Cross Country: It’s OC Championships time
The midway point of the cross country season has arrived, and with it, one of the most anticipated meets of the season.
A buzz is in the air as the 50th Orange County Championships are set to take place Friday and Saturday at Irvine Regional Park.
Large meets such as this are old hat for some. For others, it will be their very first trip into such a wilderness.
Pacifica Christian of Newport Beach will compete in Friday’s boys’ small schools varsity race at the county championships. It is the program’s inaugural year of varsity running.
The school opened with just 43 students last year, eventually finishing the school year with an enrollment of 50 (now 93). That being the case, it’s incredible to note how the team was formed.
Cross country teams need five runners to score in a race, and that is exactly what coach Valerie Sizemore and athletic director Brandon Gonzalez were hoping for in the team’s first year.
In a stunning development, 17 boys came out for the cross country team in 2015.
This year’s varsity starters are all sophomores with the exception of junior Connor Meador. Sophomore Nicholas Kutscher (personal record of 16:38) has led the team into some larger meets, including the Laguna Hills and Central Park Invitationals.
“I’m really just incredibly impressed with our founding team,” Sizemore said. “They have the goals that they are working towards, and they have the bravery to face those Goliaths.”
Costa Mesa’s Elliot Hachac is among the athletes to watch in Friday’s boys’ small schools race. He finished fourth among returning runners (12th overall) in the race last year.
The winning time of 15:26 was posted by Yorba Linda’s Zack Joseph at last year’s meet. Hachac already ran a 15:15 at Irvine Regional Park to win the Orange Coast League Cluster by 30 seconds on Sept. 28.
Ocean View’s Ryan St. Pierre finished ahead of Hachac in ninth in 2015, but the Seahawks will be racing in the Boys’ Sweepstakes on Saturday.
Speaking of Goliaths, the Corona del Mar girls’ team has been to the state meet 26 of the last 28 years. The Sea Kings’ best runner, Raquel Powers, has a chance to take aim at family supremacy.
The senior’s sister, Melanie, ranks 23rd all-time at the meet with a time of 17:24. Powers’ career-best mark at Irvine Regional Park is 17:33.
CdM coach Bill Sumner also likes what he has seen from freshman Julia Tung. She has won grade-level races at Laguna Hills and the Sunny Hills/Wayne Walker Invitational.
“I like the upside,” Sumner said. “She’s got the greatest attitude. She’s raring to go.”
The team has made it a point to bring Tung along slowly.
“She’s ready for more. I’m not ready to give her more,” Sumner added. “I’ve got to be patient. I want to make sure we get her for four years, not four months, so I’m going to be patient.”
Corona del Mar will be running in the Girls’ Sweepstakes, as will Fountain Valley. The Barons used a tight, 24-second gap among their scoring runners to defeat Los Alamitos, 34-36, at the Sunset League Preview.
CdM’s Leif Hellgren and Newport Harbor’s Mark Field are among the runners to watch in the Boys’ Sweepstakes.
Sage Hill’s girls’ team has sustained a high level of performance despite a huge loss. Top runner Emma Dickerson chose to play volleyball over cross-country as a sophomore, but the Lightning is ranked third in CIF-SS Division 5.
Lightning coach Nate Miller said big improvements have been made by Maya Jaffe, Ashton Carroll, and Alice Warden to rise up to the level of Julia Lowe, the team’s lone senior.
50th Orange County Championships
Where: Irvine Regional Park
When: Friday, first race at 3 p.m. Saturday, first race at 7:48 a.m.
Parking: It is $3 to enter Irvine Regional Park on Friday. Overflow parking is available at Santiago Canyon College. On Saturday, parking is $5, and a shuttle service will run from 7 a.m. to 1 p.m. for transportation to and from the park. Exact change is required.
Area Schools Competing in Varsity Races
Friday
Girls Small Schools, 4:05 p.m.: Costa Mesa, Estancia, Los Amigos, Ocean View, Sage Hill
Boys Small Schools, 4:30 p.m.: Costa Mesa, Estancia, Los Amigos, Pacifica Christian, Sage Hill
Saturday
Girls Division 2, 8:52 a.m.: Edison, Huntington Beach, Marina, Newport Harbor
Girls Sweepstakes, 9:18 a.m.: Corona del Mar, Fountain Valley
Boys Division 2, 9:32 a.m.: Edison, Fountain Valley, Huntington Beach, Marina
Boys Sweepstakes, 9:58 a.m.: Corona del Mar, Newport Harbor, Ocean View