CROSS-COUNTRY SOUTHERN SECTION FINALS : Hart Boys, Agoura Girls Flag Titles

The inspiration for the Hart High boys’ Division I victory Saturday in the Southern Section championships was waving in the 14 red flags dotted along the Mt. San Antonio College cross-country course.

The flags represented each of the runners on the boys’ and girls’ varsity teams at Hart and were displayed by Hart spectators as extra incentive for runners during the final half-mile.

“When the kids see a flag, they’re supposed to pick up the pace,” Hart Coach Gene Blankenship said. “We always look for different kinds of things to motivate the kids.”

Duly inspired, Hart’s boys passed several opponents in the last 800 yards of the three-mile race and the Indians turned back Peninsula, 58-73, for their third consecutive section title. Buena (103) was third.

Hart’s Keith Grossman, a junior who ran a school-record 15 minutes 39 seconds to finish sixth, said he passed as many as six opposing runners at the end. Teammates Paul De La Cerda (seventh, 15:53) and Brett Strahan (eighth, 15:54) each picked off five runners.

“I didn’t see all 14 (flags), I saw about five,” said Strahan, a freshman. “I don’t think anyone passed me.”

Margarito Casillas of Hoover led for more than two miles before being overtaken by San Gabriel’s Angel Martinez, who rallied from about 30th after a half-mile to win in 15:14. Casillas finished second in 15:19.

The top four teams and top five individuals not on a qualifying team advanced to the state championships Saturday at Fresno’s Woodward Park.

Agoura Coach Bill Duley was on edge for much of the girls’ Division I final.

Agoura’s Kay Nekota bolted past Upland’s Christina Blackmer with about 700 yards to go to win the individual title in a personal-best 17:59. Blackmer was second in 18:07. For Agoura, Amy Skieresz was fourth in 18:31, Laura Hayward ninth in 18:51 and Kristie Camp 17th in 18:57.

Agoura runners finished 1-4-9-17-35 overall. Peninsula runners finished 3-7-20-31-32, making for a tight race in which the Chargers triumphed, 37-44, for their fifth section title in a row.

Agoura junior Ryan Wilson stormed to a personal-best 15:15 in winning the boys’ Division II title by 23 seconds over Muir’s Jacques Sallberg (15:38). Wilson paced the defending champion Chargers to a second-place finish behind Mission Viejo, 83-95. Newbury Park’s Jeff Wilson, despite being ill, won the Division III title in 15:26 and led the Panthers (117) to a fourth-place finish.

Nordhoff placed three runners among the top 15 to outdistance Morro Bay, 48-80, for the boys’ Division IV title.

Fillmore survived a scare from Orange Lutheran to win the girls’ title, 70-74, behind first-place finisher Maribella Aparicio.