Santa Margarita pursues fourth straight Division 3 girls crown; Serra looks to end four-year reign of Oaks Christian girls in Division 4 as eight team titles to be decided

By Erik Boal, DyeStat Editor

One year after a pair of runner-up team finishes, Great Oak has the potential to duplicate its achievement from 2016 and sweep both Division 1 titles Saturday at the CIF-Southern Section finals at El Camino College in Torrance.

The CIF-Southern Section championship meet is considered the deepest non-state postseason competition in the country, with eight team titles and division crowns in 128 events at stake during the eight-hour event.

Great Oak won Division 1 boys team titles in 2013, 2014 and 2016, along with its lone girls crown two years ago, which interrupted Long Beach Poly’s eight-year reign as champion. The Jackrabbits regained the girls title last season, but it will be a challenge for the 20-time section champions to repeat.

Long Beach Poly and Upland, which captured Division 3-A titles in 1987 and 1989, are the biggest threats to Great Oak securing a second girls championship.

After capturing its third boys title in program history, Mission Viejo is looking to repeat this season in Division 2, with Murrieta Mesa primed to capture its first championship.

Murrieta Mesa didn’t score a single point in last year’s Division 2 boys final, but Gahr transfer Christian Shakir-Ricks has the Rams in position to secure a title and prevent Mission Viejo from back-to-back championships.

Another first-time champion could be crowned in the Division 2 girls final, with Calabasas moving up following a pair of runner-up finishes in Division 3 to challenge Mater Dei, which last won a girls title in 2011.

Santa Margarita, which defeated Calabasas the past two seasons, is on the verge of history in the Division 3 girls championship meet after setting the division scoring record last year with 112 points.

The Eagles, led by Nikki Merritt (read story here by Landon Negri), are looking to become just the sixth girls program in section history to win four consecutive titles. Morningside was the last team to achieve the feat in Division 3 (1993-96), part of a run of seven championships in a row overall, including Division 2-A crowns from 1990-92.

Mission League rivals Notre Dame and Harvard-Westlake will clash for the Division 3 boys title.

Notre Dame has won 11 championships since 1975, including two of the past three, with Servite denying the Knights a three-peat last year.

Harvard-Westlake captured its lone boys title in Division 1-A in 1992.

Oaks Christian is seeking its third consecutive Division 4 boys championship and fifth overall, even more impressive considering the Lions will be competing without top sprinter Cristian Moore.

The Lions are also trying to extend their streak of Division 4 girls crowns to five straight years, but Oaks Christian’s dynasty could be interrupted by longtime rival Serra, which seeks its first championship since 2012 and sixth overall.