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East County runners finish strong at state meet

Posted Dec. 1, 2008
The Footlocker national high school cross country championships put an official end to the 2008 season Dec. 13 at Balboa Park's Morley Field. The top 10 runners from each of four regional championships qualify for the elite field. East County runners certainly put on a grand show at last weekend's state championship meet in Fresno, with San Diego Section team champions Monte Vista (boys Division III) and Valhalla (girls Division II) placing ninth and 20th, respectively, in their divisions.

A total of three East County teams qualified for this year's state championships. Christian, which finished second in the Division IV boys section finals Nov. 22 at Balboa Park's Morley Field, placed 17th in its division at the state meet.

Monte Vista out-pointed University City 55-77 to capture this year's boys Division III section team title. Junior Dillon Breen was the top Monarch finisher in the 3.04-mile race, placing fifth in 16:52, followed by two senior teammates who also earned all-division honors (top 10 finishers): Jose Morales (sixth, 16:56) and Misikir Mentose (ninth, 17:04). Monte Vista had two more runners finish among the top 20 place-finishers: junior Terry Winters (17th, 17:19) and senior Mark Wassmer (18th, 17:23).

At the state finals a week later, Breen (33rd, 16:07) and Mentose (55th, 16:19) were the Monarchs' top finishers, followed by Wassmer (56th, 16:19), Morales (60th, 16:21), Winters (162nd, 17:40), Alfredo Beltran (164th, 17:43) and Juve Stangland (180th, 18:14). Monte Vista finished first among the three San Diego Section team entrants -- University City (12th) and Valley Center (14th).

University City senior Mac Fleet captured the boys Division III individual title with a time of 15:08.

Valhalla recorded a 30-point scoring bulge on runner-up Westview to capture this year's girls Division II section championship. Leading the way for the Norsemen on the 2.75-mile course were sophomores Paige Hughes (sixth, 17:28), Megan Hughes (11th, 17:58) and Danielle Wilson (12th, 18:04), freshman Rebecca Rodriguez (16th, 18:08) and seniors Lauren Carlton (19th, 18:12), Laura Straight (84th, 20:01) and Brittany Crandall (99th, 20:34).

At the state finals, Valhalla finished behind Westview (16th) and Bonita Vista (19th). Only Paige Hughes was able to crack the top half of the 190-deep field by finishing 47th in 18:56 on the 5K course. Megan Hughes placed 111th in 19:56 and Carlton finished 114th in 19:58.

Christian trailed boys section Division IV champion La Jolla Country Day by a mere 11 points at Morley Field, led by individual division champion Jesse Beason (17:05) and ninth-place finisher Michael May (17:59). Daniel Struass (12th, 18:05), Jacob Cruz (18th, 18:26) and Garrett Crouder (28th, 19:08) rounded out the Patriots' five-man scoring contingent while Aaron VanOmering (50th, 20:08) and Kevin McIntire (63rd, 20:42) rounded out the team's seven-man team.

Beason, a senior, won by a whopping 25-second margin over runner-up Lee Klitzner of LJCD for top individual honors in the 105-deep field.

Beason (21st,16:23 ), May (93rd, 17:24), Struass (119th, 17:40), Cruz (132nd, 17:51), Crouder (169th, 18:31), Van Omering (183rd, 19:05) and McIntire (188th, 19:28) finished in that order at the state championship meet as Christian wound up 40 points behind 15th-place LJCD.

The Patriots are loaded with underclassmen as May, Struass and Crouder are all sophomores

Besides the three team entrants, there were eight East County runners who qualified to compete at this year's state championship meet on an individual basis (top five runners not on a qualified team at the section finals).

Top individual performances at this year's state finals included those by West Hills senior Marcus Nelson (37th, boys Division II), El Capitan senior Nick Bedrosian (46th, boys Division II) and Mt. Miguel junior Dylan Marx (56th, boys Division II).

Other individual state qualifiers included Santana junior Kyle Moran (101st, boys Division III), Christian junior Taryn Dunton (113th, girls Division IV), Foothills Christian junior Kelsey Chiodo (116th, girls Division V) and Foothills Christian freshmen Amanda Edwards (130th, girls Division V) and Ali Rollins (154th, girls Division V).

Section notepad
Nelson qualified as the runner-up in the boys Division II race at the section finals, posting a16:19 time on the 3.04-mile Morley Field course and trailing race winner Mohamed Dahir of Hoover by 16 seconds. Bedrosian, who edged Nelson by eight seconds for top individual honors at this year's Grossmont North League finals, finished fourth at the section Division II championships in 16:40 while Marx was seventh in the same field in 16:52.

Christian missed qualifying as a team in the girls Division V race by placing third, trailing runner-up Triu-City Christian by 11 points for the final state qualifying berth.

West Hills senior Kelsey Hall – this year's Grossmont North League individual champion -- just missed the final individual qualifying spot in the girls Division II race by two seconds, finishing eighth in 17:37. Helix senior Chase Roberts finished eighth in the boys Division II race -- missing the final state individual berth by three seconds.

Monte Vista's Mentose and Valhalla's Paige Hughes were the respective boys and girls Grossmont South League champions.

Grossmont Conference Championship Finals
Grossmont South League
Top boys finishers: 1. Misikir Mentose (Monte Vista, 12) 16:46; 2. Jose Morales (Monte Vista, 12) 16:46; 3. Adam Steinert (Valhalla, 12) 16:53; 4. Dillon Breen (Monte Vista, 11) 16:58; 5. Ryan Lawler (Steele Canyon, 11) 17:16; 6. Dylan Marx (Mt. Miguel, 11) 17:24; 7. Lee McCalister (Helix, 10) 17:30; 8. Mark Wassmer (Monte Vista, 12) 17:31; 9. Aaron Weston (Steele Canyon, 10) 17:39; 10. Terry Winters (Monte Vista, 11) 17:40.

Top girls finishers: 1. Paige Hughes (Valhalla, 10) 16:03; 2. Lauren Parr (Steele Canyon, 12) 16:17; 3. Rebecca Judd (Granite Hills, 12); 4. Megan Hughes (Valhalla, 10) 16:22; 5. Valerie Hycz (Monte Vista, 11); 6. Danielle Wilson (Valhalla, 10) 16:25; 7. Chelsey Harmeson (Steele Canyon, 10) 16:27; 8. Christie Hendel (Steele Canyon, 11) 16:29; 9. Lauren Carlton (Valhalla, 12) 16:31; 10. Ashley SDchramm (Helix, 11) 16:36.

Boys team scores: 1. Monte Vista 25; 2. Steele Canyon 53; 3. Valhalla 78; 4. Helix 108; 5. Mt. Miguel 118; 6. Granite Hills 145

Girls team scores: 1. Steele Canyon 40; 2. Valhalla 48; 3. Granite Hills 73; 4. Helix 86; 5. Monte Vista 113; 6. Mt. Miguel 169

Grossmont North League
Top boys finishers: 1. Nick Bedrosian (El Capitan, 12) 16:40; 2. Marcus Nelson (West Hills, 12) 16:48; 3. Kyle Moran (Santana, 11) 17:19; 4. Johnny Williams (El Capitan, 12) 17:36); 5. Jason Gordon (Santana, 12) 17:48; 6. Billy Gange (Grossmont, 12) 17:48; 7. Aaron Thomas (Grossmont, 11) 17:56; 8. Parry Thorton (Grossmont, 12) 17:59; 9. Anthony Martorana (West Hills, 11) 18:03; 10. Garrett Gordon (Santana, 10) 18:10.

Top girls finishers:1. Kelsey Hall (West Hills, 12) 16:11; 2. Katie Martin (El Capitan, 12) 16:29; 3. Deidra Spinler (El Cajon Valley, 12) 16:35; 4. Karina Pundeff (Grossmont, 11) 16:56; 5. Alyssa Medina (El Capitan, 10) 17:05; 6. Cualli Hernandez (El Capitan, 11) 17:09; 7. Isabelle Boufford (Grossmont, 9) 17:12; 8. Rochelle Leavitt (El Capitan, 12) 17:14; 9. De Ghandour (West Hills, 9) 17:23; 10. Nicole Polselli (West Hills, 11) 17:27.

Boys team scores: 1. Santana 43; 2. El Capitan 54; 3. Grossmont 59; 4. West Hills 82; 5. El Cajon Valley 125

Girls team scores: 1. El Capitan 36; 2. Grossmont 49; 3. West Hills 49; 4. El Cajon Valley 97

State Finals/Metro Conference
Barons build on Lancers' fabled foundation

Posted Dec. 3, 2008
The records speak for themselves.

In 1984, Hilltop scored a cross country coup of sorts when its boys team, under the direction of Ian Cumming, captured the San Diego Section Class 2A team championship and the Lancers' girls team, under the direction of Dale Fleet, placed runner-up in the Class 2A team standings.

How good were these teams? For several weeks in the middle of the season, the Hilltop girls team was ranked No. 1 in the state.

But there was no state championship meet at that time. The first official cross country state championship meet was held in 1987 and the heralded event has remained in Fresno's Woodward Park since then.

The Bonita Vista cross country team got a chance to make history of its own by sending both its boys and girls squads to Fresno, thereby becoming what is believed to be the first Metro Conference team to qualify both its boys and girls teams for the state championship meet.

