RANKINGS Statewide Division-by-Division Top 10 (Thru 10/9)

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Here is our second installment of subjective statewide rankings by division.

If you are happy with where we have ranked your team, watch your back because everyone else is coming for you! If you don't like where we are ranking your team, get on that line and show us just how wrong we are. Either way, get out there and compete and, by all means, enjoy!

DIVISION I

BOYS

2019 Champion - Great Oak (SS)

1. Newbury Park (SS) - Where do we even begin? They run 73:37 on a course where their own previous record was 75:28. We are running out of superlatives and as much as that quartet deserves all of the accolades, their fifth and sixth runners, Hector Martinez (15:16) and Daniel Appleford (15:19) are also setting new precedents with their times as well. The question may be - can they break 73-minutes at the State Meet next month?

2. Great Oak (SS) - The Cortes twins, Ramses (15:26) and Mark (15:29) continue to improve while Brandon Wilk (15:49) impressed as well at Clovis. A sub-30 second scoring gap is the best in the division, but it could actually be less with everybody clicking. If they get the Smith twins back up with the Cortes duo, they will assure themselves another trip to the podium.

3. Loyola (SS) - The group took some downtime to focus on training the past two weeks. We fully expect to see their best at Mt. SAC next weekend.

4. Crescenta Valley (SS) - Junior Parker Simmons debuted in the Falcons uniform with a stellar 15:31 performance on the State Meet course. Considering how Rowan Fitzgerald was off in this one, the trajectory of this squad is not surprising. A slim 14-second gap from their Nos. 3-5 also impressed while they were still missing another top scorer.

5. San Clemente (SS) - The group continues to reveal their true talent with a solid 45-second scoring gap with Juan Chantaca (15:39) up front. While the top athletes at Clovis averaged a 45-55 differential between the Woodbridge Classic and the Woodward Park course. The Tritons' difference in their top six was only 26 seconds! Tim Butler has the boys beginning to step it up!

6. Dublin (NC) - The slim 29-second scoring gap is what stands out from Clovis with Sharvin Manjrekar (15:43) leading the way. The all-senior squad runs six deep with Daniel Trampe (15:58) still with another gear in him, as remember that he was their fifth scorer on their 2019 State Meet when they placed fourth.  

7. Bellarmine Prep (CCS) - Tanish Chettiar (15:22) leads another all-senior squad. With depth like no other, if they develop that fifth scorer, it will pay huge dividends on moving on up. We will see them lock up against Loyola and Great Oak next weekend at Mt. SAC.  

8. Clovis West (CS) - The Golden Eagles could very well be as high as fourth as not much separated all of these squads at Clovis. As they raced on the Woodward Park course two weeks ago, they let loose for a strong performance last weekend. As a whole, the group did not click on all cylinders leaving us open to seeing them being ranked higher.  They only run five-deep so not as much depth as the other squads possess.  

9. Jesuit (SJ) - Braden King did not compete at Clovis so do not be concerned when scrolling down to find them in the overall merge.  This group is primed for another Sac-Joaquin title but will need to develop that back-end scoring to compete for a top-five finish.  Jacob Swanson (15:55) led the crew this past weekend.  

10. Santiago (SS) - Shined bright in capturing the Inland Empire Challenge. While Tyler Kaan was slightly off, we witnessed a nice step-up performance from Van Filek. They're still looking to develop that fifth scorer to ensure a trip to the State Meet.

On the Bubble - Arcadia (SS), Buchanan (CS), Clovis (CS), Clovis North (CS), Dougherty Valley (NC), Madera South (CS), Otay Ranch (SDS), Palo Alto (NC), Torrey Pines (SDS), Vista Murrieta (SS)

GIRLS

2019 Champion - Buchanan (CS)

1. Buchanan (CS) - After the first position, the Bears matched up with Newbury Park for the narrow victory at the Clovis Invite to leapfrog them to the top spot in the state. Of course, they two will clash once again on the same course in late November!  Sydney Sundgren (17:37) led the way while the State Meet will come down to the finish in six weeks!

