CROSS COUNTRY DAILY NEWS ALL-AREA TEAM AND HIGHLIGHTS OF THE SEASON.Byline: Ross Siler Staff Writer RUNNERS OF THE YEAR PHILLIP REID Rio Mesa The biggest change for Rio Mesa of Oxnard senior Phillip Reid was the confidence brought from a second-place state finish in the mile in track. It carried over to the cross-country course this fall - and no one in the state could catch him this time. Exceeding even his own expectations, Reid won the Southern Section Division II championship and the CIF (1) (Common Intermediate Format) A standard video format used in videoconferencing. CIF formats are defined by their resolution, and standards both above and below the original resolution have been established. The original CIF is also known as Full CIF (FCIF). state title in back-to-back weeks last month. He outdueled Woodbridge of Irvine's Michael Haddan in both races, putting up two of the fastest times in state history. ``My hope was just to do well at the state meet,'' said Reid, who only recently turned 17 despite being in his final year of high school. ``I've always enjoyed (cross country), but I'm more of a track guy. I just think I'm better at track.'' Reid won both championship races in dominating fashion, locking up his selection as the Daily News' Runner of the Year in the process. In the state final, Reid was part of a six-runner pack with only a mile to go. He buried the competition late and won in a time of 15:01, the best by any runner in Fresno. ``We knew he was going to achieve some pretty big things in cross country,'' Rio Mesa coach Jeff Wrout said. ``But he took it a step further than any of us expected. The question now is: Can he take it to another level in track?'' LAUREN MORALES Oak Park With Oak Park junior Lauren Morales leading the way, the Eagles' girls' team won its second consecutive CIF Division IV state title this season. But as evidenced by her ``Run for God'' mantra and work with the Agoura Bible Fellowship, Morales was inspired by a higher power Higher power is a term used in a 12-step program, such as Alcoholics Anonymous, to describe "a power greater than yourself." Although many participants equate their higher power with God, a belief in God or in formal religion is not mandatory; the higher power is intended as a the whole time. ``My sophomore year, I was getting affected by all the expectations and pressures being put on me,'' Morales said. ``They really threw off my season. But this year I was able to refocus. I've always been running for God - I just wasn't always so vocal about it.'' Morales was named the Daily News' Runner of the Year after a sensational season in which she won her third consecutive Tri-Valley League championship, claimed the Ventura County title and finished fifth in the state meet in 18:43 as the Eagles repeated as champs. But such success has been forecast for years now - ever since Morales' older sister, Stephanie, ran in Oak Park's program during high school. Stephanie was four grades ahead of Lauren, but it was through her Eagles coach Kevin Smith first learned about his current standout. ``We heard about Lauren and how she would run in her middle school P.E. classes,'' Smith said. ``You'd watch her and just see she could run like the wind. From that point on, we were like, `OK, she's through seventh grade - one more year and she's coming here.' '' BOYS MANUEL RUIZ Manuel Ruiz Pérez (born December 3, 1962 in Jerez de la Frontera) is a Spanish football coach and former player. During his football career, he played for several clubs including his childhood club Xerez CD, UD Melilla and Sanluqueño. , Monroe, Senior Two-time City Section champion, fourth at Division I state finals. TROY WERNER, Canyon, Senior Mt. SAC Invitational team sweepstakes winner, Foothill League champion DAVID David, in the Bible David, d. c.970 B.C., king of ancient Israel (c.1010–970 B.C.), successor of Saul. The Book of First Samuel introduces him as the youngest of eight sons who is anointed king by Samuel to replace Saul, who had been deemed a failure. TORRENCE, Loyola, Senior Eighth at Division I state finals; Cubs of Los Angeles Los Angeles (lôs ăn`jələs, lŏs, ăn`jəlēz'), city (1990 pop. 3,485,398), seat of Los Angeles co., S Calif.; inc. 1850. won first state title KYLE IVIE, Burbank, Senior Placed 13th at Division II state finals, Foothill