In going where no Metro program had gone before, the Barons didn't do such a bad job with a young contingent of qualifiers. The Bonita Vista boys team, buoyed by four underclassmen, placed 13th out of 23 Division II teams The BV girls team, also boasting four underclassmen, finished 19th.

Junior Alfredo Rodriguez was the Barons' top male finisher with a time of 16:04 on the 5K course, placing 42nd in the 195-deep field. Following Rodriguez' lead were sophomore Shinaloa Agbede (47th, 16:07), seniors David Garcia (108th, 16:42) and Eric Osuna (126th, 16:54), juniors Marco Gutierrez (145th, 17:07) and Jonathan Motale (164th, 17:27) and senior Juan Garcia (17rd, 17:42).

Sophomore Cristina Hernandez led the Bonita Vista girls on the 5K course, timing 19:04 to finish 55th in the 190-deep field. Following her lead were senior Cynthia Alvarez (86th, 19:38), sophomore Sofia Garcia (132nd, 20:21), junior Cassandra Luna (140th, 20:37), senior Jazmine Jurado (143rd, 20:43), freshman Nancy Bell (154th, 21:01) and senior Julia Aguilar (165th, 21:35).

Among the conference's three individual qualifiers, Otay Ranch junior Jacob Roach recorded a time of 15:47 to finish 32nd in the 194-deep boys Division I field while Hilltop senior Tanya Valenzuela (18:35) and Sweetwater junior Aylin Mejia (19:01) placed 26th and 50th, respectively in the girls Division II field.

University City senior Mac Fleet won the boys Division III title while Our Lady of Peace senior Sammy Silva won the girls Division III title. Other top San Diego Section place-finishers included Torrey Pines' Alli Billmeyer and Megan Morgan, who finished third and fourth, respectively, in the girls Division I race, Lincoln senior Elizabeth Apgar (fifth in the girls Division II field) and University City senior Sheree Shea.(fourth in the girls Division III field).

San Diego Section Championships
Bonita Vista Barons: 2008 ... a state odyssey
Bonita Vista boys, girls teams make history as double state meet qualifiers

Posted Nov. 26, 2008
Is it true?

The speculation began almost immediately after the Bonita Vista boys and girls cross country teams qualified for this weekend’s state championship meet by placing second and third, respectively, at last Saturday’s San Diego Section Division II finals at Balboa Park’s Morley Field.

The top three teams in the section’s larger enrollment divisions advanced to Saturday’s state championship meet in Fresno.

The last time the Barons sent a boys team to the Central Valley was in 2005. Bonita Vista narrowly missed sending a girls team to the state finals in 1993 when only the top two teams in each division at the section finals advanced.

Understandably, coaches and athletes alike were left scratching their heads as to whether this marks the first time in school history that both the boys and girls teams qualified for the state meet in the same season.

Preliminary research indicates that just might be so. In fact, it could be the first time any school from the Metro Conference has accomplished that feat. Hilltop won the boys Class 2A title in 1984 while the Lancer gilrs finished second but that was before an official state meet started.

In any event, the 2008 Barons are certainly basking in the afterglow of their accomplishment.

Mt. Carmel captured the boys Division II team title with a score of 78 points, followed by Bonita Vista with 95 points and Westview with 131 points. The Barons, who finished the regular season ranked 10th overall in the section, had two runners place among the top 10 finishers (all-division honors) and placed all their five scorers among the top 36 finishers in a 140-deep field.

Junior Alfredo Rodriguez led the Barons with a sixth-place individual finish in 16:50 on the 3.04-mile course, followed by sophomore Shinaloa Agbede in 10th place in 16:57. Senior Eric Osuna finished 22nd in 17:40, followed by junior teammate Marco Gutierrez in 26th in 17:46. Senior David Garcia (17:57) was the team’s fifth scorer in 36th place. Junior Jonathan Motale (49th, 18:13) and senior Juan Garcia (57th, 18:31) finished as the team’s sixth and seventh runners, respectively.

Hoover senior Mohamed Dahir was the first to cross the finish line in 16:03, followed by West Hills senior Marcus Nelson in 16:19.

Bonita Vista finished with 112 points in the girls Division II field to trail division champion Valhalla (60 points) and runner-up Westview (90 points). Sophomore Cristina Hernandez had the fastest time on the day of all Metro runners in all divisions, finishing fourth in 17:12 on the 2.75-mile course. She led a parade of top flight Metro finishers — Sweetwater junior Aylin Mejia was fifth in 17:20 and Hilltop senior Tanya Valenzuela was seventh in 117:32.

The top five individuals not on a qualified team also advanced to Fresno. Both Mejia and Valenzuela qualified as individuals.

The Barons had three runners place among the top 30 finishers and four runners among the top 40 finishers. Following Hernandez’ all-division finish were senior Cynthia Alvarez (15th, 18:07), sophomore Sofia Garcia (29th, 18:21), senior Jazmine Jurado (31st, 18:24), freshman Nancy Bell (38th, 18:36), junior Cassandra Luna (48th, 18:43) and senior Julia Aguilar (83rd, 19:59).

Garcia qualified as an individual last year. “I wanted everyone on the team to qualify this year,” she said.

Lincoln senior Elizabeth Apgar won the girls Division II race in 16:38; Division I girls champion Molly Grabill of Rancho Bernardo had the top time of all divisions in 15:50. Apgar won back-to-back Division V titles while competing for Calvary Christian Academy in Otay Ranch in 2006 and 2007.

Apgar is only the third section runner to win four consecutive division titles, joining Fallbrook’s Milena Glusac (1989-92) and San Pasqual’s Terri Brown (1977-80).

Mesa League champion Otay Ranch finished fourth in the boys Division I race, though junior Jacob Roach (10th in 16:40) qualified as an individual entry to this weekend’s state meet. The No. 7 Mustangs out-pointed Bonita Vista for this year’s league title. Roach had the fastest time on the day of all Metro runners in all divisions. His time ranked 17th best overall — 40 seconds behind Division III champion Mac Fleet, a senior from University City. BV’s Rodriguez posted the 24th best time on the day.

State Qualifiers
(Metro Conference)

Team Qualifiers
Boys Division I
2. Bonita Vista (6. Alfredo Rodriguez; 10. Shinaloa Agbede; 22. Eric Osuna; 26. Marco Gutierrez; 36. David Garcia; 49. Jonathan Motale; 57. Juan Garcia)

Girls Division II
3. Bonita Vista (4. Cristina Hernandez; 15. Cynthia Alvarez; 29. Sofia Garcia; 31. Jazmine Jurado; 38. Nancy Bell; 48. Cassandra Luna; 83. Julia Aguilar)

Individual Qualifiers
Boys Division I
10. Jacob Roach (Otay Ranch)

Girls Division II
5. Aylin Mejia (Sweetwater)
7. Tanya Valenzuela (Hilltop)

Metro cross country championships:
Red Devils make a bold run into history
Sweetwater sweeps South Bay League boys, girls titles;
Otay Ranch, Bonita Vista take aim at state meet
Boys Varsity Finals
Girls Varsity Finals
Boys Junior Varsity Finals
Girls Junior Varsity Finals

Posted Nov. 19, 2008
The Sweetwater cross country team ran into the record book by sweeping last Friday’s South Bay League finals at Rohr Park. The 2008 edition of the Red Devils is believed to have accomplished a first at the National City school by placing both its boys and girls teams atop the league standings in the same season.

“The only other girls team I can think of winning a league title was when Gail Devers ran in the early 1980s,” SuHi athletic director Tim Latham said. “I don’t think the girls and boys teams have ever won league in the same season — certainly not in the last 25 years.”
Sweetwater’s history stretches back more than 60 years.

Last Friday’s showing thus could stand as a school record, pending verification.

Sweetwater senior Alejandro Aparicio (16:57) finished first among South Bay League runners in the three-mile boys varsity race while SuHi junior Aylin Mejia (16:02) took top individual league honors in the 2.5-mile girls varsity race.

Mejia finished second overall in the combined Metro Conference field (70 runners) while Aparicio tied for the sixth-best time among the conference’s varsity boys runners (83 runners).

The only word to use in describing the performance of the SuHi girls team is “dominating.” The Devils pushed across the top three South Bay League finishers, four of the top five, five of the top seven and six of the top nine finishers to out-point runner-up Montgomery by a 40-point margin (18-58).

Junior Maila Lucht (second, 17:04), senior Paola Aleman (third, 17:17), junior Saira Carrillo (fifth, 17:33), senior Bianca Maela (seventh, 18:03) and freshman Daniela Flores (ninth, 18:14) rounded out Sweetwater’s six first team all-league runners.

Sweetwater girls team coach Raul Galindo (a former cross country runner and soccer player at the National City school) said the dual titles firmly “establish the running program” at the school.

“It doesn’t matter which sport we’re talking about — we’re trying to develop each program at Sweetwater and this is proof of that,” said Galindo, a 1993 SuHi graduate. “We only have two seniors in our top seven and I think we’re going to be good next year as well. The girls are already talking about off-season training. The groundwork is set. Our goal now is to try to squeeze into the top five at the Division II finals. I know the way Division II is (structured) this year that it’s going to be very difficult but we’re going to try to do that. Anything above No. 5 would be a bonus.”