2. Newbury Park (SS) - Nice bounce-back race for Ailish Hawkins (17:46) while Samantha McDonnell (17:02) continues to solidify herself as one of the nation's best.  This battle between them and Buchanan could rival what we saw at the 2019 State Meet when Buchanan beat Great Oak, 67-71.  

3. Oak Ridge (SJ) - Samantha Liaty (19:14) is back from injury and shined in capturing the F/S race at Clovis!  Presenting a  sub-19 minute fifth scorer will be key for making the podium next month!  Senior Kayla Rutz (18:01) is one of the most improved girls in the division, with a 68-second improvement from her previous best on the Woodward Park course.  

4. Torrey Pines (SD) - Held on for the 42-54 victory over Del Norte and tough Poway squad last Saturday.  As the group continues to get to 100%, Emma George competed for the first time in six weeks. Annika Salz rolled at Woodbridge (16:35) while Scarlett Taylor led the way last weekend in her runner-up finish to Del Norte's Hannah Riggins.

5. Great Oak (SS) - An 'off' race from Kelli Gaffney (18:09) was countered by Aishling Fabian's (18:30) best race of the season at Clovis. Definitely not the performance we saw at Woodbridge but the crew still has reason to eye another trip to the podium at the State Meet.

6. Clovis North (CS) - Miliana Perez (18:12) and Gianna Bomarito (18:21) welcomed the return of Ashlyn Leath (18:49) while one of their top scorers was further back than normal. With all clicking, as we saw at Woodbridge, they would have been even with Great Oak.

7. Del Norte (SD) - They were ahead of Torrey Pines after four scorers last Saturday but of course, it takes five to score. Hannah Riggins is one of the best in California but freshman Emily Russo has moved this squad into the conversation.  If the Inexperienced, all-underclass crew can develop that back-end scoring, they could very well move up.

8. Dougherty Valley (NC) - Best performance still at Woodbridge as we did not see the group click at Crystal Springs as we saw two weeks earlier. Freshman Sabrina Noriega has been the addition of this veteran group to move up among the best in the division.

9. Santiago (SS) - While sitting one of their top scorers, they rolled to the easy victory at the Inland Empire Challenge. Freshman Rylee Blade and Audrey Buckley along with some marked improvement from their veterans have put this group in a position to make the State Meet.

10. Fountain Valley (SS) - With the Southern Section wide open for those last five spots to the State Meet, the Barons shined at the Dana Hills Invite two weeks ago, despite missing two scorers. Kaho Cichon (16:58) and Samantha Martinez (17:45) excelled there.

On the Bubble - Chino Hills (SS), Eastlake (SD), Los Altos (CCS), Quartz Hill (SS), Redondo Union (SS), Sanger (CE), Saugus (SS), Vista Murrieta (SS)

DIVISION II

BOYS

2019 Champion - Newbury Park (SS) - now in D-I

1. San Luis Obispo (CS) - Impressive performance at Clovis Invitaitonal placing eighth in the merge behind mostly D-I teams, dropping a 1:20.80 team time with a tight 22-second 1-5 gap.

2. Granada (NC) - We haven't seen them on a 5K course yet but on the 3-milers, or equivalent, they have three impressive invite titles.

3. Hart (SS) - Placed 12th in the championship at Clovis without standout Jaden Wiley.

4. Mira Costa (SS) - Solid team effort, with a scoring gap of only 38 seconds, competing the previous week in Oregon. OC Champs up next.

5.  Vacaville (SJ) -  Placed 10th in the championship at Clovis with 1:20:16 team time and 21-second 1-5 gap.

6.  Claremont (SS) - Placed 11th in the championship at Clovis and 12th in the meet merge. Team time of 1:20.15 and average of 16:03 a tick faster than Vacaville.

