Laguna ready for run at state
The final weekend of November is here and the Laguna Beach girls’ cross-country team is taking a trip to a location where all prep teams hope to be at the end of the month — the CIF State Cross-Country Championships.
The destination, Fresno, is the site of Woodward Park (5,000-meter course) where the annual year-end CIF State meet is run. The Breakers reserved their spot for the 28th state meet on Saturday by qualifying through last week’s CIF Southern Section Cross-Country Championships at Mount San Antonio College in Walnut.
At the CIF-SS Division 4 finals meet Nov. 22, Laguna took fourth place in the team standings.
Times and finishes by the Breakers: Janie Crawford (1:37:43, 30th); Kirsten Landsiedel (19:25, 31st); Brenna Merchant (19:29, 37th); Pearl Shoemaker (19:30, 38th); Grace LaMontagne (19:55, 50th); Natalie Kimball (20:11, 61st); Taylor Alvarez (20:12, 63rd).
The Laguna boys’ team also competed at the CIF-SS Division 4 finals last Saturday, and finished with a team time of 1:24:13 and in 12th place in the final team standings. The Breakers did not advance to the state meet.
Times and placements for the Breakers: Penn Nielson (16:38, 51st); Mason Pitz (16:43, 58th); Liam Corrigan (16:49, 62nd); Drake Butler (16:54, 66th); Grant Barton (17:09, 84th); Cameron Zuziak (17:14, 90th); Carter Fraser (18:38, 116th).
“At (CIF) finals, we ran well, but we know we have more in the tank,” Laguna girls’ Coach Steve Lalim said. “Our goal all year was to qualify to the state meet and put ourselves into a position to run for a state title.”
Top-ranked La Puente Bishop Amat finished atop the girls’ Division 4 team standings at the CIF-SS finals with a time of 1:33:04. The Lancers were followed in order by JSerra (1:35:38). Covina (1:37:23), Laguna (1:37:43), Atascadero (1:37:35 1:22), Templeton 1(1:37:46), Harvard/Westlake (1:38:42), Oaks Christian (1:40:01), Foothill Technology (1:39:51), and Immaculate Heart (1:40:53) who rounded out the top 10.
The CIF State Division IV girls’ race is scheduled to start at 12:15 p.m. Saturday.
“Bishop Amat will go in as the favorite, then it’s going to be a battle between Laguna Beach, JSerra, Covina, Piedmont and Central Valley Christian for the final two spots on the podium,” Lalim said. “Can Bishop Amat be beat? If we run like we are capable, anything is possible.”
The top three teams and 10 individuals in each race will receive awards in all five divisions for both boys and girls.
“To get back on the podium, it’s going to require us to run really, really well as a team from top to bottom,” Lalim said. “The strength of our team is our pack. If we can run a good race, staying within our pack, we should be very competitive.
“This team is a special group of kids who work very hard, and are very committed to being successful. It’s been our goal all year to get back on the podium. I believe in our girls, they’ve been through it, they are experienced, they can do it again.”
Saturday’s race schedule
8:30 a.m.: Division II Boys Race; 9 a.m.: Division III Boys’ Race; 9:30 a.m.: Division II Girls’ Race; 10:05 a.m.: Division III Girls’ Race; 10:40 a.m.: Division IV Boys’ Race; 11:10 a.m.: Division V Girls’ Race; 11:45 a.m.: Division I Boys’ Race; 12:15 p.m.: Division IV Girls’ Race; 12:50 p.m.: Division V Boys’ Race; 12:50 p.m.; Division I Girls’ Race @ 1:20 p.m.
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Twitter: @MikeSciacca