NORTH COAST SECTION -- California is a very large state that is divided into 10 not so equal sections. The North Coast Section is one of the bigger sections and has proven to be one of the top competitors at the California state cross country meet.
This past weekend, many of the top teams either participated at some of the longest running meets in California, the 44th Annual Crystal Springs Invitational, the 41st Annual Clovis Invitational and the 47th Annual Artichoke Invitational.
During the next few weeks, most teams will be racing their league rivals while keeping an eye on the fast-approaching league championship meets along with the most important meet for most section teams, the North Coast Section Championship meet at the almost historic Hayward HS course.
Based on the meets that have taken place so far this season, here is a quick snapshot of the top individuals (CCS individual champions last season courtesy of Hank Lawson) and teams in this section.
BOYS INDIVIDUALS
As with Cooper Teare a few years ago, there is one clear number one runner in this section and that is Redwood senior, Liam Anderson. As a freshman, Anderson finished a surprising 2nd in the Division II race behind teammate Andy Ehrenberg. The next two seasons, Anderson swept to victory in Division III before securing a state title last year as a junior.
Anderson qualified to the NXN meet as one of the five fastest runners at the California state meet and finished in 3rd place, the best finish for a non-senior. He made his season debut this past Saturday with a winning effort at the prestigious Clovis Invitational. His 14:57.80 time is the 3rd fastest time in NCS history trailing only Jay Marden of Mission San Jose (14:40) and Calvin Gaziano of Castro Valley (14:49).
Other notable runners include the Dublin duo of Loic Scamparin and Christopher Middleton-Pearson who will compete in Division I. Their main competition as individuals and for their team will come from Amador Valley and their lead runner, Aiden Boyle.
In Division II, the leading contenders will be De La Salle senior Connor Livingston and Foothill senior Russell Sullivan. Division III will feature the already mentioned Liam Anderson and Campolindo's Edward Buckley.
Nicco Pompili of Sir Francis Drake will be favored to win the individual section title in Division IV while Sonoma Academy senior Andre Williams will be the strong favorite to conquer the Hayward course and his state meet competition in Division V.
Ranking the top 10 North Coast Section boys for Three Mile Run
| RANK | TIME | ATHLETE/TEAM | GRADE | MEET DATEPLACE |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | 14:07.10 | Dublin High School (NC) | 2019 | |
| 2 | 14:28.10 | De La Salle (NC) | 2019 | |
| 3 | 14:43.20 | Dublin High School (NC) | 2020 | |
| 4 | 14:46.70 | Sir Francis Drake High (NC) | 2019 | |
| 5 | 14:48.20 | Granada High (NC) | 2019 | |
| 6 | 14:51.50 | Maria Carrillo High (NC) | 2020 | |
| 7 | 14:52.20 | Maria Carrillo High (NC) | 2020 | |
| 8 | 14:52.90 | Sir Francis Drake High (NC) | 2020 | |
| 9 | 14:55.80 | Granada High (NC) | 2020 | |
| 10 | 14:58.00 | Maria Carrillo High (NC) | 2020 |
GIRLS INDIVIDUALS
The Granada girls have the best team in the section and are led by one of the fastest individuals, Colleen McCandless. She will be favored to lead Granada to their 4th straight section title in Division II but will need to fend off the challenge from Kate Tavella and Emma Tavella of San Ramon Valley.
In Division I, Dougherty Valley has been one of the top teams in this division the past few years but with Amador Valley moving up this season, the favorite will be AV sophomore Hope Berkmark. She is the clear favorite in this division.
In Division III, the best individual at this point is Concord senior Rayna Stanziano. She will need to stay clear of Maria Carrillo's Aimee Armstrong and Alameda's Lauren Lum.
In Division IV, Miramonte senior Cassidy Haskell seems to be rounding back into shape and will be favored to capture another section title.
Division V might have the best individual matchup between Healdsburg senior Gabrielle Peterson and St. Joseph Notre Dame senior Emily Perez.
Ranking the top 10 North Coast Section girls for Three Mile Run
| RANK | TIME | ATHLETE/TEAM | GRADE | MEET DATEPLACE |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | 16:24.30 | Granada High (NC) | 2019 | |
| 2 | 17:08.80 | St. Joseph Notre Dame (NC) | 2019 | |
| 3 | 17:15.30 | Granada High (NC) | 2019 | |
| 4 | 17:17.90 | Maria Carrillo High (NC) | 2019 | |
| 5 | 17:20.80 | Granada High (NC) | 2019 | |
| 6 | 17:36.50 | Granada High (NC) | 2019 | |
| 7 | 17:41.10 | Granada High (NC) | 2021 | |
| 8 | 17:45.50 | Granada High (NC) | 2021 | |
| 9 | 17:49.90 | Maria Carrillo High (NC) | 2021 | |
| 10 | 17:56.11 | Alameda High School (NC) | 2019 |
BOYS' TEAMS
This section has some very solid teams that will make waves at the state level. One of the top teams the past few seasons, Dublin, will be favored to win the Division I title and will need to stay in front of league rival Amador Valley.
The Division II favorite should be the Granada boys. They finished a strong 2nd last year behind the eventual champion, Dublin.
In Division III, the Maria Carrillo boys are currently favored to repeat as section champions after halting the Campolindo streak of section titles at four. Campolindo will hope to field a fully healthy lineup by November and if they do, they will more than keep the MC boys honest.
The Sir Francis Drake boys will be favored to repeat as team champions and they have more than tested themselves against some of the top teams at state at Woodbridge and Stanford.
In Division V, the top two teams are quite familiar with each other as the University boys will look to repeat as section and state champions. League rival Lick-Wilmerding had to replace a few top runners from last year and will try to at least make the University boys nervous during the November races.
GIRLS' TEAMS
Here are the leading contenders in each division.
Amador Valley will be strong favorites to win Division I as they are highly ranked in state. The team that will vie for the 2nd spot and state meet qualifying spot will be Dougherty Valley.
The Granada girls will be strong favorites to snatch another section crown. Their main competition should come from San Ramon Valley who will have a strong duo in the Tavella sisters.
The Maria Carrillo girls will be trying to make it a clean sweep for their school. Their main competition should come from a familiar foe in Campolindo.
Division IV will have Piedmont as it's favorite at this point while Lick-Wilmerding and University will battle it out once again in Division V.