senior, McElroy was
the race's fastest junior, Gedyon was the fastest sophomore and Granite Hills' Ismael Griego paced the freshmen with his 16:13 effort!
DIVISION II BOYS CHAMPION THOUSAND OAKS: Asher Lober (12), Sean Gildea (12), Kevin Joerger (11), Anrew Snyder (12),
Donald Morrow (12), Hans Weidman (12), Spencer Woodworth (12), Head Coach Sean Morris
Team results | Individual results
DIVISION III BOYS
By Rich Gonzalez
Editor, DyeStatCal/ESPN RISE
Is the rest of the state paying attention? Did anyone else notice that only one Division I team -- that being U.S. #2 Dana
Hills -- ran faster than Barstow today? Yes, the Aztecs are rockin' and rollin' as promised, flexing their muscle with a team
focused on a four-peat state championship next weekend! Barstow absolutely dominated its race with four scorers among
the first 14 in the chute en route to a miniscule 32-point effort and a big 80-point victory margin. How confident is the group
heading into Fresno? When team leader and new CIF individual champion Isaac Chavez was approached by an NXN
representative shortly after the race regarding a potential individual berth, he politely interrupted the invitation, saying there
would be no need as the Aztecs were going to qualify as a team! Oh my! That's confidence, folks! Chavez, a senior, won the
race in 15:04, with teammates Andrew Romano (15:19), Jeremy Trujillo (15:43), Ian Barba (15:49) and Joshua Gomez (15:51).
So dominant and confident was the crew with no alternates that when one of its varsity seven forgot his uniform and could not
run, the team never missed a beat, scorching to Division III course record 77:46! The battle for the runner-up plaque was much
more fierce, with St. John Bosco capturing the honors s predicted! The Braves had no one in the top 15, but rode a dangerous
35-second gap to snare the title honors, 112-119, over another great packing crew in Palos Verdes (33-second compression).
PV won the head-on battle against SJB at the 1-2-5 scoring positions, but the Braves rode healthy advantages at 3-4 to earn the
win. Oak Park came on strong in November, as expected, to edge powerful Foothill of Santa Ana, 142-146, for fourth. It appeared
Foothill had only six finishers and is expected to be in the podium hunt again next week in Fresno! Orange Lutheran topped Golden
Valley, 172-178, for sixth, with both teams advancing to the state meet. That was an especially notable achievement for Golden
Valley, a newly opened school in the Santa Clarita area led by super junior Seth Totten. Non-scorers played a huge role at the front
of the race, with Apple Valley's Daniel Rosales (2nd in 15:09, the fastest junior in the race), South Pasadena's Samuel Pons (3rd in
15:11, the fastest sophomore), Westminster La Quinta's John Carrell (5th), Rim of the World's Dustin Fay (7th) and Beaumont's Victor
Delgado (8th) all claiming spots to state. Golden Valley's Danny Carrillo was the race's fastest frosh in 16:22.
DIVISION III BOYS CHAMPION BARSTOW: Isaac Chavez (12), Andrew Romano (12), Jeremy Trujillo (12), Ian Barba (12),
Joshua Gomez (12), Galen Miller (12), Head Coach Jim Duarte.
Team results | Individual results
DIVISION IV BOYS
By Rich Gonzalez
Editor, DyeStatCal/ESPN RISE
Big Bear appears ready for the state meet! The Bears gapped just 25 seconds in sticking all of their scorers among the first 14
finishers to win going away with 38 points and a stellar 81:14 team time, winning by 68 points and well over two minutes to set
up their anticipated showdown with McFarland next weekend in Fresno! Seniors Alex Caballero and Ryan Lambert finished
together (16:04 and 16:05, respectively), with all five scorers crossing in sub-16:30! We've been having a hard time deciding
who had the edge for the runner-up spot coming, with Laguna Beach and Morro Bay two sensational programs worthy of 24/7
respect. Such caution proved worthy, with Laguna Beach narrowly winning this round, 106-114, for the second-place plaque,
with these two class programs tangling again next week! San Juan Hills, a relatively new school in the San Juan Capistrano
area, performed like a veteran crew with the group sealing up fourth place by a comfortable margin here! Keep on eye on Coach
Dave Burdette's crew as five sophomores and two freshmen decorated this dangerous roster! From there, it was as crowded as
5:01 p.m. on an elevator as a whopping nine teams were within 61 points! Los Angeles Baptist, a team surely leaving its best for
last in 2008, was rock solid in the clutch, delivering a 205-point performance that sewed up fifth place. La Salle, with super talent
Austin Williams leading, kept rising throughout the fall, eventually settling for sixth place and a state-meet berth! The Lancers had
a huge spread (2:24), but covered it nicely with three in the top 30 scorers for a division that was fairly deep. Williams, in his very
first year on cross-country, continues to amaze! Harvard/Westlake, definitely appeared to struggle a tad here, but held together
just enough to secre the final bid to Fresno! Zach Oliver, an ultra-consistent senior talent with fine collegiate upside, was the
individual winner in 15:30, besting Oaks Christian's Charlie Petrie (15:36). Oliver, Petrie, Templeton's Paul Denlinger (8th), Nipomo's
Andrew Garcia (9th) and Oaks Christian's Hunter Hays (11th) were the individual qualifiers to state. Morro Bay's James Shipe, third
overall, was the fastest junior (15:37) in the Division IV field, while Laguna Beach's Matt Neev (16:30) and San Juan Hills' Brandon
Pugh (16:30) shared that same distinction among the sophomore and freshmen classes, respectively.