7.  Whitney (SJ) - Third on 5K course at Tom Laythe Invite with a scoring gap of 23 seconds led by junior Cole Jamieson.

8. Santa Ana Foothill (SS) - Placed 16th out of 142 scoring teams in the merge at Clovis led by senior Jacob Robison.

9. Royal (SS) - Placed 20th in the championship at Clovis with a 16:19 average and 65 scoring gap led by junior Jonah Bazerkanian.

10. Mt. Carmel (SD) - Last seen at Dana Hills where they were runners-up in the boys invite division with a 29-second scoring gap that was only 36 1-6. 

On the Bubble - Amador Valley (NC), Frontier (CS), Grossmont (SD), Santa Barbara (SS), Thousand Oaks (SS). Ventura (SS) 

GIRLS

2019 Champion - Newbury Park (SS) - now in D-I

1. Mira Costa (SS) - Placed third to nationally ranked Cherry Creek and Summit in race down to the wire the previous week in Oregon. Dalia Frias, Ella Parsley, Anna Chittenden, and crew are among the nation's best. 

2.  Anaheim Canyon (SS) - Sixth in the championship at Clovis, led by senior Emma Hadley who gapped No. 2 Isabella Frisone by 47.9 seconds but 2-5 gapped at just 32.4 seconds.

3.  St. Francis (SJ) - Placed second in the large school race at Clovis without senior Cate Joaquin. Tatiana Cornejo led the way and 2-4 gapped at 1.7 seconds.

4.  Granite Bay (SJ) -  Impressive fifth in the championship at Clovis and fifth in the overall merge led by junior Carly Foster (18:07.3), freshman Grace Baxter (18:39.5), and sophomore Morgan McKenna (18:46.1)

5.  Dana Hills (SS) - All-underclass lineup interchanges behind front runner, Allura Markow. OC Champs challenge awaits. 

6. St. Francis (CC) - All-underclass lineup placed seventh in the girls championship race at Clovis with a tight 25-second 1-5 pack of five non-seniors led by freshman Sabrina Zanetto (18:32.6)

7.  Claremont (SS) - Senior Maddie Coles continues to shine with a fourth-place finish in the championship race at Clovis (17:28.9). There's a significant drop-off after No. 2 Denise Chen. 

8. Poway (SD) - Third at the SoCal Invitational behind two D-I schools led by senior MacKenzie Rogers. Almost a minute gap between No. 2 Tessa Buswell and 3-5. 

9. Sanger (CS) - Placed 11th in the championship and in the merge from Clovis with a 59-second 1-4 gap led by Sienna Bianchi. 

10. Redwood (NC) - Third in the large school race at Clovis led by junior Audrey MacLean and senior Helena Janku.

On the Bubble - Bakersfield (CS), Bella Vista (SJ), El Toro (SS), Santa Ana Foothill (SS), Granada (NC), Liberty (CS), Monte Vista (NC), San Ramon Valley (NC), West Ranch (SS).

DIVISION III

BOYS

2019 Champion - Campolindo (NC)

1. West Torrance (SS) - Proved they can hang with almost anyone by finishing 3rd overall at Clovis.

2. Newark Memorial (NC) - Tremendous showing at Clovis, outrunning several teams on this list.

3. Capistrano Valley (SS) - Ran well this past weekend, just got edged out by Newark Memorial.

4. Campolindo (NC) - All training and no racing in October so far, expect to see significant progress at Roughrider this weekend.

5. Torrance (SS) - Continues to perform well, but will la ack of depth hurt at some point?

6. Agoura (SS) - Boys did not race at Clovis, and won't face major competition again until Mt SAC.

7. Santa Margarita Catholic (SS) - Moves into the rankings with a solid showing at Clovis.

8. Maria Carrillo (NC) - Had a bit of an off-day at Clovis in comparison to the teams around them, but still fully capable of competing for the podium in November.