League runner-up JOSE MELENA melena /me·le·na/ (me-le´nah) the passage of dark stools stained with altered blood. me·le·na n. , Antelope Valley This article is about the Los Angeles County region. For the census-designated place in Wyoming, see Antelope Valley-Crestview, Wyoming. The Antelope Valley , Sophomore Placed 14th at Division II state finals, Golden League champion TIM TIM Timothy TIM Technical Interchange Meeting TIM Transient Intermodulation Distortion TIM Time Is Money TIM The Invisible Man (movie) TIM Telecom Italia Mobile (Italian cellular provider) HEARST, Royal, Senior Seventh at Division I state finals, Ventura County championships runner-up RYAN KETCHAM, Thousand Oaks Thousand Oaks, residential city (1990 pop. 104,352), Ventura co., S Calif., in a farm area; inc. 1964. Avocados, citrus, vegetables, strawberries, and nursery products are grown. , Senior Placed 13th at Division I state finals, Marmonte League The Marmonte League is a high school sports league primarily made up of schools from Ventura County. The Marmonte Leauge is part of the CIF Southern Section. Click here to view the league schedule. champion HONORABLE MENTION Jace Getskow, Canyon; Dylan Jaedtke, Royal; Ben Kessen, Crescenta Valley The Crescenta Valley is a small inland valley in Los Angeles County, California. Its name derives from its crescent-like shape, with the convex portion facing roughly northeast and the concave portion southwest. ; Ryan Morgan, Canyon; Chris Snyder Christopher Ryan Snyder (born February 12, 1981 in Houston, Texas) is a catcher in Major League Baseball who plays for the Arizona Diamondbacks (2004-present). He bats and throws right handed. See also
GIRLS BRIDGET BALLARD, Harvard-Westlake, Freshman Southern Section Division IV champion, state finals runner-up SARAH Sarah or Sarai: see Sara. Sarah (flourished early 2nd millennium BC) In the Hebrew scriptures, the wife of Abraham and mother of Isaac. She was childless until age 90. MONTEZ, Royal, Senior Sixth at Division I state finals, Marmonte League champion KATIE GOSE GOSE Government Office for the South East (UK) GOSE Generalized Operations Simulation Environment (US DoD) , La Reina La Reina (Spanish: "The queen") is a commune of Chile located in Santiago Province, Santiago Metropolitan Region. It consistently ranks in the top five communes with the best quality of life in the Metropolitan Region. , Junior Seventh at Division IV state finals; second at Southern Section finals WHITNEY McDONALD, Thousand Oaks, Senior Ninth at Southern Section finals; Woodbridge Invitational champion LISA The first personal computer to include integrated software and use a graphical interface. Modeled after the Xerox Star and introduced in 1983 by Apple, it was ahead of its time, but never caught on due to its $10,000 price and slow speed. NOVIK, Agoura, Junior Placed 23rd at Division II state finals; Marmonte League runner-up LINDSAY FLACKS, Harvard-Westlake, Junior Ninth at Division IV state finals; Kenny Staub Invitational champion. KATHLEEN VANCE, Thousand Oaks, Sophomore Placed 10th at Division I state finals, Lancers lanc·er n. 1. A cavalryman armed with a lance. 2. A member of a regiment originally armed with lances. 3. lancers (used with a sing. verb) a. A kind of quadrille. b. finished second in the state HONORABLE MENTION Alyson Fletcher, Thousand Oaks; Lynne Fletcher, Thousand Oaks; Alysia Johnson, Canyon; Devin Noe, Royal; Morgan Noe, Royal; Danielle Ramirez, Highland; Tara Sharma Tara Sharma is an Indian actress. The daughter of well-known author and actor, Partap Sharma and an alumnus of the London School of Economics, she made her debut in 2002 with Anupam Kher's Om Jai Jagadish. , La Canada. LESS IS MORE Oak Park coach Kevin Smith and Thousand Oaks coach Robert Radnoti set themselves up for criticism with their decisions to hold out the majority of their runners from at least one important race this season. They also ended up exemplifying a trend among coaches trying to reduce the racing load on their athletes. Despite being a state-championship favorite, Smith elected not to enter the majority of his team at the prestigious Mt. San Antonio San Antonio (săn ăntō`nēō, əntōn`), city (1990 pop. 935,933), seat of Bexar co., S central Tex., at the source of the San Antonio River; inc. 1837. Invitational in October. And