DIVISION IV BOYS CHAMPION BIG BEAR: Alex Caballero (12), Ryan Lambert (12), Jake Murie (11), Eric Jasperson (12),
Connor McCutcheon (11), Miles Fulton (12), Preston Carlisle (12), Head Coach Mickey Hall
Team results | Individual results
DIVISION V BOYS
By Rich Gonzalez
Editor, DyeStatCal/ESPN RISE
For their fans not wishing to leave the Southland during the upcoming holiday weekend, Woodcrest Christian runners saved
their best at Mt. SAC -- by one second! The Royals just barely bettered their team-time divisional record with a fine 80:24 clocking,
one second faster than at the Mt. SAC Invitational. Woodcrest Christian dominated up front, with senior team leader Jake Jeanson
(15:25) leading a small parade of three of the race's top four finishers, with Myles Scarano (third in 15:37) and Jess Brooks (fourth
in 15:57) giving chase! The Royals had all five scorers in the top 20 to score their race-winning 37 points! It was largely a battle of
Prep League teams from there, with league members Pasadena Poly (second with 60), Flintridge Prep (third with 78), Webb (fifth
with 145) and Chadwick (seventh with 232) all earning berths to state! Pasadena Poly impressed the most, with junior Wesley
Devoll stepping up very nicely to finish third overall and get the Panthers' scoring rolling! Flintridge Prep, now seemingly healthy
and fit, appears to have Connor Verreaux all the way back from injury, with the senior standout topping their finishers, just ahead
of sophomore teammate Jason Bunn. Thacher, whose girls school apparently opted not to compete this weekend despite qualifying
for the Finals, racked up 121 points to safely secure the fourth spot and being led by sophomore Will Callan. Webb, which split its
roster on occasion early on, began putting the pieces together nicely during the stretch drive, with its first four scorers separated by
a mere 13 seconds! St. Margaret's AGAIN came on well (as they always seem to do come playoff time) to earn a ticket to the state
meet, with despite having no one finish among the top 25 -- we call that balance! Chadwick barely managed to eke out a decison for
seventh place over Midland of Los Olivos, with the usually tough Dolphins having a very close call here, even with leader Scott Rodilitz
placing sixth. Chadwick earned the last sot, 232 to 233. Despite not advancing, Midland is quite a story. We're told the ultra small school
has only 42 male students ... and 38 of them run cross-country! Oh my! The school's 'gymnasium' is said to actually be a barn -- with a
dirt floor! he folks, I'm not making this stuff up! Kudos to Midland! Only four non-team scorers finished among the race's top 20 individuals
(a requirement to advance to state from the CIF-SS Finals), with Sage Hill's Lion Wintemute, Laguna Blanca's Kevin Lunn, Holy Martyr's
Eddie Mezian and Laguna Blanca's Parker Lilly, who recently returned from injury just in time! Jeanson was te race's fastest senior,
Devoll was the top junior (15:43, perhaps a school record), Scarano the top sophomore, and Woodcrest Christian's Zac Bianco (16:46)
as the top frosh!
DIVISION V BOYS CHAMPION WOODCREST CHRSTIAN: Jake Jeanson (12), Myles Scarano (10), Jesse Brooks (11), Jordan Branch
(12), Zac Bianco (9), Joel Henry (11), Craig Nelson (11), Head Coach Billy York
Team results | Individual results
DIVISION I GIRLS
Team results | Individual results
DIVISION II GIRLS
Team results | Individual results
DIVISION III GIRLS
Team results | Individual results
DIVISION IV GIRLS
Team results | Individual results
DIVISION V GIRLS
Team results | Individual results |
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