RANKINGS Check Out Our Southern Section Top 25

GIRLS

Top Tier

1) Newbury Park (Div. 1) - Passed the test at Woodbridge with the victory over out-of-state powerhouse, Flower Mound out of Texas, and a tough Buchanan (CS) group. Their fifth-scorer finished ahead of Great Oak and JSerra's #2!  When you count in how Ailish Hawkins rolled to a 17:07.9 at the slower Cool Breeze course along while Sam McDonnell (15:54.6) was second-best in the section last weekend, you can see that they did not click on all cylinders last weekend in their victory. The Panthers placed themselves into their own tier against the rest of the section with this performance. Nationally, they went from unmentioned in the national rankings going into the weekend all the way to #4 afterward in the most recent Milesplit rankings!  

Second Tier

2) Mira Costa (Div. 2) - Dalia Frias was unstoppable last weekend, setting a new course record (15:43.5) in the process.  Rarely, you do not see a team ranked this high after an almost three-minute team scoring gap but once a healthy Ella Parsley is back in the mix, they can begin improving upon that fifth spot. Anna Chittenden was the section's best #2 with her 16:36.2! 

3) JSerra (Div. 4) - Definitely worthy of national-ranking consideration, freshman Brynn Garcia has shined early on while Georgia Jeanneret works her way back to what we saw this past spring. Heads and above ahead the competition in a tough Division 4 field that is just a tad ahead of Great Oak.     

3) Great Oak (Div. 1) - Two of their top six ran in the 'Rated' race, and when inserting those times, they actually finished just ahead of Mira Costa and JSerra in top-50 Southern Section merge.  Now, it will be about getting their top five solidified and in the same race.  Junior Kelli Gaffney (16:47.5) was 18th overall and is the clear No. 1. There was a minute gap before No. 2 junior Joelle Upshur crossed (17:47.6).

5) Canyon, Anaheim (Div. 2) - Not much separates Canyon from the rest of the above elite squads in our second-tier! Nice step-up performance from Isabella Frisone this past weekend (17:19.8).  They decreased that team-scoring gap from two weeks ago as the battle with Mira Costa for the Division 2 title is just beginning!

Third Tier

6) Dana Hills (Div. 2) - Their performance on the slower Cool Breeze course, compared to Woodbridge, places the Dolphins at the top of this tier.  Allura Markow (17:26.6 at Cool Breeze and 15:57 at Mt. Carmel) leads the way but that second group is a tight pack led by Cooper Murphy and Paige Scheer.  Tremendous on board here! 

7) La Canada (Div. 4) - It's great seeing that two of the strongest squads in the section are represented in our smaller-schools division!  Arielle McKenzie (17:13.7) and Katelyn Matarese (17:44.4) lead a much-improved squad!  Any other year, they are the runaway favorites for the Division 4 title!

8) Claremont (Div. 2) - It's a dead heat between our next three squads, but placing Denise Chen (who ran faster two weeks ago) right there alongside Maddie Coles' 16:47.4 and Claremont belongs right here.  With an impressive postseason tradition, we expect further improvement from the back of their scoring five as they look to condense that gap between the top three squads in Division 2. 

8) Santiago (Div. 1) - The most improved squad in Division 1 exceeded expectations at Woodbridge.  The arrival of freshmen Rylee Blade (17:21.2) and Audrey Buckley (18:06.4) along with a veteran group could perhaps, make this their first team in school history to qualify for the State Meet. 

10) El Toro (Div. 2) -  The Chargers captured the Rated Race at Woodbridge led by Kasey Lynd (17:56.6).  Most impressive is their 39-scoring gap as they are the ONLY squad in our overall merge with emerged with a sub-60 second scoring gap!  

Fourth Tier

11) Redondo Union (Div. 1)
12) Oaks Christian (Div. 4)
13) West Ranch (Div. 2)
14) Saugus (Div. 1)
15) Vista Murrieta (Div. 1)
16) Chino Hills (Div. 1)
17) Fountain Valley (Div. 1)
18) Beckman (Div. 1)
19) Westlake (Div. 2)
20) Rancho Cucamonga (Div. 1)

Fifth Tier

21) Quartz Hill (Div. 1)
22) La Serna (Div. 1)
23) Brea Olinda (Div. 3)
24) Roosevelt (Div. 1)
25) Torrance (Div. 3)
25) Laguna Beach (Div. 4)

On the cusp: Ayala, Citrus Valley, El Segundo, Foothill, Harvard Westlake, Murrieta Valley, Oak Park, Palos Verdes, Riverside Poly, San Clemente, Thousand Oaks

First Tier

1) Newbury Park (Div. 1) - Do you create a whole separate set of rankings for a team that shattered all national team-time records for a three-mile course and is already considered the best prep team ever? Remember in 2019 when we boasted how they possessed the top 1-2 duo at the State Meet ever?  Now, upgrade that to the top quartet!  Four boys under 13:50 is still unfathomable but Newbury Park continues to establish a new norm for the sport!  All we should do is sit back, put on our seatbelts and enjoy the ride these next eleven weeks!  Coach Sean Brosnan's group decimated their own Woodbridge XC Classic course record by an average of 28-seconds per scorer.  Next up is the Clovis Invite in three weeks. After what we witnessed on Saturday evening, they will be the first team to break 75-minutes (sub-15 min. average) on the Woodward Park 5K course and establish another new precedent in our sport!

