Sea Kings make their presence felt
FRESNO – Predicting the outcome of state meet races is right up there with giving an accurate weather forecast.
Neither is an easy task to accomplish.
All week long, runners had prepared for the possibility of rain, which was deemed likely for those participating in the later races.
Instead, the skies opened only after the final runner had crossed the finish line in Saturday’s CIF State Cross Country Championships at Woodward Park in Fresno.
Perhaps they only did so out of sympathy for those who had expected the downpour, a late gift for those who love to play in the rain.
“I was kind of hoping that it would rain,” the always bubbly Raquel Powers said. “Racing in the rain, it makes me run faster.”
Rain or shine, the state meet was going to amount to a fun afternoon for the Corona del Mar senior, who was saying goodbye to one of her favorite courses.
Powers has been the frontrunner at CdM for four years, leading the Sea Kings to the state meet in each of the last three. Her team made additional appearances on the state championship course in the Clovis Invitational.
The Sea Kings’ No. 1 runner said that thoughts of this being her last race on the course didn’t occur to her until after the competition.
“Now, it hit me,” she said. “I’m never going to run this course again. It’s like a true cross country course. It’s got the hills, it’s got dirt, cement. It’s got everything.”
Corona del Mar raced in the final heat of the day (Division 3), taking 13th with 313 points. Powers placed 19th in 18:29, three seconds off her career best on the 5K course. Freshman Julia Tung was 64th in 19:13.
Weather was not the only variable in play at the championship meet. Nerves were also a factor for a sophomore that had demonstrated that no stage was too big for him.
Newport Harbor’s Alexis Garcia admitted to being nervous prior to the Boys’ Division 2 race. The first-time state meet qualifier went on to finish 34th with a time of 15:55.
“I knew it was going to be fast,” Garcia said. “I didn’t think that it was going to be that fast.”
“I thought that they were going to slow down, and then that’s when I was going to make my move. They never slowed down.”
The Sailors’ top runner had a fine season. He was the Sunset League champion, the Orange County Championships runner-up, and a top-10 performer in the CIF Southern Section Finals.
While Garcia’s star is rising, Costa Mesa’s Elliot Hachac did everything he could to close out his high school cross country career on a good note.
After missing out on the state meet by one spot last season, Hachac rose to the occasion this postseason. He won the Orange Coast League title, following that up with a fifth-place showing in the CIF-SS Finals.
Despite drawing the first race of the morning in 40-degree temperatures, Hachac remained in prime form for his encore performance.
The senior has excelled on hills, and he did it again. His strength on “Killer Hill” and “Roller Coaster Hills” propelled him to a time of 15:58, which was good for 13th in Division 4.
“I took advantage of those hills to run past a lot of people,” Hachac said. “I feel like that took a lot of my energy, and I paid for it at the end.”
Sounds like Hachac left it all out on the competition course. No one would expect anything less from the Mustangs’ ace, who has prided himself on giving maximum effort in every race.
“For me to go out there and give it all I’ve got and compete with those guys, I’m really proud of myself right now,” he added. “I’ve come a long way. I know that I gave my best to the last.”
Making their second consecutive state meet appearance, Sage Hill’s girls placed 15th with 353 points in Division 5.
Ashton Carroll paced the Lightning, completing the course in 20:13 for 44th.
The team’s lone senior, Julia Lowe, was the third Sage Hill runner to come across the finish line. She ends a decorated high school career that saw her make three trips to state for the Lightning, once as an individual in her sophomore year.
Lowe could be seen running alongside teammate Alice Warden in the third mile of the race, benefiting from reinforcement that was a rarity when the Lightning held a wider spread last year.
“I know that my junior year, I was running alone in a lot of the races,” Lowe said. “I was kind of in between the first people and the rest.”
“I definitely found that this year, it’s helped, at least during the second mile or something, to have someone to run with.”
The core of the Lightning lineup should grow together. Sage Hill started three sophomores and two freshmen in the state finals.
