DIVISION I
A week after beating highly regarded Loudoun Valley at a meet in North Carolina, Great Oak's boys avenged a loss to Newbury Park by beating the Panthers on the 5K course at Woodward Park. (Contributed image)
BOYS
1. Great Oak (SS) -- With
a 76:47 with a 15 second spread at Clovis, the Wolfpack move into top spot in the
nation and now prepare for another surge in late November. With the fourth fastest time in course
history, they have their sights on matching their 2015 NXN champion squad.
2. Dublin (NC) -- Rolled
to a 78:59 team time with a 19-second spread without Chris Middleton-Pearson at full strength (33 seconds off his PR on the course). Sophomore Daniel Trampe and Ishaan Jain set new course personal best by 67 and 85 seconds, respectively!
3. Bellarmine Prep (CCS) -- Shined
at Crystal Springs last weekend with Colin Peattie breaking the coveted 15-minute barrier on the course. Their
efforts convert to a very low 79-minute team on the State Meet course.
4. Clovis North (CS) -- Burst forward with a 79:05 at Clovis with one of the step-up performances coming from Joshua Ochoa, who was surprisingly, their top scorer and a 46-second best on the
Woodward Park course. Team leading Isaiah Galindo also did NOT disappoint as both broke 15:18!
5. Jesuit (SJ) -- Is Matt Strangio the fastest boy in California history that isn't receiving any headlines?!?! His 14:49 almost went unnoticed as they crossed with a 79:04 team time. With Spencer Pickren leading their chase pack, they continue to improve with every meet.
6. Eleanor Roosevelt (SS) -- The Mustangs rebounded VERY well at this week's league meet where they sat out two of their top five (and four of their
top seven) but still held off a strong ML King squad. (FYI - Not much separates the next eight
squads after Great Oak in the SS-Div. 1 battle!)
8. Burbank (SS) -- Sat
out Clovis Invite due to the local fires.
We still point to their performance in Portland several weeks ago where
they matched the effort of Clovis North, despite their fourth scorer finishing out of the scoring five that day. EDIT: Could not match Crescenta Valley in this week's Pacific League Meet
9. Long Beach Poly (SS) -- Skipped
Clovis but we reflect back to their team performance at the Capital Cross Challenge several weeks ago in Sacramento. There, they ran a 79:27 on a course that runs just a tad faster than the Woodward
Park course. Even if Jesuit was at full strength at that meet, Poly would not have too far behind.
10. La Serna (SS) -- With
the whole crew now together, they rolled to an 80:26 team time. They get the nod here with the league win
over California two weeks ago while two others in the SS are just a lean away from this group. Gerald Baltzer continues to put together a great resume with his 15:36 effort last weekend.
Others: Amador Valley (NC), Arcadia (SS), California (SS), Davis (SJ), Mira Costa (SS), Torrey Pines (SD), Vista Murrieta (SS)
GIRLS
1. Great Oak (SS) -- Outstanding performance for the second week in a row from the defending State Champs. While Tori Gaitan (17:51 at Clovis) works her way back, the others have stepped it up, highlighted by Aubrie Nex and her 18:01 performance (24-second best for the course). Three gifted freshmen have stepped in as they continue to improve.
2. Buchanan (CS) -- They created a more space in our projections over Saugus with their 90:47 team performance, obviously led by Corie Smith's 16:54 (20-second pr on Woodward). Two freshmen, Sydney Sundgren (18:08) and Grace Hutchison (18:18) have stepped in to convert into one of the best in the nation.
3. Saugus (SS) -- Saving their best races for November, Hannah Fredericks has led this potent squad that returns almost all members from last year's State Meet squad. Julia Pearson is the top returner and ready to go for these last 5-6 weeks of action.
4. Canyon Crest Academy (SD) -- We have a huge drop-off after our top three squads. Carlie Dorostkar was off from what we saw in September but the group still ran to a 93:51 team time. With that, San Diego's best will be able to focus solely on placing themselves on the podium from here on out.
5. Vista Murrieta (SS) -- The squad still has not punched full throttle by any means with their top five in the same meet. But the Broncos impressed with their head-to-head effort over Mira Costa last weekend in Washington. Makayla Fick is clicking on all cylinders and has taken over the reins up front.
6. Mira Costa (SS) -- With Dalia Frias leading the way, the rest of the group has fluctuated all season long behind her. Nine different girls have scored in their top five thus far while the Mustangs are still a threat for the podium next month. VM placed four in front of their second scorer last weekend though.
7. Oak Ridge (SJ) -- A pleasant surprise with their 95:25 performance at Clovis last weekend. Abby Fletcher (18:23) and Ava Maier (18:40) led the Trojans. This squad has shown great improvement and will, no doubt, place much higher than their 20th place finish at the 2018 State Meet.
8. Chino Hills (SS) -- Very impressive in capturing the Inland Empire Challenge in windy conditions (and not much competition). With the State Meet firmly set on their radar, they continue to develop a strong group behind front running Jacqueline Duarte.
9. Quartz Hill (SS) -- Perhaps, THE surprise last weekend at Clovis came from these Rebels as they rolled in with a 95:25 team time. Freshmen Brianne Smith leading the way with a breakout 18:13 performance. They finished seventh in the Rated Race at Woodbridge but they were not on the State Meet radar .... until this past weekend!
10. Ayala (SS) -- Another solid outing at the Clovis Invite as they crossed with a 96:37 team time. Shaina Berk, Megan Oh and Emma Bialy combined for an average of 35-second improvements on the Woodward course.
Others: Clovis West (CS), Granada Hills (LA), La Serna (SS), San Clemente (SS), Yucaipa (SS)