Second Tier

2) Loyola (Div. 1) - Avoiding the big crowds thus far, Loyola established themselves as a clear No. 2 with their performance at the Mt. Carmel Invite.  Richard Moreno rolled to a breakthrough 15:39.9 performance at Balboa Park with the rest of the scorers all within a 22-second bubble.  Expect Dylan Bissell to get back up there with Moreno, as evidenced by his 14:16 showing several weeks ago.  

3) Great Oak (Div. 1) - Not too far behind Loyola, Great Oak continues to be one of the top squads in California, despite now being in the shadows of others. The depth is still unmatched anywhere but now the challenge of getting their top-end talent to close the gap on Loyola.  Their performance at Woodbridge featured a 34-second scoring gap with Carson Smith, Mark Cortes, and Ramses Cortes all crossing together just under 14:50.  

4) Hart (Div. 2) - Even without Jaden Wiley (14:53.4 at Cool Breeze), Hart impressed with four under 15:15, led by Paul Mangione's 14:53.7 and Owen Ahten at 14:59.0.  As a whole, the team ran better at Cool Breeze, and with some new faces moving up to challenge Hart in Division 2, the battle for their first title since 1991 is still far from over.  

Third Tier

5) Mira Costa (Div. 2) - Sophomore Parker Stickney (15:03.4) gives this crew an added punch while Seamus O'Meara (14:59.8) rebounded well from the Cool Breeze Invite. Almost a night and day team performance than what we saw two weeks ago.  Some nice development from their sophomore class (avg. of 15:45 from their top four) is providing Mira Costa with more depth than originally anticipated.  

6) West Torrance (Div. 3) - The top team in Division 3 as Conor Gibson (14.19.9 at Woodbridge) has developed into one of the best talents in the Southern Section.  Hayden Green provided great support (14:58.0) last weekend.  Even had West Torrance remained in Division 2, they would still be competing for the Division 2 title.  

7) Ventura (Div. 2) - Perhaps, the greatest surprise of the 2021 early season is right here!  A trio of sophomores has propelled the team up the rankings.  With marked improvement, senior Mason Jekogian (15:00.5) paced the Cougars up front at Woodbridge but keep in mind that sophomore Henry Hammel (15:09.8 at Cool Breeze) did not compete last weekend. This group is for real and known for always peaking at just the right time once November hits! 

8) Claremont (Div. 2) - Chris Coles is transferring what we saw at the end of the track season into success on the course as evidenced by his 14:40.7 performance last weekend.  Meanwhile, Garret Landis improved by 35 seconds, compared to what he ran at Cool Breeze. Solid group that only adds to a packed Division 2 battle.  

9) Santiago (Div. 1) - Another one of the big surprises in 2021.  The front-end talents of Evan Hild and Tyler Kaan have exceeded our preseason expectations as they have developed into one of the top duos in the section.  Now, for the Sharks, it will be about closing the 90-second team scoring gap and improving that crucial fifth-scoring slot. Thus far, this is the most improved program (boys and girls) in the Southern Section.   

Fourth Tier

10) San Clemente (Div. 1) - The Tritons proved that they belong in the top five in Division 1 and we suspect that the group will only improve from here.  They already looked strong on the hills of Laguna Hills (in the heat) a week earlier and came back to see Juan Chantaca (15:10.1) and Hayden Beauchemin (15:12.5) lead up front at Woodbridge.   

11) Capistrano Valley (Div. 3) - The continued development of the program is for real and with the move to Division 3, the Cougars are set on closing that gap on West Torrance and qualifying for their first State Meet trip...ever! Jack Stevens impressed with a 15:05 at Woodbridge, but more intriguing was the group's 44-second scoring gap.   

12) Crescenta Valley (Div. 1) - Still without Rowan Fitzgerald and Parker Simmons, the rest of the group is forming a strong nucleus behind those two (when they return).  Four all finished between 15:45-15:55 in one of the lower varsity levels last weekend.   

13) Thousand Oaks (Div. 2) - Our first real glimpse at the group validated their talent with Atticus Hall rolling to a 14:37.3 last weekend at Woodbridge.  With Turner Hayes crossing in 15:16.0, the Lancers will look to close the 88-second scoring gap from now until November.  

Fifth Tier

14) Royal (Div. 2)
15) Santa Ana (Div. 1)
16) Foothill, Santa Ana (Div. 2)
17) Rancho Cucamonga (Div. 1)
18) Arcadia (Div. 1)
19) Redondo Union (Div. 1)
20) Torrance (Div. 3)
21) Vista Murrieta (Div. 1) 
22) Ayala (Div. 2) 
23) Beckman (Div. 1)
24) Agoura (Div. 3)
25) West Ranch (Div. 2)

On the cusp: Brea Olinda, Dana Hills, El Toro, Glendora, Laguna Hills, ML King, Orange Lutheran, Palos Verdes, Roosevelt.