BOYS CROSS COUNTRY
CIF State Championships
At Woodward Park
5K course
Division 1
Team Results
1. Great Oak 66; 2. Dana Hills 102; 3. Roosevelt 124; 4. Bellarmine 142; 5. Madera South 218; 6. California 239; 7. Valencia 250; 8. Jesuit 298; 9. Newbury Park 313; 10. Otay Ranch 313
Individuals
1. Grijalva (Armijo) 14:50; 2. Vernau (Davis) 14:56; 3. Beaudoin-Rosse (Bellarmine) 15:09; 4. Hazell (El Camino Real) 15:10; 5. Comeaux (Redondo Union) 15:14; 6. Fountain (Great Oak) 15:20; 7. Holland (Jesuit) 15:27; 8. Ricketts (Arroyo Grande) 15:29; 9. Braganza (Dougherty Valley) 15:30; 10. Korgan (Great Oak) 15:30
Division 2
Team Results
1. Claremont 97; 2. Loyola 107; 3. West Ranch 140; 4. Dublin 159; 5. Mira Costa 192; 6. Saugus 208; 7. Mt. Carmel 212; 8. Ventura 219; 9. Mission Viejo 240; 10. Poway 255
Individuals
1. Bishop (Claremont) 15:14; 2. Llorin (Mira Costa) 15:15; 3. Boone (Mt. Carmel) 15:17; 4. Khan (Ayala) 15:22; 5. Mazzanti (Santa Rosa) 15:24; 6. Surapaneni (Dublin) 15:25; 7. Ritter (Granite Bay) 15:27; 8. Court (Mira Costa) 15:30; 9. Renken (Claremont) 15:31; 10. Arnold (West Ranch) 15:32; 34. Garcia (Newport Harbor) 15:55
Division 3
Team Results
1. Cathedral Catholic 82; 2. West Torrance 125; 3. Campolindo 138; 4. Baldwin Park 168; 5. La Costa Canyon 186; 6. Brea Olinda 191; 7. Cathedral 193; 8. Paso Robles 206; 9. Sultana 210; 10. Redwood 259
Individuals
1. Gonzalez (Rubidoux) 15:03; 2. Anderson (Redwood) 15:05; 3. Martinez del Pinillos (Cathedral Catholic) 15:07; 4. Silva (Fresno) 15:09; 5. Corcoran (St. John Bosco) 15:18; 6. De Julio (Vista Del Lago) 15:19; 7. Skoy (Shasta) 15:20; 8. Bix (West Torrance) 15:23; 9. Benitez (Serra) 15:23; 10. Ramos (Rubidoux) 15:26;
Division 4
Team Results
1. Foothill Technology 48; 2. Sage Creek 100; 3. JSerra 162; 4. Oaks Christian 195; 5. Crean Lutheran 206; 6. San Lorenzo Valley 213; 7. San Luis Obispo 22; 8. Bishop O’Dowd 234; 9. Harvard/Westlake 257; 10. Valley Center 268
Individuals
1. Bolger (San Luis Obispo) 14:57; 2. Rodriguez (Foothill Technology) 15:29; 3. Garcia (Salesian) 15:33; 4. Cutter (Hercules) 15:39; 5. Grover (JSerra) 15:40; 6. O’Neill (Arcata) 15:42; 7. Ayala (Coalinga) 15:50; 8. Pick (Foothill Technology) 15:52; 9. Robinett (Oaks Christian) 15:54; 10. Kabbara (San Rafael) 15:55; 13. Hachac (Costa Mesa) 15:58
Division 5
Team Results
1. Desert Christian/Lancaster 70; 2. Flintridge Prep 103; 3. Valley Christian 134; 4. Lick Wilmerding 134; 5. SF University 213; 6. Thacher 216; 7. Crystal Springs 220; 8. St. Joseph Notre Dame 261; 9. Sonoma Academy 263; 10. St. Margaret’s 271
Individuals
1. Teare (St. Joseph Notre Dame) 14:58; 2. Pattinelli (Flintridge Prep) 15:39; 3. Schulz (El Molino) 15:39; 4. Mitchell (Desert Christian) 15:43; 5. Bradford (Woodcrest Christian) 15:44; 6. Monroy (Maranatha Christian) 15:46; 7. Lange (Nueva) 15:48; 8. Biehl (Desert Christian) 15:49; 9. Laidlaw (Lick Wilmerding) 15:55; 10. Horwitz (Stuart Hall) 16:00
GIRLS CROSS COUNTRY
CIF State Championships
At Woodward Park
5K course
Division 1
Team Results
1. Great Oak 47; 2. Davis 67; 3. Buchanan 139; 4. Arcadia 181; 5. Dana Hills 193; 6. ML King 242; 7. Vista Murrieta 243; 8. Yucaipa 255; 9. Woodcreek 305; 10. El Toro 307