SuHi boys team coach Adrian Garcia, a 1999 Red Devil grad, competed in the sport from 1996-98 at the NC school. His 2008 squad dominated the league finals with a 46-point scoring margin on runner-up Montgomery (21-67). The Red Devils pushed across four of the top five finishers and five of the top nine.

Sweetwater’s five first team all-league runners included Aparicio (first), sophomore Aldyn Delgado (third, 17:38), seniors Gerrardo Carrillo (fourth, 17:47), Jesus Alvarado (fifth, 18:23) and Roman Gonzalez (eighth, 18:48). Freshman Abinad Castellanos finished 11th in 19:10 while sophomore Jonathan Cardenas was 15th in 19:43.

“They were looking to get a little respect,” Garcia said in regard to his team. “Last year was a very bad year for us. We lost a couple of runners. We wound up finishing last in the Mesa League (finals). This year the team was committed to changing that. They were enthusiastic about improving themselves.”

Second place Montgomery finished last Friday’s finals with two first team all-league girls runners (junior Ana Pacheco in sixth in 17:42 and senior Tina Ayala in 10th in 18:34) and one first team all-league boys runner (junior Hernan Naranjo in second in 17:33).

Third place Castle park finished this year’s league finals with three first team all-league boys runners (senior Edgar Gastelum in seventh in 18:44, sophomore Javier Marcos in ninth in 18:59 and sophomore JeanCarlo Astorga in 10th in 19:02) and two first team all-league girls runners (junior Jessica Serna in fourth in 17:30 and sophomore Arely Ramos in eighth in 18:06).

Southwest junior Marlo Villanueva (18:39) finished sixth in the South Bay League boys finals.

Montgomery edged Castle Park by a 67-76 score for second place in the boys standings and held a 58-62 scoring edge on the Trojans in the girls standings.

Rounding out the top 15 finishers in the 42-deep boys field were Montgomery sophomore Pablo Gonzalez (12th, 19:21), Montgomery senior Jesus Valdez (13th, 19:36) and Olympian senior Franco Montalvo (14th, 19:43).

Mesa League boys
Otay Ranch junior Jacob Roach and Bonita Vista junior Alfredo Rodriguez expected to challenge for top individual honors in the three-mile boys race but Roach pulled away near the two-mile mark and won by a sizable 13-second margin, timing 16:13.

Rodriguez had edged Roach by a stride in the teams’ dual match-up a few weeks beforehand.

“I started pulling away on the dirt loop before the hill. I had a 40-yard lead by the time we got to the bottom of the hill,” said Roach, who led a parade of four all-league runners across the finish line for the league-champion Mustangs.

Three Otay Ranch runners followed BV’s Rodriguez, giving the seventh-ranked Mustangs four of the race’s top five finishers. Seniors Jon Limon (16:28) and Alfred Haslerig (16:47) finished third and fourth, respectively, among Mesa League runners.

The top 10 finishers earned first team all-league honors.

Tenth-ranked Bonita Vista matched Otay Ranch with four first team all-league runners. Joining Rodriguez were sophomore Shinaloa Agbede (sixth, 16:57) and seniors David Garcia (seventh, 17:25) and Eric Osuna (10th, 17:34).

Chula Vista sophomore Michel Robles (eighth, 17:30) and Eastlake senior Gabriel Garcia (ninth, 17:34) rounded out this year’s top 10 first team all-league finishers.

Bonita Vista placed its fifth runner (junior Marco Gutierrez, 12th in 17:40) ahead of Otay Ranch’s fifth runner (junior Carlos Hernandez, 18th in 17:56) but the Mustangs’ ability to place four runners ahead of the Barons’ No. 2 finisher proved to be the difference in the final team scores. Otay Ranch totaled a meet-low 31 points — six points ahead of the Barons, who look to shock some teams at Saturday’s Division II finals in the countdown to the state championship meet Nov. 29 in Fresno.

The Mustangs look to continue peaking toward the same goal, though in the Division I race.

“I was happy with how our team raced on both the girls and boys sides,” Otay Ranch coach Ian Cumming said. “The boys varsity did a good job of holding off a very motivated Bonita Vista team. Our top four ran very well and Bonita’s No. 4 and No. 5 runners ran much stronger than in the dual meet to make for a close score.

“Our JV did a good job of bouncing back from the loss to a very strong Chula Vista team a week earlier. Our girls have continued to impress me throughout the season. A lesser team and individuals would have given up a long time ago, but this team refuses to give in and keeps getting better and better. After winning just one dual meet, they managed to move up a spot at league finals with our No. 1 and No. 2 runners earning spots on the First Team All-Mesa League Team along with our four boys who earned first team All-league led by Jacob Roach’s first-place finish. The team is racing its best when it counts most — this says a lot about the kids’ motivation and sense of team. They are a lot of fun to work with every day.”

Eastlake junior Max Soto (11th, 17:37), Bonita Vista’s Gutierrez, Chula Vista junior Hector Munoz (13th, 17:46), Chula Vista sophomore Alberto Feletes (14th, 17:46) and Eastlake junior Cesar Rodriguez (15th, 17:47) rounded out the top 15 finishers in this year’s Mesa League championship meet.

Chula Vista finished third in the team standings with 71 points, followed by Eastlake (fourth, 90 points), Hilltop (fifth, 139 points) and Mater Dei (sixth, 177 points).


Mesa League girls
Bonita Vista’s girls team cemented its league championship with a tight 49-51 finals win over Chula Vista. The Barons finished with two first team all-league runners in the 2.5-mile race — sophomore Cristina Hernandez (third, 16:11) and senior Cynthia Alvarez (fifth, 16:52) — and warded off defeated by placing their second, third and fourth runners ahead of the Spartans’ second, third and fourth finishers.

CV senior Jessica Mendoza placed second to league champion Tanya Valenzuela of Hilltop in 16:07 while Spartan freshman Mariza Diaz placed seventh in 17:06 to likewise earn first team all-league accolades.

Bonita Vista’s scoring contingent also included freshman Nancy Bell (11th, 17:18), junior Cassandra Luna (13th, 17:20) and senior Jazmine Jurado (17th, 18:02).

Rounding out Chula Vista’s scoring contingent were sophomore Ana Aguon (12th, 17:19), senior Erika Garcia (14th, 17:27) and sophomore Adrienne Bidwell (16th, 17:49).

BV team members called the strength they drew from one another as the defining aspect of their championship squad.
“We’re like sisters,” said sophomore Sofia Garcia, who finished as the team’s seventh runner (20th in 18:07).
“We push each other,” Alvarez said.

Eastlake junior Michelle Walling (fourth, 16:19), Hilltop junior Michelle Lane (sixth, 17:06) Otay Ranch junior Viviana Martinez (eighth, 17:15), Otay Ranch freshman Kailey Cumming (ninth, 17:16) and Eastlake sophomore Olivia Davis (10th, 17:18) rounded out this year’s all-league first team while Eastlake senior Rachel Naranjo (15th, 17:36) rounded out the top 15 league finishers.

The Titans finished third in the team standings with 73 points, followed by Otay Ranch (fourth, 93 points), Hilltop (fifth, 100 points) and Mater Dei (sixth, 184 points).

Valenzuela (15:41) may vie for time in the record book along with Sweetwater’s dual league championship teams after winning this year’s Mesa League individual title in a very fast time of 15:41 — 26 seconds ahead of Mendoza of Chula Vista.

Valenzuela won the South Bay League title as a freshman in 2005, giving her individual titles in both leagues in her four-year career (she did not compete at last year’s South Bay League finals because of an injury).

In fact, Valenzuela took a tumble on the new Eastlake Community Park course in her team’s final league dual meet and was pulled from the race in fear of further injury. Valenzuela’s championship run was one of the more inspirational individual tales on the course last Friday.

“I really, really wanted to win this year,” said Valenzuela, who underwent ACL surgery last December. “I had to work hard for it after having surgery and rehabilitating myself over the summer. I had to work hard to get back in running shape and contend for the championship … and I did it.”

Lane won last year’s South Bay League title in Valenzuela’s absence and finished sixth in this year’s Mesa League field — earning first team all-league finishes in both South Bay League and Mesa League competition thus far in her prep career.

Junior varsity
•Hilltop freshman Carlos Leon was the top finisher in the 165-deep conference boys junior varsity field with a time of 17:37 on the three-mile course. Leon finished as the Mesa League individual champion (first among 117 finishers) while Castle Park senior Mario Guerrero earned honors as this year’s South Bay League champion.

•Otay Ranch out-pointed Chula Vista, 32-45, at last Friday’s finals to make up for a 26-33 dual meet loss to the Spartans the previous week.
•Sweetwater finished with a meet-low 15 points to pace South Bay League boys JV teams at last Friday’s finals.

•Sweetwater freshman Amparo Gavarain was the top finisher in the 84-deep conference girls JV field with a time of 17:47 on the 2.5-mile course. Gavarain finished as the South Bay League individual champion (first among 19 finishers) while Bonita Vista junior Pamela Castro was the Mesa League individual champion with a time of 18:09 (second overall in the conference).

•Eastlake finished first at last Friday’s finals in Mesa League girls JV team scoring with five of the top 11 finishers. Castle Park was the lone team to score in the South Bay League girls JV finals.

