SD Prep Sports

SD Prep Sports: Cross Country

Red Devils out-'dual' Spartans, stay unbeaten

By Phillip Brents
Posted Oct. 22, 2002

At the beginning of the season, the Sweetwater High boys cross country team earned a top 10 ranking among San Diego Section teams. The Red Devils edged defending Mesa League champion Bonita Vista by nine points to take second place at the seventh annual Baron Invitational on Sept. 13. However, a disappointing showing two weeks later at the 29th annual South Bay Invitational that saw Bonita Vista finish a whopping 62 points ahead of the Red Devils, catapulted the Barons into the top 10 and relegated Sweetwater to also-rans.

What the poll-makers may not have known was that the Devils had two of their runners hit by the flu and another runner who did not compete at the 22-team South Bay Invitational.

Sweetwater competed at full strength last Friday and those poll-makers may have to reconsider their stance after the Devils ran past perennial Mesa League power Chula Vista, 21-36, to improve to 3-0 in league dual competition.

“The kids ran really well — even better than I expected them to. All our top eight varsity ran PR’s on this course — career bests,” said SuHi coach Tim Latham.
Sweetwater’s Edgar Llanez and Javier Diaz finished as the race’s top two finishers, covering the 3.1-mile course in 16:06 and 16:19, respectively. The Red Devils finished with three of the top four, four of the top six and six of the top nine times. Sweetwater placed its fifth runner ahead of the Spartans’ fourth man.

Ivan Villareal was Chula Vista’s top runner, finishing third in 16:22. Hector Arreola finished fourth for the Red Devils in 16:28, followed by the Spartans’ Danny Medrano and SuHi’s Rogelio Gonzalez, both with 16:40 times, in fifth and sixth places, respectively. Chula Vista’s Juan Jauregui was seventh in 16:41, followed the a pair of Sweetwater runners — Fernando Sepulveda (eighth, 16:54) and Robert Isais (ninth, 17:12). The Spartans’ James Groves rounded out the race’s top 10 finishers with a 17:22 time.

As for a potential top 10 showdown, the Red Devils match up with Bonita Vista on Friday, Nov. 1, at Discovery Park. The Barons host Chula Vista at the same site the following Friday to conclude regular season competition.

Chula Vista’s girls team remained undefeated by defeating Sweetwater, 24-32, last Friday, moving into a first-place tie with Bonita Vista at 2-0 in league dual competition.

The Spartans placed five of the top eight runners and six of the top 10 to slip past a strong challenge by the Red Devils, who finished with three of the top five place-finishers in the girls varsity race.

Johanna Suasa (13:55) and Kenia Rosete (14:02) keyed Chula Vista’s charge — and effectively sealed the outcome in the Spartans’ favor — by posting the top two times on the 2.2-mile course. Sweetwater followed with the next three runners: Savannah Size (third, 14:17), Lizette Villasana (fourth, 14:21) and Brenda Diaz (fifth, 14:45). Chula Vista, however, completed its scoring with the next three finishers: Cindy Garay (sixth, 14:50), Virginia Madero (seventh, 15:00) and Carlene Belen (eighth, 15:06).

In boys junior varsity competition, Sweetwater edged Chula Vista 27-28 as the teams both placed five runners among the race’s top 10 finishers. The Red Devils built their winning edge by placing three of the top four runners, led by race winner Salvador Suarez (17:58). Chula Vista’s Mikkel Conver finished second in 18:03 but two SuHi runners were behind: John Cleveland (third, 18:21) and Francisco Villasana (fourth, 18:29).

Of the Spartans’ top five finishers, four were freshmen.