The Results: Best CA XC Program of All Time
Tournament Champion: Saugus Girls
Saugus mobilized their full voting force to bring home the tournament title, which was a mildly surprising outcome. Here's the thing, though: the Centurions are not completely far-fetched as a candidate for best program ever. That's especially true if you have the opinion that recent titles carry more weight than past titles, because there are a LOT more strong programs in the state now than there were in the late '80's and early 90's. Plus, Saugus competes in Division 2 against some of the larger schools in the state. It's also worth noting that this program has earned three top-4 national rankings in the last decade. This might not have been everyone's first choice, but this isn't a ridiculous result by any stretch of the imagination. The Centurions are legit, and their next title will tie them with San Francisco University for most championships by any California program.
My Top 5: MileSplit Senior Editor Jeff George
1. McFarland Boys:
As someone articulated VERY well in the comments on the article, the Cougars could very well have the most state titles of any California program, were it not for the Central Section policy that has continually bumped them up to larger divisions. Right now, McFarland has to compete in Division 1 despite having less than 700 students, while everyone else in their division is over 1900 - and they STILL continue to make the state meet. How many championships would they have if they were in Division 4, where they belong by size?
2. San Francisco University Girls:
It wasn't very long ago when the Red Devils were running with the biggest teams in the state and winning, and that's why their 10 titles cannot be dismissed.
3. Jesuit Boys
If this program had stopped being competitive in the last decade, they would be lower - it has been 10 years since the Marauders last won a title. Of course, that isn't the case, as their 3rd-place finish in Division 1 attests. For sheer all-time competitiveness, Jesuit is hard to match.
4. Saugus Girls
See above - this is definitely a team in the conversation for best ever, and that's why the tournament results aren't completely out of line.
5. Great Oak Girls:
It's pretty hard to argue with 5 titles in the school's first 11 years of existence! Give the Wolfpack a few more years, and this tournament may go in a completely different direction.
My Top 5: MileSplitCA Editor Albert Caruana
1. Saugus Girls & Boys:
Saugus obviously won our poll and has been one of the premier cross country programs especially on the girls side. Their girls have won 9 state championships (7 straight at one point) and will be aiming at tying University's record of 10. Their boys have made the podium 5 times including a state championship in 2013. As long as Rene Paragas continues to coach there, the Centurions will continue to compete at the elite level in California.
2. San Francisco University Girls:
University HS holds the state meet record for girls team titles with 10. They are a division 5 team but there was a time when they could run with anybody in the state. In a 3 year period starting in 1996, University scored 24, 18 and 20 points. It will be a very long time before a team records scores like that in any division. The girls have 14 total podium finishes with 10 first and 4 seconds. Their boys have never won a state title but still record 7 podium finishes with 2 seconds and 5 third place finishes.
3. Jesuit Boys:
Jesuit has been one of the best boys programs in California for a long time with coach Walt Lange. They hold the state record of 9 victories along with McFarland. They won their first state title in 1989 and their last one in 2006. I believe that they would have more state titles if placed in the same division as schools their own size.
4. Nordhoff Boys & Girls:
If one coach discovered the cheat code on how to win state championships and collect as much hardware as humanly possible, that would be Ken Reeves when he coached at Nordhoff. Between 1990 and 2000, Nordhoff collected 11 state championships (6 for the boys and 5 for the girls) and 19 podium finishes (10 for boys and 9 for girls). I think when you look at the most successful program in terms of success by both their boys and girls teams, Nordhoff is definitely in the conversation.
5. McFarland Boys:
I think when you have a movie made about your team's success, that definitely speaks for itself. They won 9 state championships between 1987 and 1996. If it weren't for competitive equity in the Central Section, I believe McFarland is another team that would have collected more state team titles. Nobody can justify a school with 860 students competing in Division I but that is what McFarland has done for many years. Unfortunately they may never get a chance to win another state title but there is no question that they have been one of the top programs since the first state meet in 1987.
Honorable Mention:
Great Oak High School. They are still a fairly young school compared to most schools in California with their first year being in 2004. Their girls have collected 5 state championships with their boys winning the last 2 (all in division 1). Last season, Great Oak won the boys NXN title while their girls finished 3rd. There is a very short list nationally of teams that could accomplish two top 3 finishes at NXN in the same season. They are clearly a program that is building a lot of momentum and I think will be among those 5 teams I mentioned above in a few years.
