CROSS-COUNTRY / SOUTHERN SECTION PRELIMS : Late Bloomers From Area Join Advancing Brigade

Many of the favored cross-country teams from the Valley region easily qualified for the finals during the Southern Section preliminaries Saturday at Mt. San Antonio College.

Unexpectedly, some local at-large entries, despite noticeable weaknesses, also advanced to the finals.

Camarillo High advanced to its sixth consecutive section boys’ final despite competing without No. 1 runner Bodie Minster.

Minster, a senior, suffered a broken collar bone and a broken left hand in an automobile accident Tuesday night. He will miss the remainder of the season.

“It’s a shame because he was really important to us, but we’re just glad he’s alive,” Scorpion Coach Mike Smith said.

Without its leader, Camarillo scratched to a third-place finish (77 points) in its Division I-A heat behind Buena (39) and Arroyo Grande (40). The top three teams in each heat advanced to the finals Saturday at Mt. SAC.

The Channel Islands girls’ team, also a Marmonte League at-large entry, nailed down a berth in next week’s Division I-AA final by finishing third (83) behind defending state Division I champion Agoura (21) and Long Beach Wilson (59). Newbury Park placed second in its Division III-AA heat and also turned an at-large berth into an appearance in the finals.

The Channel Islands boys’ team, however, was not as fortunate. Channel Islands, another at-large team, missed qualifying for the final by three points.

Hart, the defending state Division I boys’ champion, placed seven runners among the top 18 finishers and totaled 42 points en route to its eighth section final in a row.

Hoover junior Margarito Casillas turned in the fastest time, a personal-best 15 minutes 11.8 seconds on the three-mile course. Fillmore’s Maribella Aparicio, also a junior, timed 17:41.7 for the fastest girls’ mark.