HAVING TWICE THE FUN CRESCENTA VALLEY'S TORRES EXCELS IN CROSS COUNTRY AND BASEBALL.

Byline: KEVIN CONNELLY  Special to the Daily News

Zach Torres has developed a unique little flair for standing out in a crowd.

And that's saying a lot for a kid who stands 5-foot-5 in boots, and weighs 130 pounds with those boots soaking wet.

Take last November at the cross country state meet in Fresno, where Torres -- one of the top freshman distance runners in the state at the time -- showed up in costume to cheer for Crescenta Valley High of La Crescenta teammate Nathan Sellers in the boys' Div. I final.

Torres, who did not qualify for the race, bought three cans of blue and white hair spray and two bottles of face paint before the race, then went to work in the meet parking lot.

Minutes later, the shirtless son of a former Dodgers prospect became the closest thing to a team mascot high school cross country has ever had.

``It was 40 degrees out there that day, but I figured what the hell,'' said Torres, last year's Daily News Newcomer of the Year. ``Nathan taught me so much about running, and it was one of my last chances to see him race, so I dressed up and did a couple goofy things to show him my support.

``He ran a great race that day, so I guess it worked.''

Sellers, now a freshman at CalPoly, raced past Royal High of Simi Valley standout Michael Cybulski to clock 15 minutes, 18 seconds and finish second on the five-kilometer course behind El Camino of Oceanside senior A.J. Acosta (15:15).

But don't mistake Torres' outgoing personality as any indication of his racing demeanor.

The two-sport standout at Crescenta Valley might be a jovial sophomore outside of competition, but this is the same guy that wakes up at 5:30 every morning for a one-hour run so he can have time for baseball practice after school.

``I run angry,'' said Torres, whose 14:54 at the Woodbridge Invitational sweepstakes event Sept. 16 in Irvine is the second-best sophomore mark in the meet's 26-year history. ``There are so many people who have called me stupid for running cross country and playing baseball because they conflict with one another. And it's not just other runners telling me that -- it's coaches, too.''

Torres' father, Phil, a former baseball standout at San Diego State, was a pitcher in the Dodgers' minor-league system from 1984 to '88 before taking over as the Crescenta Valley baseball coach 11 years ago.

Phil Torres wakes up with his son more often than not to follow him on a bike during the early-morning runs.

``Zach grew up on baseball, so it was a little startling when cross country coaches started calling me last year to tell me how talented he was as a distance runner,'' Phil Torres said. ``He tells me he wants to pursue both baseball and cross country, so it's my role as a father to be there and support him in both sports.''

Known as a scrappy second baseman on the freshman baseball team last year, Zach Torres is what his dad calls a ``normal sophomore.''

Though he has no intentions of hanging up the baseball mitt to focus primarily on cross country, Torres is what many consider the area's next great runner, in the class of Sellers and Cybulski.

``I'm going to wait a little bit when it comes to those comparisons,'' said Crescenta Valley cross country coach Mark Evans. ``But with that said, Zach is approaching what Nathan did.

``It is a little deceptive to think Zach will not improve in cross country because he's serious about baseball. People who say that don't know how competitive he is. He's definitely a major Division I talent in cross country.''

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ATHLETE OF THE WEEK

BOYS

Mark Tyler, Oaks Christian, Sr.

Football

Tyler cemented himself as one of the best running backs in area history Friday, rushing for 271 yards and fivetouchdowns in the Lions' 59-13 victory over two-time defending Southern Section Div. II champion St. Bonaventure of Ventura. Tyler, a USC recruit, did all of his damage on just 18 carries.

GIRLS

Ashley Litchfield, Quartz Hill, Sr.

Girls' tennis

Litchfield defeated teammate Carolyn Smith 6-1, 6-2 to win the Quartz Hill Tournament on Thursday. Litchfield, who also won the tournament last year, is a career 105-0 in Golden League singles sets.

UP & COMER

P.J. Innone, Agoura, Fr.

Boys' water polo 

The lone freshman on Agoura's varsity team this season, the defensive standout has contributed six goals and sixassists in 12 games. When he doesn't start for the Chargers, he is the first player off the bench for a team that took first place last weekend at the Coronado Invitational in San Diego.

TRIVIAL MATTERS

The Calabasas football team lost 44-14 to Channel Islands of Oxnard on Thursday to extend its state-worst active losing streak to 35 games. The longest losing streak in state history? Moorpark lost 46 consecutive games in 1972-82.

CAPTION(S):

3 photos, 6 boxes

Photo:

(1) Crescenta Valley High sophomore Zach Torres competes on the school's cross country and baseball teams.

John McCoy/Staff Photographer

(2) Mark Tyler, Oaks Christian, Sr.

(3) Ashley Litchfield, Quartz Hill, Sr.

Box:

(1) ATHLETE OF THE WEEK (see text)

(2) UP & COMER (see text)

(3) TRIVIAL MATTERS (see text)

(4) THEY SAID IT

(5) DAILY NEWS RANKINGS

(6) DAY PLANNER