SD Prep Sports

SD Prep Sports: Cross Country

Where will it end for Baron runners?

By Phillip Brents
Posted Nov. 6, 2003

Despite failing to lose a dual meet this season, the Bonita Vista HIgh School boys cross country team has taken a tumble in the San Diego Section rankings over the past several weeks. Who knows where it will all end?

The Barons, who many felt had crafted a team worthy of running in this year’s state championship meet, began the season ranked fourth among section teams. With the top three finishers at the Division I finals earning berths to the state meet, the fourth-place ranking just arrears of North County power Rancho Buena Vista seemed a fair assessment of what the defending Mesa League champions had to bring to the table this season.

However, in just a matter of a few weeks, the Barons slipped from fourth to 10th in the section rankings (sixth among Division I teams). At one point they were ranked behind two teams they defeated head-to-head on the course — Sweetwater and Chula Vista.
For those on the team that followed the rankings, the team’s slide was particularly confounding. It has now simply become amusing to some.

The Barons completed another undefeated Mesa League season following Tuesday’s 19-44 victory against Chula Vista.

Where Bonita Vista will be ranked entering next Friday’s Metro Conference championship meet is anyone’s guess, but few Baron runners seem to make that a concern anymore, choosing instead to focus on what they have to do to be successful at the section finals later this month.

The big event at this year’s 30th South Bay Invitational, held Sept. 26 at Rohr Park, was the showdown between the then third-ranked RBV Longhorns and fourth-ranked Barons. It was here that Bonita Vista discovered it may have to navigate a logjam of teams to reach the state finals. Running without No. 1 runner Becijos due to illness, the Barons placed runner-up to RBV by 19 points: 68 to 87.

Bonita Vista did produce a season-best pack time of 40 seconds and, with a healthy Becijos back in the lineup, Bonita Vista head coach Hector Hernandez has to think his team will be in the running at the CIF finals.

Key stat: had Becijos managed to finish ahead of both RBV’s first and second scorers in the race — Alec Petros (third, 16:41) and David Phelps (fourth, 16:49) — the Barons would have won the division at the South Bay Invitational.

Untimely injury at the Southern California Invitational Oct. 18 at Guajome Park in Oceanside cost Bonita Vista more valuable rankings points. The invitational matches the runners from each school by scoring finish — first through seventh — and only moments before the race pairing No. 2 runners, the Barons had to scratch when Abraham Alvarez was unable to compete. Alvarez’ loss effectively took Bonita Vista out of the team scoring race.

It’s that vote of no respect from the section’s coaches that has to provide that extra incentive for BV runners heading into the stretch drive.

“As for rankings, I think we are close to several schools. I think it will come down to which team is healthiest that day,” the Barons’ Hernandez said. “But making the state meet is still our goal. It’s a realistic goal. We have a great shot at being top three at CIF.”

The rankings makers may have to start treating Bonita Vista more seriously after this year’s Mt. San Antonio Invitational Oct. 24-25 in Walnut. The meet, which draws talent statewide, serves as an annual barometer for success at the upcoming state meet and the Barons, with 27 competitors (18 boys and nine girls) appeared to show well at the right time.

By using comparative times, though running in different races (the event is so huge that multiple races in multiple divisions are required to get all the entered teams on the course), Bonita Vista stood a good chance of defeating fourth-ranked Poway in a dual meet.

The Barons did bring three medals home from Mt. SAC. Bersain Gutierrez (17:13 for 3.0 miles) finished fifth in the boys junior varsity race (race No. 34), followed in sixth place by freshman Austin Jett with the same time. Jett’s time ranks as one of the fastest ever posted by a BVHS frosh at the prestigious event.

Tiffany Caddell finished fifth in the girls varsity race (race No. 45) with a time of 18:58 for 3.0 miles. The top 15 finishers medaled.

Mar Vista superman Troy Swier led all conference runners with a third-place finish in the individual sweepstakes race.

As for the Barons’ finishing power?

With many having already conceded the Division I boys team title to El Camino, the race now appears on for second and third place. Hernandez still considers the Barons to be a dark horse candidate in that race by as many as five teams or more for those two remaining state qualifying berths.

Hernandez said the key to his team’s fortunes will be the finish of its fifth and sixth runners, noting that El Camino, Rancho Bernardo and Torrey Pines have already demonstrated the ability to place all five of their scorers under 17:00 on a 5K course.

Bonita Vista had all seven of its runners finish 17:03 or under on the 3.0-mile Mt. SAC course that featured a pack time of 1:00. However, because the course is so hilly, Hernandez said he equates those times to a more standard 3.1-mile course. Becijos finished 16:00 in 29th place, followed by Julian Zamora (52nd, 16:24), Alvarez (59th, 16:31), Michael Morales (91st, 17:00), Ryan Groth (93rd, 17:00), Jared Purkey (94th, 17:01) and Michael Valdez (96th, 17:03).

“If everybody is healthy, I believe we have a shot. If our fifth guy comes in under 17:00, we’re going to state. I think the kids know that. They’ve seen all the times on the Internet,” Hernandez said. “There’s not a big gap between us and those other teams. But if we can run 16:40, we’ll be all right. If we can get our 4-5-6 runners under 17:00, then we’ll be right there. Anything can happen in CIF.”