Metro Conference Honor Roll

Mesa League Boys Finals
Top Individuals
1. Jacob Roach (Otay Ranch, 11) 16:13
2. Alfredo Rodriguez (Bonita Vista, 11) 16:26
3. Jon Limon (Otay Ranch, 12) 16:28
4. Alfred Haslerig (Otay Ranch, 12) 16:47
5. Luis Medina (Otay Ranch, 11) 16:49
6. Shinaloa Agbede (Bonita Vista, 10) 16:57
7. David Garcia (Bonita Vista, 12) 17:25
8. Michel Robles (Chula Vista, 10) 17:30
9. Gabriel Garcia (Eastlake, 12) 17:31
10. Eric Osuna (Bonita Vista, 12) 17:34

Team scores
Points: 1. Otay Ranch 31; 2. Bonita Vista 37; 3. Chula Vista 71; 4. Eastlake 90; 5. Hilltop 139; 6. Mater Dei 177
League champion: Otay Ranch

Mesa League Girls Finals
Top Individuals
1. Tanya Valenzuela (Hilltop, 12) 15:41
2. Jessica Mendoza (Chula Vista, 12) 16:07
3. Cristina Hernandez (Bonita Vista, 10) 16:11
4. Michelle Walling (Eastlake, 11) 16:19
5. Cynthia Alvarez (Bonita Vista, 12) 16:52
6. Michelle Lane (Hilltop, 11) 16:57
7. Mariza Diaz (Chula Vista, 9) 17:06
8. Viviana Martinez (Otay Ranch, 11) 17:15
9. Kailey Cumming (Otay Ranch, 9) 17:16
10. Olivia Davis (Eastlake, 10) 17:17

Team scores
Points: 1. Bonita Vista 49; 2. Chula Vista 51; 3. Eastlake 73; 4. Otay Ranch 93; 5. Hilltop 100; 6. Mater Dei 184
League champion: Bonita Vista

South Bay League Boys Finals
Top Individuals
1. Alejandro Aparicio (Sweetwater, 12) 16:57
2. Hernan Naranjo (Montgomery, 11) 17:33
3. Aldyn Delgado (Sweetwater, 10) 17:38
4. Gerrardo Carrillo (Sweetwater, 12) 17:47
5. Jesus Alvarado (Sweetwater, 12) 18:23
6. Marlo Villanueva (Southwest, 11) 18:39
7. Edgar Gastelum (Castle Park, 12) 18:44
8. Roman Gonzalez (Sweetwater, 12) 18:48
9. Javier Marcos (Castle Park, 10) 18:59
10. JC Astorga (Castle Park, 10) 19:02

Team scores
Points: 1. Sweetwater 21; 2. Montgomery 67; 3, Castle Park 76; 4. Southwest 89; 5. Olympian 111; 6. San Ysidro 166
League champion: Sweetwater

South Bay League Girls Finals
Top Individuals
1. Aylin Mejia (Sweetwater, 11) 16:02
2. Maila Lucht (Sweetwater, 11) 17:04
3. Paola Aleman (Sweetwater, 12) 17:17
4. Jessica Serna (Castle Park, 11) 17:30
5. Saira Carrillo (Sweetwater, 11) 17:33
6. Ana Pacheco (Montgomery, 11) 17:42
7. Bianca Maela (Sweetwater, 12) 18:03
8. Arely Ramos (Castle Park, 10) 18:06
9. Daniela Flores (Sweetwater, 9) 18:14
10. Tina Ayala (Montgomery, 12) 18:34

Team scores
1. Sweetwater 18; 2. Montgomery 58; 3. Castle Park 62; 4. Olympian 97
League champion: Sweetwater

Metro cross country finals preview:
Mustangs, Barons, Devils step off for titles

Posted Nov. 12, 2008
Otay Ranch’s boys, Bonita Vista’s girls and both Sweetwater’s boys and girls teams will have something in common when they step on the Rohr Park course at Friday’s Metro Conference cross country championship meet. They will all be in the hunt to cement league championships.

Otay Ranch and Bonita Vista, in particular, appear to be peaking at the right time of the season. The Mustangs entered the week ranked eighth in the San Diego Section while the Barons are being considered a favorite to qualify for this year’s state championship meet as well as contend for the Division II team title.

The same can be said about the Bonita Vista boys team in terms of the upcoming CIF finals but the 10th-ranked Barons will have to get past a very talented and deep Otay Ranch team to capture a share of the Mesa League title. The Mustangs are shooting to qualify for the state meet as one of the top teams at the upcoming Division I finals.

Sweetwater is seeking to hang double cross country banners in its gym after making the move from the Mesa League to the South Bay League this season.

The race strategy comes down to this, according to veteran Otay Ranch coach Ian Cumming. “The first mile is about positioning; the real racing starts at two miles,” he said. “The third mile, you are racing for championships.”

Cumming, who has two division titles to his credit (1981 and 1984 while at Hilltop), will be out to help Otay Ranch repeat as league champions.

Eastlake won last year’s girls varsity Mesa League title.

Castle Park and Montgomery shared last year’s boys varsity South Bay League championship while the Aztec finished runner-up to Hilltop (now in the Mesa League) for last year’s girls varsity league title.

Runners to watch
Otay Ranch (boys) and Bonita Vista (girls) both completed undefeated dual meet seasons with victories last Friday. Otay Ranch defeated Chula Vista, 17-43, in a match-up at Rohr Park while Bonita Vista out-pointed Mater Dei by a 15-50 score at Discovery Park.

Jacob Roach led a parade of four Mustangs across the finish line to finish with the top time of 16:44 on the 3.1-mile Rohr Park course. Following his lead were teammates Jon Limon (16:56), Alfred Haslerig (16:58) and Leon Medina (16:59). The Spartans countered with their two top finishers in fifth and sixth places but Otay Ranch continued to flood the finish line with Gus Tunks (seventh, 17:29), Ryan Perry (eighth, 17:36) and Carlos Hernandez (ninth, 17:40).

The Mustangs (5-0) finished ahead of Bonita Vista (4-1), Chula Vista (3-2), Eastlake (2-3), Hilltop (1-4) and Mater Dei (0-5) in dual competition.

Nancy Bell, who led from start to finish in winning the girls junior varsity division at this year’s South Bay Invitational, captured medalist honors with a time of 15:56 on the 2.6-mile Discovery Park course in Bonita Vista’s dual win over the Crusaders.

The Barons (5-0) finished ahead of Chula Vista (4-1), Eastlake (3-2), Hilltop (2-3), Otay Ranch (1-4) and Mater Dei (0-5) in dual competition.

With the dual meet standings counting for half of the championship point total, both Otay Ranch and Bonita Vista will need to repeat their first-place finishes at Friday’s league finals to crown themselves as Mesa League champions for 2008.

Sweetwater finished 6-0 in dual meet competition in the South Bay League and will need to duplicate that with a finals victory to raise a league banner.

Montgomery swept its double dual meet against Mar Vista and Castle Park last Friday to finish 5-1 in dual competition (both boys and girls). The Aztecs can tie Sweetwater for this year’s league championship with a first-place finish at Friday’s finals (should the Red Devils finish second).

Junior Hernan Naranjo led Montgomery with a time of 19:59 on the 3.1-mile course at the Imperial Beach pier. Other top Aztec harriers this season include senior Jesus Valdez (10th at last year’s league finals) and a number of runners up from the team’s defending JV league championship squad: Alvin Garcia, Kevin Sanchez, Manuel Romero, Marco Garcia and Ivan Ramos.

Castle Park’s Arely Ramos (16:35) and Montgomery’s Brenda Vieyra (16:49) finished as medalists in the girls double dual meet at the IB pier. Other talented Aztecs include sophomore Cristina Robles (an all-league returner with Vieyra) and junior Ana Pacheco (two-mile track champion).

If Montgomery cannot catch the Devils at Friday’s league finals, Aztec coach Ruben Ledesma said the team’s move to Division III could be rewarding.

Sweetwater’s Alejandro Aparicio on the boys side and Aylin Mejia, Maila Lucht, Saira Carrillo and Paola Aleman on the girls side all look to challenge for top finishes in the South Bay League varsity races.

Both Chula Vista and Eastlake’s girls teams concluded Mesa League dual competition with wins last Friday. The Spartans out-pointed Otay Ranch, 20-37, behind medalist Jessica Mendoza (16:03, 2.45 miles) while the Titans recorded an impressive 19-38 victory against Hilltop, last year’s South Bay League champion. Eastlake’s Michelle Walling set a new course record at Eastlake Community Park by covering 2.48 miles in 16:51.

Otay Ranch’s Roach and Bonita Vista’s Alfredo Rodriguez appear to be the favorites to vie for the boys varsity individual championship. The two paired up two weeks ago in dual competition, with Rodriguez edging Roach by a stride at the finish line. The Mustangs won the team dual score 22-37.

At the recent Mt. SAC Invitational, Otay Ranch’s Limon finished 10th in his division while Rodriguez was 13th in his division.

Eastlake’s Walling, Hilltop’s Tanya Valenzuela and Michelle Lane, Bonita Vista’s Cristina Hernandez and Cynthia Alvarez and CV’s Mendoza appear to comprise the elite Mesa League girls field. Valenzuela (2005) and Lane (2007) both own SBL individual titles.
In boys JV action last Friday, Chula Vista completed an undefeated dual campaign with a 26-33 victory over Otay Ranch (though the Mustangs finished with the top individual — Kevin Merlin — in the race).

