11. Canyon (Anaheim Hills)

It's the age-old question of cross country: is it better to have fast runners up front or a close, deep pack? (Of course, it's best to have BOTH, but since the vast majority of teams don't ever have that luxury, bear with me here.) The Comanches have serious front-running firepower, with 2 returners at 15:46 or better and three under 16:10. Canyon also rates 6th among all the teams we evaluated for year-to-year improvement, which bodes well; the one big concern for this team is depth, but that would be addressed by a typical summer for this program. Dylan Scarscone had a strong spring season, which could be a signal that he has closed on returning #1 Chance Lamberth. If the Comanches can bring their 5-6-7 runners closer to the very strong front four, then this year's squad could move up from last year's 4th-place finish in Division 2.

	1) Chance Lamberth		15:26.76
	2) Dylan Scarscone		15:46.41
	3) Dalton Tanner		16:08.00
	4) Travis Gradijan		16:28.07
	5) Jason Ware		17:22.31
	Average Time: 16:14.31 Total Time: 1:21:11.55 1-5 Split: 1:55.55
	6) Niklas Grunder		17:26.91
	7) Kyle Hart		17:34.30

12. Agoura

Last fall, the Chargers came within 14 points of defeating a strong Brea Olinda team for the Division 3 state championship. Since then, Agoura lost 3 of the top 7 from that race to graduation (although the D3 champs lost 4). It hasn't been all losses, though; rising junior Sam Dennis, who didn't make the top 7 last year, ran 9:46 for the 3200, and he should provide much-needed depth. That wasn't the only spring success for the Chargers, either - returning 1 & 2 runners Cole Hoff and Logan Grove both ran under 9:15. When you look at returning 3 Mile times from 2014, the #2 and #3 teams in California are...Brea Olinda and Agoura, separated by only 3 points. It looks like we're headed for a repeat clash at Woodward Park this November, and it all comes down to which program does the best job in the offseason. Stay tuned...

	1) Cole Hoff		15:37.00
	2) Logan Grove		15:55.00
	3) Martin Wilson		16:08.00
	4) Dylan Majerus		16:22.12
	5) Jace Bricker		17:17.14
	Average Time: 16:15.85 Total Time: 1:21:19.26 1-5 Split: 1:40.14

13. Flintridge Prep

Let's face it, this returning Rebel squad doesn't look like a Division 5 team. Flintridge grades out as the 8th-best team in the entire Southern Section, all classes together, as we enter the upcoming season (that's using 5K times). Since the last cross country season ended, Jack Van Scoter had a big track season, going 4:17 and 9:18 - and leading a few other returners to solid times, as well. When you consider that the two teams that beat this team at the CIF State Meet last fall both lost 3 seniors, and then include the fact that the Rebels have all 7 back from that race, it's not hard to see how they could be strong favorites for the D5 title. Flintridge only projects to have 2 seniors in the top 7 for 2015, so this could be the beginning of a nice little multi-year run.

	1) Jack Van Scoter		15:21.00
	2) Jonathan Vahala		16:05.00
	3) Nikhil Poole		16:19.00
	4) Riley Coan		16:38.00
	5) Evan Pattinelli		16:41.00
	Average Time: 16:12.80 Total Time: 1:21:04.00 1-5 Split: 1:20.00
	6) Rab Moran		16:47.00
	7) Sham Patel		16:55.87

14. Long Beach Poly

Talk about a balanced program - lots of schools have both their boys and girls in the Countdown, but this is the only one that came up with the exact same ranking for both (well, there IS one other program...). The Jackrabbit boys have a more veteran squad than their female counterparts, having graduated two seniors from the 2014 top 7 and featuring at least 3 in the upcoming season. This squad also ranks higher for returning talent: 11th in the state for 5K and 7th for 3 Mile, making them one of the statistically strongest teams in California. They have good depth, with a 1-6 split of 49 seconds and a four-man front group that should all threaten the 16-minute mark. On the downside, Poly's boys fall a bit behind the team-wide track success that the girls had, although Hugo Novoa and Gian Delfin put up some strong times. Still, the Jackrabbits appear to have enough returning talent to make it back to the state meet, and maybe even to move into the top 10 after finishing 12th in Division 1 last November.

	1) Colby Penn		15:55.92
	2) Hugo Novoa		16:13.63
	3) Gian Delfin		16:16.00
	4) Conor Ragland		16:25.23
	5) Eric Hatch		16:41.51
	Average Time: 16:18.46 Total Time: 1:21:32.29 1-5 Split: 45.59
	6) Jose Long		16:44.88
	7) Jordan Peacock		17:11.44

15. Willow Glen

When you finished 10th in the Division 2 race at the 2014 CIF State Meet and then lost 3 seniors to graduation, you need something to stand out about your program to make it this high in the countdown. The Rams actually have two such things: they have a better-than-average recent record of year-to-year improvement, and they have some of the best team track results in the state. Willow Glen ranked 7th in California in terms of team 3200 results, putting three returners under 10 minutes, and they also put 5 under 4:40 in the 1600. In particular, Zach Walker's 9:38 puts him 5th among rising sophomores in the state, and makes him look like a contender to run #1 for the team. If the Rams can cultivate depth over the summer to support their close-knit top 5 (separated by only 49 seconds 1-5), the team could contend for the CCS D2 title.

	1) Troy Dao		16:23.00
	2) Sammy Eurle		16:25.00
	3) Zach Walker		16:26.00
	4) Brian Reyes		16:45.00
	5) Giovanni Dal Canto		17:12.00
	Average Time: 16:38.20 Total Time: 1:23:11.00 1-5 Split: 49.00