Girls’ Cross Country: Eagles off to a late start
The first day of school at Estancia High is the day after Labor Day. If it were up to Charlie Appell, school would have begun 21/2 weeks ago.
Appell said the late start has his girls’ cross-country team a little behind schedule. Estancia opens the season at the Laguna Hills Invitational on Saturday.
“It does [set us back] because so many of [my runners] are working in the afternoons, so we’re not getting as much training [in],” said Appell, adding that he has been getting three or four girls out since practice began two weeks ago.
“Our first meet all we’re doing is trying to get them to relearn how to run. They haven’t run a race in like, you know, 10 months.”
Appell, whose in his 27th year guiding Estancia, knows how to motivate his team. He said keeping it fun is the most important thing.
Appell has scheduled events outside of Orange County, including one at Griffith Park in Los Angeles and in Yucaipa.
“Give them a chance to see different places,” Appell said was the reason behind the trips.
Appell enjoys traveling with his runners, and they’re what keep him coming back to coach at Estancia. He admits the expectations aren’t high for the Eagles, who return seven runners from last year’s fifth-place showing in the Orange Coast League finals.
One runner whom Appell believes has a chance to qualify out of league to the CIF Southern Section Division 4 preliminaries is Dafne Garduno. At the league championships last year, Garduno ran 20:01, good for 17th place.
“If Dafne comes around,” Appell said, “she has a good chance.”
Estancia Girls’ Cross-Country
League: Orange Coast
CIF Division: 4
Head Coach: Charlie Appell (27th year)
Coaching Staff: Mariah Chapin, assistant coach; Nate Goellrich, assistant coach
2015 league finish: Fifth
2015 CIF results: None
Returning starters: Seven
Returning with honors: None
Coach’s take: “This team will be challenged to repeat [fifth] place from last year. Lots of inconsistent running during the summer has hurt our progress.”
Ones to watch: “[We] have a good lead runner in Dafne Garduno, who ran well in this last track season,” Appell said.
Schedule
Sept. 10: at Laguna Hills Invitational, 8 a.m.
Sept. 14: vs. Orange at Fairview Park, 8 a.m
Sept. 24: at Bell-Jeff Invitational at Griffith Park in Los Angeles, 8 a.m.
Sept. 28: at Orange Coast League cluster meet at Irvine Regional Park in Orange, 2 p.m.
Oct. 8: at Yucaipa Invitational, 8 a.m.
Oct. 14: at Orange County Championships at Irvine Regional Park in Orange, 12 p.m.
Oct. 21: at Mt. SAC Invitational at Mount San Antonio College in Walnut, 8 a.m.
Nov. 2: at Orange Coast League Championships at Irvine Regional Park in Orange, 12 p.m.