Radnoti did the same thing at the Ventura County championships two weeks later, even with the county's premier program. In the end, Oak Park raced only twice during the month of October - both times in Tri-Valley League meets. But Smith said the scheduling allowed his team to train through the month at a consistent 40-mile-per-week pace and stay healthy for November's championship meets. ``We didn't want our kids to run out of energy,'' Smith said. ``You just can't keep asking them to get up for a race. When we tell them we're going out for a race, we want them to raise the bar. We're out there to really race and do well.'' Both Smith and Radnoti's decisions ultimately paid off. Oak Park became just the third school in history to claim both boys' and girls' state championships in the same year. Thousand Oaks, meanwhile, finished seven points behind Murietta Valley in the Division I girls' state finals. Next season, however, Smith said he might add a national race to Oak Park's schedule in order to showcase his girls' team, which will lose only one senior. Smith said he is considering the Great American Cross-Country Festival in North Carolina North Carolina, state in the SE United States. It is bordered by the Atlantic Ocean (E), South Carolina and Georgia (S), Tennessee (W), and Virginia (N). Facts and Figures Area, 52,586 sq mi (136,198 sq km). Pop. , as well as a race in Arkansas. MONROE'S MAN The Monroe of North Hills coaching staff spent the season trying to spotlight senior Manuel Ruiz, the defending City Section champion, entering him in the Kenny Staub Invitational as well as the prestigious Mt. SAC Invitational individual sweepstakes race. And Ruiz certainly captured everyone's attention. The senior took fourth in the individual sweepstakes and came within four seconds of breaking the Pierce College In 2006 the Library won a national Excellence award. Academics Pierce College offers associate's degrees, mainly in the arts and sciences. There are also certificate programs in early childhood education, social services, dental hygienist, and others. course record in repeating as City champion. Ruiz finished fourth in the Division I state finals, falling short in his bid to become the first city champion to win at state. What is most remarkable about Ruiz, however, is his life away from running. Since emigrating to the United States United States, officially United States of America, republic (2005 est. pop. 295,734,000), 3,539,227 sq mi (9,166,598 sq km), North America. The United States is the world's third largest country in population and the fourth largest country in area. , Ruiz has attended school year-round at Monroe for the past three years and will graduate in June. And the 19-year-old currently is ranked 17th in his class, according to according to prep. 1. As stated or indicated by; on the authority of: according to historians. 2. In keeping with: according to instructions. 3. Monroe coach Dean Balzarett. CRAZY FOR THE CUBS After all the trophy presentations and team banquets, the greatest honor the Loyola of Los Angeles Division I champion boys' team might have received came when they were introduced at halftime of the Loyola-Los Alamitos playoff football game Dec. 7 at Edison Field. As the first state championship team in Loyola's 135-year athletic history, the Cubs' runners received the ultimate recognition: the warm applause from a football crowd. But it was more than deserved after what Loyola endured on the way to the title. The past two years, the Years, The the seven decades of Eleanor Pargiter’s life. [Br. Lit.: Benét, 1109] See : Time Cubs came agonizing close to qualifying for the state finals, missing by just six-tenths of a second in 2000. They left no doubt this season, however, demolishing school records on the way to both Southern Section and state championships that weren't even fathomed in August. ``Our goal was just coming to our first state meet and hopefully being in the top five,'' Loyola coach Lalo Diaz said. ``We never thought it would come to this. In my wildest dreams, I never thought of this.'' Loyola received standout performances from sophomore Mark Matusak (third in state), Tarzana native David Torrence (eighth) and senior Micah Tyhurst (15th). Ryan Foresta and Matt Miller each finished in the top 50 as the Cubs defeated Don Lugo 