CIF Finals carry weight of big expectations

By Scott Joerger and Doug Binder

On paper, Saturday’s CIF state finals at Fresno’s Woodward Park have the makings of something special. Storylines abound as the top harriers and their teams converge to test themselves against rivals, and history, at the nation’s largest state championship meet.

The statistics point to one of the deepest state meet fields on record.

At the top, there is Sarah Baxter of Simi Valley, trying to join a select few as a four-time state champion and perhaps stamp her resume as the greatest in state history.

Another reigning Nike Cross Nationals champion, the Arcadia boys, are in the midst of trying to defend their CIF (and national) titles.

The newly ascended No. 1 Great Oak girls, record-breakers on the Mt. SAC course, come into the weekend looking to affirm their dominance.

“I think the biggest thing for us was that the three girls that got hurt, their faith never wavered that they would be able to get back on the starting line,” Great Oak coach Doug Soles said. “We had some younger girls during the season that basically said ‘We’re going to hold it down for you until you get healthy.’”

The ultimate fate of Great Oak and many other teams will be partially determined Saturday. A select few will come out of the state meet with NXN team berths and some of the remaining top individuals will regroup for Foot Locker West regionals on Dec. 7 at Mt. SAC.

DyeStatCal will be on hand to offer thorough coverage, but for now, here is a breakdown of what’s in store by division:

Division 1

Boys team race: All season it was defending champ Arcadia on top, but Cinderella team Warren (US#3) rose up and beat the US#4 Apaches at the CIF-SS final. Those two teams will collide again, with additional threats coming from US#10 Dana Hills, US#11 Madera South, US#16 Loyola, US#21 Crescent Valley, US#30 El Toro and US#31 De La Salle. That’s right, eight of the top 31 teams in the country.

Boys individuals: Blake Haney of Stockdale looked unstoppable early in the season but had a slightly rough outing on the hills at Mt. SAC. He is still the biggest name in the field but he could be pressed by Blair Hurlock of De La Salle, who just broke Yong-Sung Leal’s course record at NCS finals. Sophomore Jake Ogden of Dana Hills is also dangerous. And let’s not write off Estevan De La Rosa of Arcadia, the NXN runner-up, just yet, or Mt. SAC ace Tal Braude of Torrey Pines.

Girls team race: Great Oak is the overwhelming favorite thanks to a record 87:58 (17:36 average) at Mt. SAC last weekend, which broke Saugus’ 2008 record of 88:18. (That Saugus team finished second to Fayetteville-Manlius at NXN, the highest Californian finish for girls). Back at near-full strength, GO is ranked US#1. The prime challengers are US#15 Buchanan, US#18 Clovis North, US#19 Trabuco Hills, US#20 Capistrano Valley, US#35 Davis Senior and US#37 St. Francis.

Girls individuals: This one is murky, with several strong runners in the field and no safe-bet favorite. Fiona O’Keeffe of Davis Senior ran 17:17 at Woodward Park six weeks ago and has to rate a slight favorite in a field that includes Destiny Collins of Great Oak, Marissa Williams of Palisades Charter, Sarah Robinson of Gunn and Lauren Larocco of St. Francis.

Division 2

Boys team race: Saugus may be better known for its girls teams but the boys looked unstoppable last Saturday at the Southern Section finals. That is also reflected in this week’s national rankings, where Saugus comes in at US#24.

Boys individuals: Garrett Corcoran of Villa Park has been the dominant D2 athlete all fall, but it’s going to be crowded up front as four other runners dipped under 15 minutes at the SS finals. Steven Fahy of La Costa Canyon has the talent to win this race as well. 

Girls team race: Saugus has won this title seven years in a row but Simi Valley may be able to break that streak. Simi Valley is US#8, La Costa Canyon is US#22, Redondo Union is US#26, Arroyo Grande is US#33,  Serrano is US#34 and Mira Costa is US#40. Saugus, meanwhile, will need to dig deep. The Centurions were sixth in the Southern Section final.

Girls individuals: Still unbeaten, Sarah Baxter of Simi Valley may be aiming for her spot in history if she can break her own course record at Woodward Park (16:40). Samantha Ortega of Saugus could be within hailing distance - for a while. 

Division 3

Boys team race: US#9 Brea Olinda has been in a class by itself in D3 this year. US#32 Jurupa Hills gave Brea a strong challenge at SS finals, losing 77-86, so there is hope. And early season favorite US#33 Palos Verdes can’t be counted out either.

Boys individuals: Austin Tamagno, David Luna and Sydney Gidabuday. The super soph, Tamagno, looked unbeatable earlier in the season. But Luna, of Indio, has beaten him two weekends in a row and clocked 14:33 at Mt. SAC last weekend. Gidabuday is always lurking near the front and can’t be ignored.

Girls team race: Campolindo is the favorite after winning the North Coast Section with a scant 25 points. Team leader Brighie Leach also won the section title. Southern Section champ Palos Verdes is the top challenger.

Girls individuals: Bethan Knights of Northwood, runner-up in last year’s D3 race, is the favorite. She ran 16:39 at the SS finals – second only to Baxter.

Division 4

Boys team race: Yreka, the lone Northern Section power in the meet, is favored to win for the second time in three years.

Boys individuals: Caleb Webb of Big Bear (the same school as Ryan and Chad Hall) is a clear-cut favorite after running 14:48 at Mt. SAC last Saturday.

Girls team race: San Lorenzo Valley has a low stick up front and should win the team title. JSerra Catholic could jump up and provide a challenge, though.

Girls individuals: Anna Maxwell of San Lorenzo Valley is one of the premier runners in the nation and is an easy pick here. Maxwell, who struggled here last year when she was recovering from injury, could be on a short list of favorites at Foot Locker as well. Caroline Pietrzyk of Malibu probably will lead the chasers.

Division 5

Boys team race: St. Joseph Notre Dame had an incredible performance at NCS finals, with a better showing in the merged scoring than D1 power De La Salle (see merged results). No one should be able to touch them, but Flintridge Prep of the Southern Section is the most likely one to get close.

Boys individual: Alan Yoho of Flintridge Prep ran 15:10 at Mt. SAC last weekend, but he will face a challenge from Trevor Reinhart of Marin Academy, who won the NCS title last weekend in a very fast 14:44.

Girls team race: Branson and Flintridge Prep are the top two teams in the division, but both have sustained injuries recently. It’s going to come down to who shows up healthy and is ready to compete.

Girls individual: Julia Maxwell of Branson, 20^th at Foot Locker last year, is going for her third straight D5 title and she should be able to get it if she’s healthy. Her teammate, Anna Harleen, was a minute behind but still got second last year.