Southern Section Division 4 Preview
The team battle between JSerra and Foothill Tech is one of the more interesting subplots to this season. JSerra took the girls section title last fall, but then the Dragons flipped the script and won the state title the next weekend at Woodward Park. Our database projects the Lions as the top returning team, but only by a 27-point margin over the defending state champs. It's not just a 2-team battle, either: Bishop Amat is always strong, and Mayfield returns 6 of 7 (including 2 rising sophs) from the team that finished 4th in Riverside last November. In the case of the boys' team scores, it was Foothill Tech that claimed both the CIF section and state titles with JSerra pushing them at both meets. Both teams took a significant hit from graduation, which could open the door for a squad like Crean Lutheran to contend (and maybe even Harvard Westlake). The database projects this to be the closest, most wide-open division for the boys, so we'll wait to see which team has had the best summer before naming a favorite.
Of course, there's nothing mysterious about the individual favorite among the D4 girls. Claudia Lane took the country by storm last year, winning the Foot Locker National title in an undefeated sophomore season. You could argue that she's even better after a strong track season helped develop her speed, and that's a scary thought for her opponents (not that any of them will see her much after the start of the race). In any other year, runners like Olivia Paez (Bishop Amat), Nadia Tabrizi (JSerra), McKenna Smith (Mayfield), Lauren Kearney (Foothill Tech), and Mariah Moro (Notre Dame Sherman Oaks) would all be legitimate contenders to win, but this year they will be staging an intense competition for second - a competition that will seriously impact the team scores, too. The top returning boy is a sophomore, which is a rarity in this section. Anthony Grover (JSerra, above right) was the only non-senior among last fall's top 7 finishers, and he comes in with a season best of 15:08.4 - almost 20 seconds better than teammate Peter Herold, the #2 returner. Henry Pick and Chris Kuchta will try to push Foothill Tech to another team win, and watch out for Cesar Nava (Covina): his season ended after Woodbridge last year, but that race was good enough to show that he could be a top 5 runner this year.