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Four Metro runners qualify for state finals

BV's Avila, SuHi's Gomez lead qualifiers with top 10 Division I finishes

By Phillip Brents

SAN DIEGO, Nov. 20, 2004 -- The amazing sophomore season of Bonita Visa’s Eric Avila continued at this year's San Diego Section division championships at Balboa Park’s Morley Field as the second-year running sensation grabbed an elite berth at this weekend’s state championship meet.

When asked after the Division I race what place he had taken last year, he looked puzzled. “This was my first year. I didn’t run CIF last year. I was JV,” he answered.

Third at last year’s Metro Conference junior varsity championships, Avila moved up to win this year’s varsity conference race, placing one second ahead of Sweetwater junior Azael Gomez, who also earned a trip to Saturday’s state finals at Woodward Park in Fresno.

Avila went out early with Granite Hills junior Josh Sandoval, this year’s Grossmont South League champion, and the pair of young runners managed to make their opening bursts count as they both managed top five finishes. Sandoval placed fourth in 15:56 on the 3.04-mile course while Avila came in at 16:02.

El Camino junior A.J. Acosta, an amazing runner in his own right, started slow, well back from the lead pack, but moved into the lead halfway through the race and extended his lead for a victory in 15:25 — 25 seconds ahead of runner-up Ahmed Osman of San Diego. El Camino senior Randy Pensinger finished third in 15:56 (the same time notched by Sandoval).

Gomez finished seventh in 16:07 — two seconds behind sixth-place finisher Scott Tekesky of Poway.
Osman, Sandoval, Avila, Tekesky and Gomez earned the five individual qualifying spots to the state meet.

Torrey Pines (first, 101 points), El Camino (second, 110 points) and Vista (third, 111 points) advanced as the the section’s three team qualifiers.

“I was planning to go out fast, be in the solid top five for a while and try to hold them off,” said Avila, whose strength is a strong finishing kick. “I was surprised that A.J. (Acosta) started off jogging. I didn’t see him until that last downhill. Then there he was — bam! I had never run this course before, so I didn’t know what to expect.”

Avila and Gomez, who finished with the seventh- and ninth-best boys times inclusive of all five divisional races on the day, are among a group of four South County runners who qualified for this year’s state championships. Castle Park freshman Julia Hernandez continued to build on her own standout season with an 11th place finish in the Division II girls race to secure the final individual state berth with a time of 17:25 for 2.7 miles. Marian Catholic junior Shanice Howard notched her second consecutive trip to Fresno with a sixth-place individual finish (18:20) in the Division IV girls race.

Hernandez becomes only the second female runner from Castle Park to ever qualify for the state meet after Mandy Johnson (2001).

The top five runners who finished among the top 12 finishers but who were on non-qualifying teams earned individual state berths. Jett met the criteria but was the victim of competing in a stacked field.

Top 10 finishers received First Team All-CIF honors; runners who finished 11th through 20th received Second Team All-CIF honors.

Among teams, Mesa League champion Bonita Vista placed sixth in the Division I boys race. Sophomore Austin Jett (16:26) finished 12th among individuals, followed by senior Abraham Alvarez (26th, 16:49), senior Michael Valdez (67th, 17:38) and sophomore Mathew Seat (77th, 17:49). All five placed in the top half of the field of 153 finishers.

Sweetwater, keyed by Gomez, finished eighth in the Division I boys team standings while Chula Vista placed 11th among the 22 scoring teams.

Senior Francisco Villasana (46th, 17:19), freshmen Alan Guidino (57th, 17:32) and Raul Isais (60th, 17:35) and sophomore Martin Macias (64th, 17:37) combined for a four-man pack spread of 18 seconds.

Senior Ivan Villarreal (24th, 16:46), junior Roberto Hernandez (32nd, 16:56), freshman Hector Diaz-Meza (54th, 17:30), junior Mikkel Conver (76th, 17:48) and freshman Cristian Fuentes (83rd, 17:57) were the Spartans’ top five scorers. Fuentes moved up to the varsity lineup after winning the conference boys JV race the previous week.

Eastlake’s Eric Fujikawa, who fnished as the top freshman boys varsity runner at the preceding week’s Metro finals, finished 28th in the Division I field as the  fastest ninth-grader in the field.

In the girls field, Mesa League champion Chula Vista finished eighth in the strong Division I field, aided by impressive top 25 finishes (out of 147 runners) by freshman Elizabeth Arias (24th, 17:33) and sophomore Angelica Larios (25th, 17:37). All of the Spartans’ top five runners finished among the top half of the field, with senior Sonia Larios (66th, 18:40), junior Virginia Madero (70th, 18:47) and freshman Michelle Calderon (72nd, 18:48) rounding out the team’s scorers.

Eastlake, which finished second to Chula Vista in the final Mesa League standings, moved up from dead last at last year’s Division I finals to take 13th out of 20 teams this season. The Titans had two top 30 finishers: freshman Heather Voigt (26th, 17:41) and sophomore Tania Andrade (27th, 17:46).

South Bay League team champion Hilltop was 15th in the Division I girls field while Bonita Vista was 16th and Sweetwater was 18th.

Three-time South Bay League girls champion Selena Munoz of Hilltop concluded her senior season with a 17th place finish, though her time of 17:23 stood as the best turned in by any Metro runner, inclusive of all divisions.
Mesa League champion Chelsea Nicklen (17:50) finished 30th in the same Division I field.

South Bay League boys champion Edgar Medina of Castle Park moved up early in the Division II boys race and managed a 19th place finish in 17:00 — 21 seconds off the final state qualifying time.

Castle Park, keyed by state qualifier Hernandez and junior Veronica Gonzales’ 19th place finish in 18:04, finished 10th in the  Division II girls standings.

Among the runners to watch out for next season is Marian Catholic sophomore Miriam Cota, who finished 15th in the Division IV girls race.

Otay Ranch, which finished with a co-championship with Castle Park among South Bay League boys teams, placed eighth in the Division III standings. Junior Matt Danielson keyed the Mustangs, who advanced to last year’s state finals as the second-place team in Division IV, with a 22nd place finish in 17:32. All five Otay Ranch scorers posted top 40 finishes (out of 103 runners). Trailing Danielson were juniors Ernesto Valdez (32nd, 17:49) and Ryan Matias (33rd, 17:51) and sophomores Ivan Dallet (36th, 18:01) and Ricky Pimentel (37th, 18:04). The Mustangs five-man spread totaled 32 seconds.