By Erik Boal, DyeStatCAL Editor

The 30th annual CIF State Championships are scheduled for Saturday, Nov. 26 at Woodward Park in Fresno. The schedule is as follows: 8:30 a.m. Division 4 boys, 9 a.m. Division 5 boys, 9:30 a.m. Division 4 girls, 10:05 a.m. Division 5 girls, 10:40 a.m. Division 1 boys, 11:10 a.m. Division 2 girls, 11:45 a.m. Division 3 boys, 12:15 p.m. Division 1 girls, 12:50 p.m. Division 2 boys, 1:20 p.m. Division 3 girls.

Here are 10 storylines to follow at one of the strongest state finals in the country, which also serves as a selection meet for Nike Cross Nationals:

Seeking a historic triple-double

Great Oak became the first Division 1 program last year to sweep boys and girls state titles in consecutive seasons. The Wolfpack joined Nordhoff as the only schools to win boys and girls state championships in the same year twice, with the Rangers the first in California to achieve the feat in Division 3 in 1995, then again in Division 4 in 1998. Now, Great Oak has an opportunity to become the only program to accomplish the sweep, not only three years in a row, but three times overall. The Wolfpack are seeking a fifth consecutive girls title and sixth overall, along with a third straight boys crown. Great Oak will also look to challenge both Woodward Park all-time course records, with the boys running 76:09 last season and the girls clocking 89:11.

A Lane of her own

Malibu sophomore Claudia Lane placed 13^th in the fastest Division 4 girls final in state meet history last year, clocking 18:20.7 on the 5-kilometer Woodward Park course. Lane has elevated herself to the fastest female athlete in the state this season, giving the Sharks' standout an opportunity to not only challenge the all-time Woodward Park sophomore record, but become one of the top performers in state history. Former Davis Senior star Fiona O’Keeffe, an All-American in her freshman season at Stanford, set the sophomore mark by clocking 16:58.8 in 2013. The Southern Section sophomore record at Woodward Park is 17:07.4 in 2011 by Simi Valley graduate and four-time champion Sarah Baxter. Only seven girls have ever eclipsed the 17-minute barrier on the course, but Lane could make it an elite eight.

Redemption run at a record

Saugus has been focused all season on the pursuit of tying the all-time record of 10 girls state titles held by San Francisco University, but the Centurions nearly missed out on the opportunity following a seventh-place finish at the Southern Section Division 2 final, needing to survive a sixth-runner tiebreaker with Channel Islands in order to return to the state championship. Kaylee Thompson and Mariah Castillo give Saugus a chance to capture a 10^th state crown in 11 years – including a Division 2 second-place finish in 2013 – but the Centurions will need to rebound like they did in 2011, when they placed second in the Southern Section Division 2 final and then captured the state championship the following week in order to make history. Claremont, St. Francis Sacramento, Anaheim Canyon, Granada and Monte Vista are all capable of standing in the way of Saugus’ record pursuit.

Making a final push for Portland

Although Great Oak is favored to have both boys and girls teams qualify again for Nike Cross Nationals, the second automatic berth in both genders is up for grabs, along with potential at-large bids after California was shut out of a third boys or girls team earning a trip to Oregon last season. Davis Senior, which finished second to Great Oak in the Division 1 girls state final before placing ahead the Wolfpack at NXN the following week, is a leading contender to secure the second automatic berth, with Palos Verdes also in contention if the Sea Kings can win the Division 3 championship and Claremont also in the picture if it can win the Division 2 title for the first time. Dana Hills, third in the boys race last season at NXN, has the potential to return to Portland with a strong showing in the Division 1 final. Roosevelt, Ventura, Mira Costa, Claremont, Loyola, West Torrance and Brea-Olinda could also factor into the boys race for an automatic berth, if not an at-large bid.

Searching for a significant sweep

The first year the state finals were held in 1987, Agoura achieved history by having Bryan Dameworth and Deena (Drossin) Kastor both capture Division 1 titles. The duo accomplished the feat again in 1989, but only twice since then has a school produced both individual state champions in the same season. On the 30^th anniversary of the state meet, St. Joseph Notre Dame seniors Cooper Teare and Kiera Marshall have the opportunity to add their names to that impressive list with a potential sweep of the Division 5 championships. Riverbank was the last school to complete the sweep with German Fernandez and Maritza Garcia in Division 4 in 2005, which followed Mt. Shasta brother and sister Austin and Katie Fritzke doubling up in Division 5 in 2004. Teare is the defending state champion, with Marshall looking to hold off Sonoma Academy junior Rylee Bowen, Francis Parker senior Brooke Trossen and Pacific Collegiate junior Alexandra Stout after placing second the past two years. Marshall prevailed by a 30-second margin over Bowen at the North Coast Section final.