Individuals
1. O’Keeffe (Davis) 17:28; 2. Peurifoy (ML King) 17:29; 3. Rice (Great Oak) 17:32; 4. Smith (Buchanan) 17:35; 5. Castiglioni (Davis) 17:35; 6. Lowe (Buchanan) 17:36; 7. Tobin (El Toro) 17:41; 8. Mandel (Great Oak) 17:43; 9. Virtue (Burroughs/Burbank) 17:48; 10. C. Arriaga (Walnut) 17:49
Division 2
Team Results
1. Claremont 104; 2. Saugus 147; 3. Canyon 155; 4. St. Francis/Sac 176; 5. Monte Vista 185; 6. San Marcos 194; 7. Ventura 196; 8. San Ramon Valley 196; 9. Canyon Crest 234; 10. Capistrano Valley 242
Individuals
1. Chittenden (Mira Costa) 17:25; 2. Adler (Northwood) 17:26; 3. Leonard (Canyon) 17:26; 4. Beitia (Granite Bay) 17:30; 5. Castillo (Saugus) 17:34; 6. Almanza (Channel Islands) 17:40; 7. Corda (Monte Vista) 17:43; 8. Thompson (Saugus) 17:44; 9. Schroeder (San Marcos) 17:46; 10. Fauria (St. Francis/Sac) 17:49
Division 3
Team Results
1. Palos Verdes 75; 2. Esperanza 156; 3. Aptos 156; 4. La Costa Canyon 168; 5. Cathedral Catholic 172; 6. Campolindo 216; 7. Vista del Lago 234; 8. Redwood 237; 9. Moorpark 255; 10. Laguna Hills 257; 13. Corona del Mar 313
Individuals
1. Murphy (Redwood) 17:27; 2. Wagner (Redwood) 17:30; 3. Fahy (La Costa Canyon) 17:35; 4. Zlatunich (Aptos) 17:40; 5. Cruz-Albrecht (Oak Park) 17:44; 6. Chao (Campolindo) 17:48; 7. Brown (La Costa Canyon) 17:55; 8. Rasmussen (Vista del Lago) 17:57; 9. Ruane (Campolindo) 18:01; 10. Genovese (Palos Verdes) 18:12; 19. Powers (Corona del Mar) 18:29; 64. Tung (Corona del Mar) 19:13; 107. Gerken (Corona del
Mar) 19:57; 109. Lee (Corona del Mar) 19:58; 120. E. St. Geme 20:05; 150. Buchwald (Corona del Mar) 118; 157. Griffen (Corona del Mar) 20:37;
Division 4
Team Results
1. Foothill Technology 88; 2. Bishop Amat 112; 3. JSerra 128; 4. Coronado 155; 5. Miramonte 159; 6. Mayfield 207; 7. Harvard-Westlake 215; 8. El Segundo 222; 9. Covina 243; 10. Bishop O’Dowd 258
Individuals
1. Lane (Malibu) 16:45; 2. Friedman (Santa Cruz) 17:41; 3. Ruelas (Bishop Amat) 17:56; 4. Kearney (Foothill Technology) 18:13; 5. Tabrizi (JSerra) 18:15; 6. Wallace (Sage Creek) 18:20; 7. Moro (Notre Dame/Sherman Oaks) 18:21; 8. Haskell (Miramonte) 18:22; 9. Dishion (Bret Harte) 18:24; 10. Santiago (High Tech) 18:27
Division 5
Team Results
1. Flintridge Prep 51; 2. Francis Parker 170; 3. Nueva 176; 4. Lick Wilmerding 177; 5. St. Joseph Notre Dame 223; 6. College Prep 228; 7. Sonoma Academy 241; 8. SF University 246; 9. Orcutt Academy 246; 10. Salinas Notre Dame 278; 15. Sage Hill 353
Individuals
1. Marshall (St. Joseph Notre Dame) 17:40; 2. Stout (Pacific College) 17:59; 3. Trossen (Francis Parker) 18:12; 4. Perez (St. Joseph Notre Dame) 18:22; 5. Dailey (Branson) 18:28; 6. R. Bowen (Sonoma Academy) 18:34; 7. Watkins (La Jolla Country Day) 18:35; 8. K. Bowen (Sonoma Academy) 18:38; 9. Pourmussa (Brentwood) 18:40; 10. Gitlin (Flintridge Prep) 18:45; 44. Carroll (Sage Hill) 20:13; 70. Jaffe (Sage Hill) 20:42; 104. J. Lowe (Sage Hill) 21:31; 121. Warden (Sage Hill) 21:47; 142. O. Lowe (Sage Hill) 22:20; 148. Ren (Sage Hill) 22:26; 184. Zeng (Sage Hill) 24:06