80-103. FOUR TO WATCH Canyon freshman Jessi Locke showed just how far she has come after shattering her ankle in the spring and missing three months of training. Locke, a six-time youth national champion, finished 27th in the Division I state finals in 18:59. Next season, Locke is expected to lead a Canyon team that finished sixth in the state and will be a favorite to contend for the title after losing only senior Brenda Stevens. Antelope Valley of Lancaster sophomore Jose Melena was the top finisher in his class at the Division II state championships, taking 14th overall in 15:35. Melena only started running seriously in the eighth grade after taking up the sport to keep his mother company as she ran in Lancaster. But Antelope Valley coach Chris Broskoff is hopeful Melena could be among the 10 top runners in the state next year. Desert Christian of Lancaster junior Sky Johnston took up running only a year ago but will be considered one of the favorites for the Division V boys' state title next season. Johnston took third in the race this year, the best performance by a nonsenior. Johnston also is a remarkable story away from the sport. He is home-schooled through Desert Christian and is working on his associate's degree as·so·ci·ate's degree n. An academic degree conferred by a two-year college after the prescribed course of study has been successfully completed. through Antelope Valley College Antelope Valley College is a comprehensive community college located in Lancaster, California, USA. It is operated by the Antelope Valley Community College District, with a primary service area of 1,945 square miles covering portions of Los Angeles and Kern counties. . Agoura junior Lisa Novik had one reaction to the end of the season at the state finals: ``Later that day I was like, `OK, two weeks off and I want cross country to start again.' '' Novik dropped more than 1:30 off her time from the start of the season and finished a surprising second in the Marmonte League finals and 23rd in the Division II state finals. Novik credited her training sessions with the Chargers' boys for her dramatic improvement, which she will look to build on in track. FINISH LINE STATE CHAMPIONS --Division I boys: Loyola (Mark Matusak, David Torrence, Micah Tyhurst, Ryan Foresta, Matt Miller, Brian McFaul, Renzo Garcia) --Division II boys: Phillip Reid, Rio Mesa --Division IV boys: Oak Park (Ken Brook, Igor Tregub, Jordan Page, Daniel Jacobs Dan Jacobs (born 1942) an internationally acclaimed jazz trumpet recording artist, composer and producer who has toured extensively worldwide with various groups.[1] He also plays flugelhorn. , Jason Lindgren, John Yahalom, Scott Bartlett) --Division IV girls: Oak Park (Lauren Morales, Tatiana Camacho, Allison Banks, Kelsey Connor, Blossom Marimpietri, Deirdre Coleman, Hailey Swartz) --Division V boys: Flintridge Prep (Tom McLean Tom McLean is a veteran of both the Parachute Regiment and the SAS and is a survival expert who lived on the island of Rockall from 26 May to 4 July 1985 to affirm Britain's claim to the island. , Seth Horwitz, Tom Adams, Prescott Gadd, Gus Zoell, Tony Tartaglio, Ben Bascom) SOUTHERN SECTION CHAMPIONS --Division I boys: Loyola --Division II boys: Phillip Reid, Rio Mesa --Division IV girls: Oak Park; Bridget Ballard, Harvard-Westlake --Division IV boys: Oak Park --Division V boys: Flintridge Prep; Sky Johnston, Desert Christian CITY SECTION CHAMPIONS --Boys: Manuel Ruiz, Monroe --Girls: Belen Mendoza, Poly CAPTION(S): 16 photos, box Photo: (1 -- color) PHILLIP REID, Rio Mesa (2 -- color) LAUREN MORALES, Oak Park (3 -- color) MANUEL RUIZ, Monroe, Senior (4 -- color) TROY WERNER, Canyon, Senior (5 -- color) DAVID TORRENCE, Loyola, Senior (6 -- color) KYLE IVIE, Burbank, Senior (7 -- color) JOSE MELENA, Antelope Valley, Sophomore (8 -- color) TIM HEARST, Royal, Senior (9 -- color) RYAN KETCHAM, Thousand Oaks, Senior (10 -- color) BRIDGET BALLARD, Harvard-Westlake, Freshman (11 -- color) SARAH MONTEZ, Royal, Senior (12 -- color) KATIE GOSE, La Reina, Junior (13 -- color) WHITNEY McDONALD, Thousand Oaks, Senior (14 -- color) LISA NOVIK, Agoura, Junior (15 -- color) LINDSAY FLACKS, Harvard-Westlake, Junior (16 -- color) KATHLEEN VANCE, Thousand Oaks, Sophomore Box: FINISH LINE (see text) |
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