A new state of mind

Ken Reeves guided Nordhoff to six boys state championships and five girls state crowns during a nine-year span from 1990-98. Nearly 20 years later, Reeves is now in contention for two more titles with third-year program Foothill Tech. The Dragons captured their first Southern Section Division 4 boys championship and finished second to JSerra in the girls competition, putting Foothill Tech in contention to add to Reeves’ career title haul. JSerra, which won three consecutive Division 4 girls state titles from 2010-12, also has the potential to challenge for both championships under the guidance of coach Marty Dugard. Sage Creek’s boys and Coronado’s girls could challenge for their first Division 4 state titles, with Bishop Amat seeking back-to-back Division 4 girls championships and Miramonte pursuing its first girls state crown since 2003.

Let’s hear it for the boys

Highlighted by the Division 1 showdown involving Armijo’s Luis Grijalva and Davis Senior’s Michael Vernau, several of the state’s top male runners will not only be contending for individual state championships, but one of five potential berths to compete at Nike Cross Nationals in Oregon. Ayala senior Steven Khan returns to defend his Division 2 state title and secure back-to-back trips to Portland, with St. Joseph Notre Dame senior Cooper Teare seeking a repeat in Division 5 and a first appearance at NXN. San Luis Obispo senior Callum Bolger is pursuing his first Division 4 state championship after producing the fastest time in all divisions at the Southern Section finals. There are several potential challengers in Division 3 who could secure an NXN individual berth, including the Rubidoux duo of Erik Gonzalez and Kevin Ramos, along with Cathedral Catholic’s Joaquin Martinez de Pinillos, Fresno’s Evert Silva and Shasta’s Andrew Skoy.

New look for leading ladies

With four of the five girls state individual champions graduating, only Sonoma Academy junior Rylee Bowen returns in Division 5, giving several new faces an opportunity to step forward and contend for titles. Malibu sophomore Claudia Lane is a heavy favorite in Division 4, but the other four divisions feature several challengers looking to capture championships. In Division 1, returning all-state honorees Chloe Arriaga of Walnut, Emily Virtue of Burroughs and Sofia Castiglioni of Davis Senior are all capable of winning, along with Martin Luther King sophomore Lauren Peurifoy, Lowell senior Sierra Brill and Homestead junior Elena Kamas. In Division 2, Granite Bay senior Alexandra Beitia, St. Francis Sacramento freshman Isabella Fauria, Monte Vista senior Meredith Corda, Mira Costa senior Melia Chittenden, San Marcos senior Erica Schroeder and Anaheim Canyon junior Sara Leonard are all contenders, along with returning all-state selections Haley Herberg of Capistrano Valley, Kaylee Thompson of Saugus and Claire Graves of Citrus Valley. In Division 3, returning all-state performers Marea Zlatunich of Aptos and McKenna Brown of La Costa Canyon are expected to challenge for the title, along with La Costa Canyon’s Kristin Fahy, Palos Verdes’ Mazzy Genovese and Redwood Larkspur’s Glennis Murphy and Gillian Wagner. Murphy was an all-state honoree in Division 2 last season, before her team moved down this year to Division 3. Miramonte’s Cassy Haskell, runner-up in Division 3 last year, moved down to Division 4 to join Lane, Sacred Heart Prep's Natalie Novitsky and returning all-state standouts Mari Friedman of Santa Cruz, Niki Iyer of The Harker School, Cassi Land of Sonora and Abbey Meck of San Lorenzo Valley.

Three-peat pursuits emanate from different places

In addition to the Great Oak boys and girls attempting to extend their streaks in Division 1, along with the Saugus girls searching for a record in Division 2, two other programs are bidding for a third consecutive title. The Flintridge Prep girls and Brea-Olinda boys have an opportunity to join elite company, but are coming off contrasting performances at the Southern Section finals. Flintridge Prep captured its fourth straight section crown and is an overwhelming favorite to join San Francisco University and Mt. Shasta as the only programs to win three state Division 5 titles in a row. Brea-Olinda is looking to match the feat of Barstow and Nordhoff by securing a third consecutive Division 3 boys championship, but the Wildcats will need to rebound after suffering a 47-point setback to West Torrance at the section final in Riverside. Brea-Olinda, which hopes to have senior Daniel Perez back in its lineup, edged Baldwin Park by one point in last year’s state final.

Spotlight shines on fast freshmen

Last season it was North Coast Section rising stars Cassy Haskell of Miramonte and Liam Anderson of Redwood Larkspur producing the fastest times among all freshmen making their debuts at the state finals. Anderson and Haskell both return to Woodward Park after capturing section individual titles, with Miramonte also winning a North Coast Section Division 4 team championship. This year, it’s Buchanan’s Corie Smith, St. Francis Sacramento’s Isabella Fauria, La Quinta’s Akemi von Scherr and Yucaipa’s Tori Gaitan that are the leading freshman female runners entering the state finals, with Del Norte’s Zev Feidelberg, Jesuit’s Matt Strangio and JSerra’s Anthony Grover the top ninth-grade boys challengers. Smith won the Central Section Division 1 girls championship in 17:48.5, producing a top 20 freshman time at Woodward Park. Strangio set the Sac-Joaquin freshman record and ran the No. 13 time by a ninth-grader when he clocked 15:46.3 at the Clovis Invitational.