Boys Varsity Duals
Friday, Nov. 7
Mesa League:
Otay Ranch 17, Chula Vista 43
Bonita Vista 15, Mater Dei 50
Eastlake 18, Hilltop 37

South Bay League:
Montgomery 22, Castle Park 35;
Montgomery 15, Mar Vista 50;
Castle Park 17, Mar Vista 22

Girls Varsity Duals
Friday, Nov. 7
Mesa League
Bonita Vista 15, Mater Dei 50
Chula Vista 20, Otay Ranch 37
Eastlake 19, Hilltop 38

South Bay League
Montgomery 27, Castle Park 32
Montgomery 18, Mar Vista 43
Castle Park 22, Mar Vista 34

Mustangs show best in Mesa League battle of unbeatens

Posted Nov. 6, 2008
Otay Ranch defeated visiting Bonita Vista, 22-37, in a battle of Mesa League unbeatens last Friday to take a step closer to a perfect finish in the dual meet portion of the season. Alfredo Rodriguez led the Barons with a first-place individual finish with a 16:02 time on the 3.0-mile course but the host Mustangs countered with the next four runners: Jacob Roach (16:02), Jon Limon (16:05), Alfred Haslerig (16:21) and Luis Medina (16:29).

BV standout Shinaloa Agbede finished sixth in 16:45, followed by teammate David Garcia in 16:58. But Otay Ranch followed with the next four runners: Joshua Roach (17:12), Carlos Hernandez (17:15), Gus Tunks (17:22) and Ryan Perry (17:26).

“We knew that the Bonita boys team was going to come after us and our team rose to the occasion,” Mustang coach Ian Cumming said. “It is the best we have raced as an entire team this season and started to show the potential we have. The Bonita team ran very well and has a great chance of qualifying for the state meet or even winning Division II for their boys and girls at CIF Finals.”

In girls action, Bonita Vista defeated Otay Ranch, 16-26, to improve to 4-0 in league duals. BV’s Cristina Hernandez earned medalist honors with a time of 16:16 on the 2.48-mile course. The Barons finished with the top four runners in the race, with Cynthia Alvarez (16:35), Nancy Bell (16:49) and Jazmine Jurado (16:50) following Hernandez across the finish line.

Sweetwater finished its move to the South Bay League with a 6-0 dual record in both boys and girls competition after the Red Devils swept Montgomery and San Ysidro in a double dual meet last Friday at Luckie Waller Park.

Sweetwater defeated Montgomery (20-41) and San Ysidro (15-50) in boys action and raced past the Aztecs (16-43) and Cougars (15-50) in girls action.

SuHi’s Alejandro Aparicio was the fastest boy on the 3.1-mile course in 17:23 while Aylin Mejia ran 17:36 to finish first on the girls’ 2.5-mile course.

Otay Ranch (4-0) and Chula Vista (3-1) are set to dual Friday at Rohr Park, starting at 3 p.m.

Sweetwater is off until the conference finals Nov. 14 at Rohr Park.

Barons’ Rodriguez helping set the pace
Posted Oct. 29, 2008
Winning runners are sure to shriek during Friday’s Mesa League cross country showdown between Otay Ranch and Bonita Vista. And not just because it’s Halloween. At stake will be undisputed rights to first place in the boys half of the dual encounter as both the Barons and Mustangs enter the match-up with undefeated league records.

The boys varsity race is scheduled to step off at 3 p.m. at Otay Ranch High School, followed by the girls varsity encounter. The Bonita Vista girls are also undefeated at 3-0.

The Barons tuned up for Friday’s encounter by sweeping past Hilltop Oct. 16 at the Imperial Beach pier. Shinaloa Agbede led all runners with a time of 17:53 on the 3.1-mile course to pace Bonita Vista to a 21-40 win in the boys meet. Hilltop’s Tanya Valenzuela captured medalist honors in the girls dual with a time of 13:39 on the 2.2-mile course but the Barons emerged 24-32 victors as a team.

Otay Ranch swept its Mesa League dual encounter against Mater Dei on Oct. 17, winning the boys meet 15-50 and the girls meet 17-45, also at the Imperial Beach pier. Jon Limon posted the top time in the boys dual at 18:06 for 3.1 miles while Viviana Martinez had the top girls time of 15:20 for 2.2 miles.

Bonita Vista looks to make an impact in the boys match-up against seventh-ranked Otay Ranch after having three runners place among the top five runners in their respective divisions at this year’s Southern California Invitational, held Oct. 18 at Guajome Park.

Alfredo Rodriguez finished fifth among No. 1 boys runners with a time of 16:24 on the 3.1-mile course while Agbede was second among No. 2 runners in 16:35. Also for the Barons, David Garcia finished fifth among No. 3 runners in 17:15.

Overall, Rodriguez turned in the sixth-fastest time on the day among the 110 runners while Agbede was seventh. Bonita Vista finished fourth in the 16-team field.

Sweetwater’s Alejando Aparicio notched the eighth-fastest time among male runners while Garcia was 30th and SuHi’s Christian Lopez was 32nd (17:24).

The Red Devils finished 12th in the team standings.

Barstow’s Isaac Chavez was the overall boys winner in a fast 15:46.

Sweetwater’s Aylin Mejia was the fastest Metro Conference female runner with a time of 15:13 to finish 18th overall out of 96 finishers. BV’s Cristina Hernandez had the 24th-best time in 15:34.

Following Mejia and Hernandez were Bonita Vista’s Cynthia Alvarez (26th, 15:35) and Sweetwater’s Maila Lucht (29th, 15:45) and Saira Carrillo (36th, 16:00).

The Red Devils finished seventh out of 13 teams; the Barons were ninth.

Torrey Pines’ Megan Morgan was the top female finisher in 13:58.

In the boys JV race, BV’s David Fann topped 76 runners to place first in 18:39. The Barons had four top 10 finishers to place second as a team behind Scripps Ranch.

After the strong showing at the SoCal Invitational, Bonita Vista coach Lou Russo is cautiously optimistic about his team’s chances at the upcoming league and division finals.

“Both our boys and girls teams are very young,” Russo said. “On the boys team, we have only four seniors in our top 20 runners. For our girls, we have only three seniors in our top 20. Fortunately, senior team captains Cynthia Alvarez and David Garcia have provided great leadership for our young team. Two of our top varsity runners, Sophia Garcia and Eric Osuna, have been injured and are just getting into shape. So, if we stay healthy and are at full strength for league finals and CIF, we will compete very well. A trip to the state meet in Fresno for both our boys and girls teams is not out of reach. But we still have a lot of work to do to prepare to run against some very good teams in our own league.”

Going the distance
•Eastlake's Sean Stanko (18:16 for 3.1 miles) and Michelle Walling (16:25 for 2.48 miles) set new course records at Eastlake Community Park during the Titans' Mesa League dual meet Oct. 17 against Chula Vista.

•The Spartans captured the boys match-up by a tight 29-30 score and also won the girls match-up by a highly-competitive 27-30 score.

•Bonita Vista's Agbede took top finishing honors in his team's 17-39 dual win against Chula Vista on Oct. 10 with a time of 16:36 on the 3.0-mile Discovery Park course.

Metro cross country ... The chase is on

Posted Oct. 15, 2008
The 35th South Bay Invitational, held Sept. 26 at Rohr Park, was a jumping-off point for the high school cross country season as league dual meet competition commenced the following week.

Who was on the rise? Try the Sweetwater and Bonita Vista girls squads for starters.

The Red Devils finished second in the team standings — seven points ahead of the third place Barons who, in turn, finished 22 points ahead of Mesa League rival Eastlake (fifth place overall).

Perhaps not surprisingly, both Sweetwater and Bonita Vista went undefeated in their opening dual meets to lead the pack in the South Bay League and Mesa League, respectively.

Hilltop senior Tanya Valenzuela had the lead at the halfway point of the girls varsity race at this year’s South Bay Invitational but it was Eastlake junior Michelle Walling who turned in the Metro Conference’s top time on the 2.5-mile course in 16:01.

Sweetwater junior Aylin Mejia finished fifth in the 149-deep field in 16:08, followed by Valenzuela (sixth, 16:11) and Bonita Vista sophomore Cristina Hernandez (seventh, 16:12).

Bonita Vista senior Cynthia Alvarez (13th, 16:35), Hilltop junior Michelle Lane (17th, 16:48) and Sweetwater senior Paola Aleman (20th, 17:00) were the only other conference runners to break into the elite top 20 finishers. Six more area runners, however, managed top 35 finishes: Eastlake senior Rachel Naranjo (22nd, 17:12), Montgomery junior Ana Pacheco (24th, 17:18), Sweetwater junior Maila Lucht (25th, 17:19), Bonita Vista senior Jazmine Jurado (27th, 17:22), Eastlake senior Diamond Anderson (31st, 17:34) and Sweetwater junior Saira Carrillo (35th, 17:39).

Eastlake had finished 31 points ahead of Bonita Vista at the Mustang Invitational two weeks earlier and opened the league dual meet season on Oct. 3 with a multi-year winning streak. But the defending Mesa League champions were shocked by the upstart Barons, 21-34, as Hernandez set a new course record on the 2.6-mile Discovery Park course in 14:22.

Bonita Vista followed with an even more tantalizing 19-37 dual win the following week against Chula Vista, a team that Spartan coach Art Johnson said in a preseason preview he thought could contend for a top six finish at the CIF finals.