9. St. John Bosco (SS) - Solid showing at Clovis, running in the same range as our 7 and 8 teams.

10. Pasadena (SS) - Also competed well at Clovis, outpacing four of our bubble teams by a significant margin.

On the Bubble - Mission Viejo (SS), Brea Olinda (SS), Chico (NS), Oakdale (SJ), Pleasant Valley (NS), Palos Verdes (SS), Redlands East Valley (SS)

GIRLS

2019 Champion - Campolindo (NC)

1. Del Oro (SJ) - Remember when we said they hadn't shown their full strength yet? Yeah, they did that last weekend at Clovis, and it was impressive.

2. La Costa Canyon (SD) - Won overall at Temecula Twilight, performing very well but haven't raced several of the other teams in these rankings yet.

3. Cathedral Catholic (SD) - Monster performance on tough 2 mile Palos Verdes course two weeks ago, looking ready to challenge LCC for SDS supremacy.

4. Campolindo (NC) - We're looking forward to seeing their 5K times from Woodward Park this weekend.

t5. Torrance (SS) - Narrowly edged Maria Carrillo in Clovis merged results, both well ahead of the rest of the D-III teams there.

t5. Maria Carrillo (NC) - So incredibly close with Torrance at Clovis, it could have gone either way easily.

7. Chico (NS) - We regret not including them in our last subjective rankings after an emphatic performance at Clovis.

8. Tamalpais (NC) - Performed well at Crystal Springs two weeks ago, losing by 6 to DI Dougherty Valley.

9. Agoura (SS) - Within striking range of Chico in Clovis merged results.

10. North Torrance (SS) - Right behind Agoura this past weekend, emerging from a crowded Southern Section pack post-Woodbridge.

On the Bubble - Brea Olinda (SS), Palos Verdes (SS), Corona Del Mar (SS), Esperanca (SS), South Torrance (SS)

DIVISION IV

BOYS

2019 Champion - Foothill Technology (SS)

1. Scotts Valley (CC) - Their performance at Clovis proved that this is exactly where they belong on this list. They are strong up front with Jeremy Kain and Ryder Brabo and had just a 16-second 3-5 gap. Kain was 10th overall (15:11.5) as Scotts ranked 17th in the championship race, No. 1 among division teams.

2. Albany (NC) - Senior star Sean Morello ran in the championship race at Clovis (17th, 15:20.5) while the rest of the team ran in the Varsity Medium race. Collectively they ranked 28th in the merge, and No. 2 among D-IV teams.

3. Sage Creek (SD) - Top-3 team in the 3-mile database with a tight 25.8 gap behind senior standout Bryce Gilmore, but depth behind him is the question.

4. Lowell (SF) - Impressive effort running against XL schools at Clovis, and the No. 3 ranked D-IV team in the merge from that meet.

5. Laguna Beach (SS) - The Breakers continue to slot as one of the division's elite teams for both 3 miles and 5K.

6. Orange Lutheran (SS) - We love that in our 3-mile database, no one in this division has a faster No. 5 than Nathaniel Patton's 16:17.40. 

7. Hacienda Heights Wilson (SS) - Our No. 4 team for 3 miles with the No. 5 fastest fifth runner based on 3-mile data.

8. Placer (SJ) - Fourth among D-IV teams in the merge from Clovis after performance of 1:25.16 team time and 17:04 average.

9. Big Bear (SS) - Ranks second in D-IV for 3 miles, is strong up front with Max Sannes, and has the division's No. 8 fifth runner based on 3-mile data.

10. Yosemite (CS) - Lineup of three freshmen, a sophomore and a senior, slotted three points behind Oaks Christian for fourth in Clovis Small Schools race but had a faster team time (1:26.34), average (17:19), and 1-5 split (66). 

On the Bubble - El Dorado (SJ), El Segundo (SS), Foothill Tech (SS), Menlo (CC), Oaks Christian (SS), Piedmont (NC), Venture Academy (SJ), Archie Williams (NC).

GIRLS

2019 Champion - Sage Creek (SD)

1. JSerra (SS) - Would have loved to see them tested on 5K course at Clovis. Young squad led by frosh Brynn Garcia (pictured) faces OC Champs challenge this week.

2. Sage Creek (SD) - Senior star Stormy Wallace led the girls to a fourth-place finish (94.20 team time) last weekend on a  5K course at the Hole in the Wall Invite in Washington.

