SD Prep Sports

SD Prep Sports: Cross Country

2004 California State Finals

Monarchs’ team of destiny secures 10^th place at state finals

By Phillip Brents

Posted Dec. 6, 2004

The Monte Vista High School boys cross country team wrapped up a season of unparalleled accomplishment by earning a 10th place team finish at the 2004 state championship meet Nov. 27 in Fresno. The Monarchs, who captured their first San Diego Section CIF championship since 1984, used a phenomenal 19-second spread among their top five scorers to finish with a score of 291 points — 128 points better than last year’s 18th place finish.

Senior David Frehafer led Grossmont South League champion Monte Vista on the course amid the cold and rain with a 65th place individual finish (45th among scoring teams) in 16 minutes, 38 seconds for 5K. Junior Michael Ramirez followed in 16:44 to place 74th among the 192 runners, while senior Robbie McGrorty and junior Patrick Palmiter crossed the finish line with identical times of 16:48 to finish 81st and 82nd among individuals, respectively. Senior Michael Wallace timed 16:57 to finish 97th overall as the team’s fifth scorer.

Senior Justin Bruce (153rd, 17:31) and sophomore Andrew Owens (156th, 17:35) finished as the Monarchs sixth and seventh runners.

San Pasqual and University City, which placed second and third behind Monte Vista at the San Diego Section Division II championships on Nov. 20, finished 14th and 17th, respectively, among the 23 scoring teams in Fresno.

Besides the Monarchs’ team entry, eight individual runners from the Grossmont Conference also qualified to compete at this year’s state championship meet. Of the eight qualifiers, seven competed, led by Valhalla sophomore Tony Bareno’s 21st place finish in the Division III boys race in 16:06. Other top performances were turned in by Granite Hills junior Josh Sandoval, who placed 32nd in the Division I boys race in 16:14, and Valhalla senior Alicia Nugent, who finished 33rd in the Division III girls race in 19:21 (girls also ran the 5K course).

Bareno finished as the fastest sophomore in the Division III boys race and the eighth fastest underclassmen. He finished with the 73rd fastest time among the combined field of 930 runners (five enrollment divisions) and had the 25th fastest time among underclassmen.

Nugent, who won the San Diego Section individual title, placed fourth among section runners at the state meet, trailing Valley Center senior Trisha Allred (ninth, 18:41), Clairemont junior Bridie McCarey (16th, 19:00) and Valley Center freshman Erin Murphy (31st, 19:21).

West Hills junior Dan Gonia was the top East County placer in the Division II boys race with a 48th place individual finish in 16:25.

In the Division II girls race, West Hills juniors Kristen Peters and Johanna Fisherova both engineered finishes in the top third of the field of 190 runners. Peters, who placed second at the San Diego Section CIF finals, finished 42nd at the state meet in 19:17 while Fisherova (ninth at the section championships) finished 58th in 19:39. Helix senior April Montgomery finished 91st in 19:54 in the Division I girls race.

Top individual performances by San Diego Section runners at this year’s state finals included second-place finishes by El Camino junior A.J. Acosta (Division I boys), Rancho Bernardo senior Lindsay dela Montaigne (Division I girls) and La Jolla senior Murat Kayali (Division III boys) and a third-place finish by University City junior Riley Booker (Division III boys). Acosta posted the third best time (first among underclassmen) among 930 boys finishers (inclusive of all divisions) while Booker had the seventh fastest time (third among underclassmen) among all boys runners.

Other heroic place-finishes, considering the elements, were turned in by Patrick Henry senior Kyle Bruser (sixth, Division III boys), San Pasqual senior Brooke Kerby (eighth, Division II girls) and St. Augustine junior Marco Anzures (ninth, Division III boys).

Among the section’s team qualifiers, Rancho Bernardo and El Camino finished sixth and seventh, respectively, in the Division I girls field while El Camino and Torrey Pines finished seventh and 10th, respectively in the Division I boys field. La Jolla and Valley Center finished 10th and 11th, respectively, in the Division III boys field while Valley Center placed seventh in the Division III girls field.

Both El Camino’s Acosta and University City’s Booker both qualified to compete in the Footlocker national championship meet Dec. 11 at Balboa Park’s Morley Field. Both qualified for nationals by placing among the top eight runners at the Western Region qualifier Dec. 4 in Walnut. Acosta finished fifth while Booker navigated the 3.1-mile cours