Hernandez once again took home top medalist honors with a time of 14:24 at Discovery Park.

The Barons are joined at the top of the league standings by the Hilltop Lancers, who defeated Otay Ranch (21-34) and Mater Dei (16-37) to step off their move to Mesa League competition after winning the last six South Bay League championships.

Valenzuela timed 15:57 on the 2.48-mile course at Otay Ranch and clocked 16:29 on the 2.5-mile course at Rohr Park.

Eastlake evened its league dual meet record at 1-1 with last Friday’s 23-34 win at Otay Ranch. Top medalist honors went to Eastlake’s Naranjo in 16:32.

Sweetwater stepped off its new membership in the South Bay League with consecutive dual victories — all by maximum points. The Red Devils (4-0) defeated Castle Park, Olympian, Mar Vista and Southwest all by margins of 15-50.

Sweetwater’s Mejia timed 16:13 on the Rohr Park course in double dual victories against Castle Park and Olympian. The Red Devils’ Carrillo turned in the top time of 16:45 a week later at the same site.

Going the distance
•Chula Vista's Jessica Mendoza (16:16) was the top finisher in the Spartans' 15-48 dual win over Mater Dei Oct. 3 at Rohr Park.

•Montgomery's Pacheco (17:22, 2.5 miles) took top medalist honors in her team's 15-50 dual win over Southwest in its South Bay League opener.

•Castle Park's Jessica Serna (18:03, 2.5 miles) was the top runner in the Trojans' 18-45 dual win against Olympian on Oct. 3

•Mar Vista's Nethania Penrod (18:35, 2.5 miles) was the top runner in the Mariners' 15-50 win against Southwest on Oct. 10.

•In Mesa League boys duals, Bonita Vista (19-45 over Eastlake), Otay Ranch (15-48 over Hilltop) and Chula Vista (15-50 over Mater Dei) all won their league openers on Oct. 3.

•Bonita Vista's Alfredo Rodriguez covered the 3.1-mile Discovery Park course in 16:35 while Otay Ranch's Jacob Roach finished with a top medalist time of 16:42 on the 3.0-mile course at Otay Ranch. Chula Vista's Jon Salmeron (17:44, 3.05 miles) was the top finisher at Rohr Park.

South Bay Invitational:
Monarchs are tearing up the cross country course

Posted Sept. 29, 2008
Monte Vista High School boys cross country coach Bob Muschek sees great things happening for his team this season, among them a potential trip to the season-ending state championship meet.

"The kids are excelling," said Muschek after his squad captured the team title at this year's South Bay Invitational, held Sept. 26 at Rohr Park in Chula Vista. "It's always nice to run well in the beginning of the season."

Muschek also sees his team running well at the end of the season.

"Hopefully, we can continue to run well as other teams improve as the season goes on," he said."Steele Canyon, Valhalla and us should be the big contenders for the league title. I think Valhalla will get stronger as the season goes on. Steele Canyon is running well now. We expect to be top three in CIF and do well at the state meet."

The Monarchs' top three runners this season have included senior Misikir Mentose, junior Dillon Breen and senior Jose Morales. Mentose placed third among individuals at the 31-team South Bay Invitational, timing 16:17 on the 5K course. Breen and Morales followed in eighth and ninth place, respectively, both with 16:31 times.

Monte Vista's top five runners finished in the top fifth of the 176-deep field, with senior Mark Wassmer (16:53) and junior Terry Winters (17:33) rounding out the team's scorers in 17th and 37th place, respectively.

The Monarchs out-pointed runner-up San Pasqual by 34 points and third place Otay Ranch by 50 points.

Monte Vista also captured the team title in the boys JV division, once again with all five scorers placing in the top fifth of the 145-deep field. Junior Jorge Morales (fifth) and senior Daniel Huezo (eighth) both recorded top 10 finishes while senior Isaac Jiminez (17th) and junior Tony Gonzales (20th) both recorded top 20 finishes. Sophomore Adrian Daniel was 30th.

Steele Canyon captured last year's San Diego Section Division II team title. The Cougars opened this season with a runner-up finish to Patrick Henry in the boys varsity Blue Division at the 13th annual Mustang/Phair Co. Invitational, held Sept. 12 at Rohr Park. Top individuals included Ryan Lawler (seventh), Shivam Patel (14th), Mike Twardochleb (17th), Ryan Guaderrama (26th), Aaron Weston (28th) and Taylor Robinson (29th) -- all of whom finished in the top third of the 99-deep field.

Monte Vista's Muschek conceded while his team might be favored over its league and divisional foes this season, anything can happen.

"But it's very competitive in Division III because of the quality of teams. We could have some trouble," Muschek said.

West Hills, Grossmont, El Capitan and El Cajon Valley all participated in the South Bay Invitational. West Hills (11th, 293 points) out-pointed both El Capitan (12th, 303 points), Grossmont (13th, 317 points) and El Cajon Valley, 17th, 459 points) in the boys varsity division in a preview of the upcoming Grossmont North League season.

West Hills' top runner was senior Marcus Nelson (fifth, 16:19) while senior Nick Bedrosian (12th, 16:35) turned in the top performance for El Capitan. Grossmont senior Parry Thorton (32nd, 17:29) finished a step ahead of El Capitan senior Johnny Williams (33rd, 17:30).

In the girls varsity division, West Hills senior Kelsey Hall finished as the top East County place-finisher with a third-place time of 15:56 on the 2.5-mile course. El Capitan senior Katie Martin was eighth in 16:19 while Monte Vista junior Valerie Hycz finished 12th in 16:34. El Capitan junior Heidi Swanson placed 19th in the 149-deep field with a top 20 time of 16:50.

El Capitan (sixth, 153 points) won the team competition among the three Grossmont North League entrants, placing a narrow five points ahead of arch-rival West Hills (seventh, 158 points) and finishing further ahead of Grossmont (eighth, 205 points).

Making strides
Christian sophomores Daniel Struass and Michael May finished second and fourth, respectively, in the boys frosh/soph race to lead the Patriots to the team title over Otay Ranch. Sophomore Garrett Crouder was eighth as three Christian runners strode to elite top 10 place-finishes in the 196-deep field.

Grossmont senior Holly Bennett placed second overall in the girls JV field, followed by a pack of five West Hills runners: freshman De Ghandour (fourth), senior Sarah Rohman (eighth), junior Nicole Polselli (12th), junior Kaitlyn Finney (13th) and sophomore Mallori VanDenover (14th). West Hills won the team title over runner-up Eastlake.

Valhalla competed at the Mustang Invitational, placing fourth in the girls varsity Blue Division and eighth in the boys varsity Blue Division.

Paige Hughes (third), Megan Hughes (10th) and Lauren Carlton (14th) all recorded top 15 place-finishes in the 99-deep girls field. Top male finishers for the Norsemen included Adam Steinert (sixth) and Michael Gorney (24th) in the 98-deep boys field.

Steele Canyon, keyed by Brittany Beam and Vanessa Kellems' top five individual place-finishes, won the team title in the girls JV Blue Division at the Mustang Invitational. The Cougars also captured the team title in the 296-deep boys JV Blue Division stampede. Steele Canyon, in impressive fashion, placed its five scorers in the top 20: Brad McCardell (third), Brett Mollon (11th), Jason Carrillo (13th), David Buckmaster (17th) and Nick Cirello (20th).

Metro runners go zoom at Mustang Invitational

Posted Sept. 18, 2008
Bonita Vista’s Shinaloa Agbede, Otay Ranch’s Jon Limon and Sweetwater’s Alejandro Aparicio finished fifth, eighth and ninth, respectively, in the boys varsity Blue Division race to help provide highlights for Metro Conference runners at the 13th annual Mustang/Phair Co. Invitational, held Sept. 12 at Rohr Park.

Agbede’s 16:53 time was well behind that of race winner Adrian Rafiee of Patrick Henry but was the fastest on the day of any local harrier. Limon tied 17:03 and Aparicio clocked 17:07 on the 3.1-mile course.

Otay Ranch, competing without No. 1 runner Jacob Roach, finished fourth in the team standings behind, in order, Patrick Henry, Steele Canyon and Valley Center. The Mustangs had four runners place in the top third of the 98-deep field. Joining Limon with elite place-finishes were Alfred Haslerig (20th, 17:23), Luis Medina (21st, 17:24) and Ryan Perry (33rd, 17:45).

The top 35 varsity placers received medals. Sweetwater’s Christian Villasana (22nd, 17:25) and Bonita Vista’s David Garcia (34th, 17:47) also medaled.

Eastlake posted the top team finish among Metro squads in the girls varsity Blue Division at sixth place, led by Michelle Walling’s eighth-place individual finish in 14:08 on the 2.2-mile course. Two more Titans earned medals: Rachel Naranjo (21st, 14:32) and Olivia Davis (26th, 14:38).

Bonita Vista had three runners place in the top third of the field: Cristina Hernandez (12th, 14:13), Cynthia Alvarez (13th, 14:14) and Jazmine Jurado (31st, 14:40). The Barons finished eighth in the team standings — 11 points behind seventh-place Sweetwater and 31 points behind Eastlake.
Sweetwater, which moves to the South Bay League to challenge Montgomery for supremacy in the circuit, placed seventh in the girls varsity Blue Division. The Red Devils had four runners place in the top half of the field, paced by standouts Ailyn Mejia (seventh, 14:08) and Maila Lucht (20th, 14:32). Following their lead were teammates Saira Carrillo (33rd, 14:46) and Paola Aleman (44th, 15:05).

