It's time to get fired up for cross country! Our traditional XC countdown is back, although it may look a little different this time around - our longtime data analyst Jeff George has moved on, leaving this energizing project to the MileSplit team in CA. Our collective goal is to briefly highlight 30 boys and 30 girls teams that we think will have an impact this fall. We will spotlight one team per gender per day over a 30-day period. Similar to past countdowns, we will provide a cross-sampling of teams from all 10 sections without regard to statewide or even division ranking (those will come later, as will articles previewing each section, and returning athletes to watch). As always, if you catch an error or have updated information for us, email CA state editor Jeffrey Parenti (jeffrey.parenti@flosports.tv) and we'll make the corrections.
Lowell (SF/Division 4)
The boys cross country team at Lowell has won 14 consecutive San Francisco Section/All-City titles and 30 since 1987. Despite huge graduation losses from the 2021 lineup, is there any reason to believe Coach Andy Leong's Cardinals won't simply restock, develop, and win again?
But it won't be as simple as pulling on that cardinal and while Lowell singlet and expecting the magic to happen.
Galileo Academy of Science & Technology was 26 points back in second place at last November's section final at Golden Gate Park. The Lions return four scorers from that race and six of their seven who took the line. In comparison, Lowell returns just senior Bruno Bartalos(pictured).
Could Galileo become the first team since Lincoln in 2005 to knock off Lowell and earn the section's lone spot at the State Meet?
Consider, as further historic evidence, Lowell has been the dominant cross country program in the city for decades with titles dating back to the mid-1940s. Galileo? Last won a section title in 1979 -- in the boys sophomore division. Before that? We go way back to 1968 -- in the boys JV division.
So, our focus here is as much as Lowell as a team to watch, as it is Lowell as a team that just might be vulnerable.
Bartalos was the only non-senior to take the line for Lowell as it placed 20th in the Division IV race at State last November. He ran No. 2 for Lowell at State and No. 4 at the All-City Final.
A program like Lowell's always has developmental athletes chomping at the bit to get their chance to make the Varsity 7. That list is expected to include Ander Rogers, Faaris Mirza, Hiroki Aoshima, Miles Rehling, Graham Witt, and Henry Pierce. Juniors Mirza, Aoshima, Rehling, and Mentzel, along with sophomore Jake Saje, scored as part of a 1-2-4-5-6 finish as Lowell won the section F/S title for the 10th consecutive season and 15th in 16 seasons.