3. La Canada (SS) - Like JSerra, impressive 3-mile results. Can't wait to see what they do for 5K.

4. Oaks Christian (SS) - Like Sage Creek, this group ranks high for 5K without a time for young standout Payton Godsey. Grace Geyer, Sarah Colebrooke, and Gianna Sanchez went 2-3-7 in scoring at Clovis.

5. St. Mary's (NC) - Forced us to take notice with 20:02.22 average and 1:40.11 team time on 5K Woodward Park course at Clovis Invite.

6. Laguna Beach (SS) - Senior Coco Reed was well ahead, while 2-6 gapped 13.7 seconds in small school race at Clovis. 

7. Scotts Valley (CC) - Soph Ashlyn Boothby continues to shine, with another impressive showing, this time on the State Meet course.

8. Lowell (SF) - Impressive at Clovis, running in the XL division, dropped a 1:38:43 team time, and ranked 27th in the merge.

9. Orange Lutheran (SS) - Caroline Kargenian and Lauren Landrith led the effort at Clovis where OLu packed well - 0:46 - the fifth-tightest out of 130 girls teams at the meet.

10. Placer (CS) - Led by sophomore Anna Soars, slotted 44th in the merge from Clovis with a 20:17.32 average and 1:41.26 team time. 

On the Bubble - Acalanes (NC), Barstow (SS), Carmel (CC), Covina (SS), Harvard-Westlake (SS), La Jolla (SD), Menlo (CC), Nipomo (CS).

DIVISION V

2. Lick-Wilmerding (NC) - Laying low running mostly in local meets including Jim Tracy Challenge. Senior Alex Mader was impressive at Clovis, running alone.

3. Nueva (CC) - Won the Small School Varsity race at the Clovis Invitational.

4. Crystal Springs Uplands (CC) - Won first WBAL meet vs. tough Menlo team on the Crystal Springs course.

5. University (NC) - Rounding into shape and following usual race script on the Woodward Park course, finished in 3rd place in the Small School Varsity race.

6. Francis Parker (SD) - Another team laying low. This past Friday, they easily won the San Diego Mesa XC Invitational led once again by impressive senior, Kenan Pala.

7. Providence (SS) - Still holding their position as the best team in the Southern Section.

8. Urban (NC) - Finished in 3rd place at the Jim Tracy Challenge just ahead of rivals Marin Academy and Convent and Stuart Hall.

9. St. Margaret's (SS) - Still a work in progress but did gain valuable experience at the Clovis Invitational.

10. Viewpoint (SS) - This seems to be a good spot for them. They are near the top of the SS teams and working on holding off teams from other sections.

On the Bubble - Windward (SS), Marin Academy (NC), Convent and Stuart Hall (NC), Chadwick

2. University (NC) - Strong effort at the Clovis Invitational followed by a controlled effort at Jim Tracy Challenge.

3. Castilleja (CC) - Strong showing at WBAL #1 with fast-improving 5th runner.

4. St. Margaret's (SS) - Led by the top returning individual runner in 2019, Liesel Blau.

5. Nueva (CC) - Solid effort at the Clovis Invitational finishing in 5th place in the Small School Varsity race trailing only University as far as Division V schools.

6. Linfield Christian (SS) - Ryley Burns led the way with strong showing at the Asics Temecula Twilight Invitational.

7. Xavier College Prep (SS) - Will keep Linfield Christian honest in SS and we will have a better idea about them at the Mt. SAC Invitational.

8. Cate (SS) - Very solid pack for this team at the Twilight Invitational at Lake Casitas.

9. Viewpoint (SS) - JiaLian Mackey appears to be the individual favorite at this point in Division V.

10. St. Joseph Notre Dame (NC) - Best team from BCL East led by senior Natalie Perez.

On the Bubble - College Prep (NC), Chadwick (SS), Marin Academy (NC), Cate (SS), Crystal Springs Uplands School (CC)