The four SuHi runners all placed ahead of Montgomery’s No. 2 runner timewise. The challenge thus appears to have been sounded.

Montgomery had five runners place in the top third of the girls varsity Silver Division race. As a team, the Aztecs placed fifth overall. Ana Pacheco was 11th in the 84-deep field with a time of 15:01 on the 2.2-mile course. Teammates Brenda Vieyra (15:33) and Cristina Robles (15:36) were 19th and 20th among individuals while Tina Ayala (15:41) and Elena Soler (15:42) were 26th and 27th, respectively.

Montgomery’s five-runner spread was 41 seconds.

Individual standouts in the boys varsity Silver Division race included Montgomery’s Hernan Naranjo (13th, 18:08) and Pablo Gonzalez (28th, 18:58) and Southwest’s Mario Villanueva (22nd, 18:46) — all with top 30 place-finishes.

In junior varsity races, Eastlake’s Karley Angotta captured top honors in the 199-deep girls Blue Division field while Otay Ranch’s Gus Tunks placed second in the 296-deep boys Blue Division field.

Future looks promising for Eastlake Titans
Posted Sept. 18, 2008

This year’s Eastlake High School cross country team features a blend of veteran experience and youth, with a focus on the latter following some early-season injuries.

“The girls are defending back-to-back league champs. We have four varsity runners from last year who are not running this year. Consequently, we are a very young team that will improve as the season goes on,” Titan head coach Joe Stubbs said. “On the boys side, eight of our top 10 are underclassmen. We will get better as the season goes on. We have 35 freshmen on our teams. The future is bright.”

Well, actually the present isn’t so bad based on the team’s first two invitational performances.

Eastlake placed sixth in the combined girls field at the Vaquero Invitational Sept. 6 at Lindo Lake in Lakeside. The Titan boys team placed 10th in the combined boys field.

The following week at the 13th annual Mustang/Phair Co. Invitational, held Sept. 12 at Rohr Park in Chula Vista, Eastlake finished sixth in the varsity girls team standings, 10th in the varsity boys standings, second in the girls junior varsity team standings and 10th in the boys junior varsity team standings.

Top returners on the girls team include junior Michelle Walling, an all-Mesa League runner in 2007 (third among Mesa League runners), and senior Rachel Naranjo, last spring’s Mesa League 800-meter run track and field champion. Naranjo was also a cross country medalist (13th at last year’s league finals).

Top returners on the boys team include seniors Max Soto and Gabriel Garcia. Garcia was 21st at last year’s Mesa League championship meet, followed by Soto in 25th place.

Impact newcomers include sophomore Sean Stanko and freshman Andrew Calica on the boys team and freshmen Anissa Amezcua and Karley Angotta and sophomore Danny Sullivan on the girls team.

Stanko ran 4:41 in the 1,600 meters as a freshman. Sullivan turned in a fantastic freshman track and field season, earning Athlete of the Meet honors at the 2008 Mesa League finals.

Calica, Amezcua and Angotta are all talented freshmen who have made the varsity team.

Vaquero Stampede
Eleven runners between Eastlake and Chula Vista placed among the top 30 finishers in the Division I frosh/soph race. Chula Vista sophomore Adrienne Bidwell finished seventh among individuals in 10:28 (for 1.65 miles), followed by fellow top 10 finisher (and freshman teammate) Mariza Diaz (ninth, 10:33).

Other top 30 finishers in the Division I girls frosh/soph race included Eastlake sophomore Olivia Davis (11th, 10:35), Eastlake freshman Anissa Amezcua (13th, 10:42), Chula Vista freshman Nancy Jimenez (15th, 10:43), Eastlake sophomore Danny Sullivan (18th, 10:49), Eastlake sophomore Alyssa Calderon (19th, 10:50), Eastlake freshman Karley Angotta, 20th, 10:52), Chula Vista sophomore Ana Aguon (26th, 10:55), Eastlake sophomore Sarah Sedillo (29th, 11:03) and Eastlake freshman Jasmine Ramirez (30th, 11:10).

The Division I girls frosh/soph race included 162 runners.

Chula Vista placed fourth as a team in the combined race results, followed by Eastlake in sixth place.

A total of 13 runners from Bonita Vista, Chula Vista and Eastlake placed in the top half of the field (118 runners) in the Division I girls junior/senior race.

Four area runners placed among the top 10 finishers: Eastlake junior Michelle Walling (fifth, 9:51), Chula Vista senior Jessica Mendoza (sixth, 9:51), Chula Vista senior Erika Garcia (eighth, 10:09) and Bonita Vista senior Jazmine Jurado (10th, 10;16).

Two more South County runners posted top 15 place-finishes: Bonita Vista senior Cynthia Alvarez (11th, 10:16) and Eastlake senior Rachel Naranjo (13th, 10:22).

Chula Vista junior Danele Conlon finished 30th in 10:47, followed by Eastlake senior Diamond Anderson in 35th place in 11:03.

Closely following in the race were Eastlake juniors Cassie Daily (43rd, 11:127) and Andrea Voigt (45th, 11:20), Chula Vista junior Sheila Mariezcurrena (47th, 11:23) and Eastlake junior Aerial Cetner (49th, 11:26).

Voigt, however, suffered a foot injury and appears unable to compete the remainder of the season. She placed 17th at last year’s league finals.

Eastlake’s top boys finisher, junior Max Soto, finished 17th in the Division I race (24th overall in the combined field) with a time of 11:12.

Eastlake’s top five scorers also included senior Gabriel Garcia (32nd, 11:42), junior Kyle Lintz (44th, 12:00), junior Cesar Rodriguez (54th, 12:19) and junior Gabriel Villareal (57th, 12:25).

Eastlake finished fourth overall in the combined freshman/sophomore boys race while Chula Vista was 10th.

Titan sophomore Sean Stanko finished ninth among Division I frosh/soph runners with a time of 8:53 on the 1.65-mile course. He placed 16th overall in the combined field.

Eastlake had three runners place among the top 30 finishers in the combined field of 251 runners. Freshman Andrew Calica was 21st overall in 9:02, followed by freshman Stevan Perez (29th overall) in 9:12.

Calica was 13th among Division I runners while Perez was 17th among Division I runners.

Mustang Invitational
Eastlake had three medalists in the girls varsity Blue Division race: Walling (eighth, 14:08), Naranjo (21st, 14:32) and Davis (26th, 14:38). The top 35 finishers medaled on the 2.2-mile course. Following the trio were teammates Calderon (46th, 15:08), Anderson (50th, 15:12), Sullivan (54th, 15:22) and Amezcua (59th, 15:27).

A total of 99 runners finished the race. Walling tied Sweetwater’s Aylin Mejia for top time by a Metro Conference runner in the race, with Mejia edging out Walling for seventh place at the finish line. Bonita Vista’s Hernandez (12th, 14:13) and Alvarez (13th, 14:14) followed the two South Bay leaders, with Sweetwater’s Maila Lucht (20th, 14:32) placing ahead of Naranjo, the conference’s No. 6 placer in the race.

Eastlake totaled 150 points to edge Sweetwater (170) and Bonita Vista (181) and Otay Ranch (326) for top finishing honors among area teams in the division. Sweetwater moves to the South Bay League this season, leaving the Titans trailing preseason favorite Chula Vista for top finishing honors in this year’s Mesa League championship race.

In the boys varsity Blue Division race, both Garcia (36th, 17:51) and Soto (38th, 17:53) placed among the top 10 Metro finishers. Stanko (43rd, 17:56) finished as Eastlake’s No. 3 runner while Kyle Lintz (54th, 18:19) finished as the team’s No. 4 runner on the 3.1-mile course. Calica (74th, 18:48), Rodriguez (76th, 18:49) and Villareal (91st, 20:08) all finished much farther behind in the 98-deep field.

As a team, the Titans finished 111 points behind fourth-place Otay Ranch (missing top runner Jacob Roach), 60 points behind Bonita Vista and 36 points behind Sweetwater.

The girls JV Blue Division race was cut short by an injury suffered in an earlier race (an ambulance was parked on the course, thereby re-routing the course). However, that did not prevent several Eastlake runners from excelling, led by Karley Angotta (first in the field of 199 run ners) and Darleen Molena (who finished 10th).. The Titans had six runners place among the top 23 finishers in the race.

Eastlake totaled 59 points to trail division champion Steele Canyon (46 points). However, the Titans easily out-distanced their Metro rivals, with Otay Ranch placing seventh with 194 points and Sweetwater placing eighth with 210 points.

Angotta was the top Mesa League finisher in the race (shortened from its intended distance of 1.65-miles).

The boys JV Blue Division race, with 296 entrants, was one of the largest in the invitational’s history. Excelling for the Titans were Chris Stubbs (32nd, 13:14) and Stevan Perez (33rd, 13:14).

Otay Ranch, paced by Gus Tunks’ second-place finish in 12:40, finished fifth in the team standings while Sweetwater was eighth. Eastlake finished 41 points ahead of eastside rival Bonita Vista in the division standings.

There were 1,300 runners entered in the eight division races.

•Results of the 13th annual Mustang/Phair Co. Invitational can be found at http://crowncity.com/sdtrackmag/index.htm.

2008-09 High School Fall Sports Preview
Prep cross county season is off and running

Posted Sept. 12, 2008
Metro Conference runners put their best feet forward collectively at last Saturday’s Vaquero Stampede.

Bonita Vista placed fourth as a team among junior/senior runners, trailing first place University City, second place San Pasqual and third place Escondido in the combined boys team standings. Chula Vista finished sixth while Eastlake was 10th.

Bonita Vista junior Alfredo Rodriguez posted the second-best time overall among both Division I and Division II runners with a time of 10:39 on the 2.15-mile course at Lindo Lake in Lakeside. Rodriguez trailed top finisher Kenneth Raedel, a senior from San Pasqual, by one second for the first-place honors in the Division I boys race.

BV senior David Garcia placed 12th in the Division I race with a time of 11:02 and was 15th overall in the combined junior/senior field of 243 runners.

The Division I boys junior/senior race included 140 finishers.

Eastlake’s top finisher, junior Max Soto, finished 17th in the Division I race (24th overall in the combined field) with a time of 11:12.

Overall, 12 Metro runners placed among the top 40 finishers in the Division I boys race (top third of the field). Five of those 12 harriers posted top 30 finishes.

Chula Vista senior Juan Vasquez placed 22nd in 11:21, followed by junior teammate Jonathan Salmeron in 27th place with a time of 11:30.

Rounding out Bonita Vista’s top five scorers were senior Juan Garcia (34th, 11:44), junior Jonathan Motale (37th, 11:49) and senior Andres Aguas (38th, 11:50). The five Barons all placed among the top 21 percent of the 240 runners in the combined junior/senior field. Garcia placed 45th in the combined field while Motale finished 49th in the combined field and Aguas finished 50th in the combined field.

Chula Vista’s top five scorers in the junior/senior race also included senior Andrew Bidwell (33rd, 11:44), junior Hector Munoz (35th, 11:46) and junior Marco Montano (43rd, 11:57).

Eastlake’s top five scorers also included senior Gabriel Garcia (32nd, 11:42), junior Kyle Lintz (44th, 12:00), junior Cesar Rodriguez (54th, 12:19) and junior Gabriel Villareal (57th, 12:25).

Eastlake finished fourth overall in the combined freshman/ sophomore boys race while Chula Vista was 10th.

Titan sophomore Sean Stanko finished ninth among Division I frosh/soph runners with a time of 8:53 on the 1.65-mile course. He placed 16th overall in the combined field.

Chula Vista’s top runner in the Division I field was freshman Juan Perez in 11th place with a time of 8:58. He was 19th overall in the combined field.

Bonita Vista did not field a full team in the Division I boys frosh/soph race but did open spectators’ eyes with sophomore Shinaloa Agbede’s second-place finish behind race winner Ryan Urie, a sophomore from Patrick Henry.
Urie posted the top time of 8:09 in the Division I race; Agbede’s runner-up time was 8:14.

Hilltop freshman Carlos Leon placed 10th in the Division II boys frosh/soph race with a time of 8:51. Leon’s time was second-best on the day among Metro frosh/ soph boys in the two races (17th in the combined field).

Girls roundup
The Division I girls frosh/soph race included 162 runners. Chula Vista placed fourth as a team in the combined race results, followed by Eastlake in sixth place.

Four area runners placed among the top 10 finishers Division I girls junior/senior race: Eastlake junior Michelle Walling (fifth, 9:51), Chula Vista senior Jessica Mendoza (sixth, 9:51), Chula Vista senior Erika Garcia (eighth, 10:09) and Bonita Vista senior Jazmine Jurado (10th, 10;16).

Two more South County runners posted top 15 place-finishes: Bonita Vista senior Cynthia Alvarez (11th, 10:16) and Eastlake senior Rachel Naranjo (13th, 10:22).

Hilltop, winners of the last six South Bay League championships who are making the jump this season to the Mesa League, fared well in the abbreviated Division II girls junior/senior field. Senior Tanya Valenzuela placed third among the field of 56 runners while junior teammate Michelle Lane was ninth in 10:26 on the 1.65-mile course.

Lancer freshman Jackie Hernandez finished ninth in the Division II girls frosh/ soph race with a time of 10:57.

Boys frosh/soph Division
•Eastlake had three runners place among the top 30 finishers in the combined field of 251 runners. Freshman Andrew Calica was 21st overall in 9:02, followed by freshman Stevan Perez (29th overall) in 9:12. Calica was 13th among Division I runners while Perez was 17th among Division I runners.


Girls Frosh/soph Division
•Eleven runners between Eastlake and Chula Vista placed among the top 30 finishers in the Division I frosh/soph race. Chula Vista sophomore Adrienne Bidwell finished seventh among individuals in 10:28 (for 1.65 miles), followed by fellow top 10 finisher (and freshman teammate) Mariza Diaz (ninth, 10:33).

•Other top 30 finishers in the Division I girls frosh/soph race included Eastlake sophomore Olivia Davis (11th, 10:35), Eastlake freshman Anissa Amezcua (13th, 10:42), Chula Vista freshman Nancy Jimenez (15th, 10:43), Eastlake sophomore Danny Sullivan (18th, 10:49), Eastlake sophomore Alyssa Calderon (19th, 10:50), Eastlake freshman Karley Angotta, 20th, 10:52), Chula Vista sophomore Ana Aguon (26th, 10:55), Eastlake sophomore Sarah Sedillo (29th, 11:03) and Eastlake freshman Jasmine Ramirez (30th, 11:10).

U.S. West Region Coach of the Year has Mustangs off and running

Posted Sept. 12, 2008
Over the summer, Otay Ranch High School cross country coach Ian Cumming was recognized as one of the top eight high school cross country coaches in the United States, earned select honors as the Western Region Coach of the Year. The award, presented by the National High School Athletic Coaches Association, was presented to Cumming at the NHSACA annual conference in Colorado Springs, Colo.

Cumming has been coaching cross country and track and field in the Sweetwater High School District for nearly three decades, with service at Hilltop, Bonita Vista and, most recently, Otay Ranch high schools. His teams are known for their prowess on the course — Cumming ranks as the winningest active coach in the San Diego County — but have also been notable in other areas such as helping student-athletes steer a steady course in life-building skills. His teams annually top 100 athletes.

Understandably, Cumming said it was an honor to be selected by his peers as the outstanding coach from the western region of the United States and one of the eight best coaches in the country.

“It’s quite a nice compliment,” he said. “I was very flattered. It also says a lot about the quality of the kids I have had the privilege to coach and the many great coaches who have helped me through the years. Part of the award is based on the accomplishments of the teams you have coached; part of it is based on service to kids and the sport.”

While obviously serving as a great role model for his student-athletes, Cumming said the support network offered by his many assistant coaches over the years has been instrumental in what he has been able to accomplish for the various programs he has coached.

“My other coaches, especially David Hunter, Julie Phair, Jeff Phair and Ron Moore, have given so much positive feedback to kids and time to helping run invitational and championship meets,” Cumming said.

He also credited the undying commitment of his assistant coaches as well as the incredible amount of support and time given by so many parents and community members as making it so much easier for him to run many large-scale events and, in his words, “do extra things to help kids.”

“So you could say that much of what I have accomplished is really the work of others who were willing to give unselfishly of their time,” he said. “One of the nicest and most rewarding things to come out of this was the organization of a letter-writing campaign by a community member in support of my nomination for national coach of the year. The many letters from ex-athletes and their parents were very much appreciated. They were especially nice in that they reinforced my goals, of helping student-athletes to be better people and persevering in trying to achieve their life goals, had been, in their eyes, a successful endeavor on my part and our assistant coaches.”

Last year’s boys cross country team finished second in the San Diego Section Division I finals and went on to finished 13th at the state championship meet. M any see this year’s Otay Ranch boys cross country team as challenging for the CIF team championship banner.

Observers point to the Mustangs’ depth to support their claims.

Otay Ranch graduated Brandon Velasquez, its best-ever runner in school history, but return “loaded” in 2008, according to rival coaches. Among the varsity returners are Jacob Roach, Jon Limon, Ryan Perry, Luis Medina, Carlos Hernandez and Alfred Haslerig. They combine to make the Mustangs a formidable opponent on any course.

Roach is the top returning runner from last year’s San Diego Section Division I finals and is the defending Mesa League individual champion. He posted the third-best time of any section runner, inclusive of all five divisional races, in the state as a sophomore.

Jonathan Limon (fifth) and Haslerig (10th) both earned all-league honors at last year’s Mesa finals while Perry made the top 20 cut. All are seniors this year.

Limon placed 17th at the Division I finals and went on to post the 11th-best time of the section’s entrants at the state meet.

Cumming remains cautiously optimistic about the potential of this year’s team.

“Despite graduating several key seniors, our boys should be very good,” he said. “We have many strong returnees and it looks like a good group of new freshmen and sophomores. Our girls will be very much improved from last year. We have some hard-working returnees and what looks to be a very dedicated group of freshmen.”

A CIF team title for Otay Ranch would be just another accolade on the resume of Cumming’s fantastic coaching career, according to his many admirers.

And, perhaps, overdue after leading Hilltop to a pair of section banners prior to the formation of the state championship meet..