(OCT. 16, 2011) – Six weeks into the 2011 cross country season, we are now halfway through the fall with the highly-anticipated Mt. San Antonio College Invitational in just seven short days. To celebrate the halfway point, I’ve decided to go more in depth on this week’s weekly recap and rankings. Instead of going ten-deep in the Foothill League rankings, I’ll take it a step further and attempt to go 15 deep instead.

I’ve also gotten the privilege to witness the first two Foothill League cross country meets at Central Park, the Seaside Invitational and the Cresenta Valley Mid-Week Dual, so I’ll give you some interesting feedback on those meets as well. With that being said, here are my week six rankings, this time, 15 deep:

BOYS

1. Kristian Martinez – Golden Valley – Senior – Won the first two Foothill League meets in two new course records and is still undefeated against Foothill League runners so far this season

2. Juan David Garcia – Golden Valley – Senior – Third at Foothill League #2 and second at Foothill League #2; also a second behind teammate Martinez at the Woodbridge Invitational in early September

3. Nolan Del Valle – Golden Valley – Junior – Fourth at Foothill League #1 and third at Foothill League #2 so far this cross country season

4. AJ Yarnell – Saugus – Junior – Impressive second behind Martinez at Foothill League #1, but only fourth at Foothill League #2; sensational 15:17 at Seaside Invitational in early September as well

5. Zach Wims – Canyon – Junior – Fifth in both Foothill League meets; 15:32 at Seaside Invitational; 16:09 at Kenny-Staub Invite

6. Austin O’Neil – Hart – Senior – Eighth at Foothill League #1 and sixth at Foothill League #2; sub-15 at Woodbridge Invite; 15:22 at Seaside Invitational in early Septemberl 15:59 5K at Woodward Park

7. Sam Peckham – Hart – Senior – Seventh at Foothill League #2; 16:17 5K at Clovis Invite; 15:10 at Seaside Invite to lead Foothill League

8. Daniel Tuit – Saugus – Senior – Took ninth in Foothill League #1 and eighth in Foothill League #2; 15:46 at Woodbridge Invite as well

9. Aaron Nguyen – Golden Valley – Senior – Sixth at Foothill League #1 and tenth at Foothill League #2 last Thursday at Central Park

10. Gabe Levy – Golden Valley – Senior – Seventh at Foothill League #1, but a little off at Foothill League #2, finishing in twelfth place

11. Billy Walker – Hart – Junior – Tenth at Foothill League #1 and ninth at Foothill League #2; 16:15 5K at Woodward Park; 15:59 at Seaside Invite

12. Josh Sherfey – Hart – Junior – Dropped out of Foothill League #1 with injury, but rebounded well, taking eleventh at Foothill League #2; 16:15 5K at Woodward Park in Clovis Invitational as well; 15:41 at Seaside Invite

13. Brendan Tinoco – Golden Valley – Junior – Eleventh at Foothill League #1 and thirteenth at second Foothill League meet at Central Park

14. Carlos Lopez – Golden Valley – Senior – A little off at Foothill League opener, finishing eighteenth, but fourteenth at Foothill League #2

15. Gerardo Granados – Hart – Senior – Fifteenth at Foothill League #1, but a DNS at Foothill League #2; 15:25 three-mile at Seaside Invitational

 

GIRLS

1. Karis Frankian – Saugus – Senior – Undefeated in senior cross country season so far, winning both Foothill League meets with stellar 17:13 CR on “flat course; legendary 17:06 clocking (4th in course history) at Seaside Invitational in early September to win second title of her high school career

2. Chelsey Totten – Golden Valley – Junior – Fifth in Foothill League #1 and second in Foothill League #2; 17:27 3-mile at Woodbridge Invite; 18:56 win at Kenny-Staub Invite, thirteenth in SCV history to break 19-minute barrier

3. Jenay Jauregui – Saugus – Senior – Third in both Foothill League meets; 17:45 at Seaside Invite to take second behind teammate Frankian as well; 19:33 3.25-mile clocking at Brea Invite, finishing as third fastest of the day

4. Jordan McCall – Saugus – Senior – Eighth at Foothill League #1 before running a three-mile all-time best of 18:05 at Foothill League #2 for fourth; also ran 18:18 for fourth at Seaside Invitational

5. Emily McCarty – Saugus – Senior – Twelfth at Foothill League #1, but turned around season with a fifth place finish at Foothill League #2; won race at Brea Invite and ran 18:22 at Seaside Invite in early September

6. Maddie Dignadice – Valencia – Junior – Second at Foothill League #1 and seventh at Foothill League #2; 17:43 win at Seaside Invite, 17:22 win at Bell-Jeff Invite; 18:35 5K at Clovis Invite (ALL program records)

7. Katie Huntington – Saugus – Junior – Sixth at both Foothill League meets; 18:11 three-mile at Seaside Invitational as well

8. Arianna Michaels – Valencia – Junior – Fourth at Foothill League #1 and eighth at Foothill League #2; 18:20 at Seaside Invite; 18:55 5K at Clovis

9. Heidi Hoslet – Saugus – Junior – Ninth at Foothill League #1 and #2; sensational 18:11 three-mile at Seaside Invitational in early-September

10. Tiffany West – Saugus – Junior – Seventh at Foothill League #1 and twelfth at Foothill League #2, despite fast opening mile; 18:43 at Seaside

11. Abigail Frankian – Saugus – Sophomore – Won both Foothill League frosh/soph races by nearly two minutes each; gutsy 18:28 at Seaside Invite, despite fall at start, leaving her with deep bruises and scars

12. Nina Sassano – Saugus – Junior – Winner at the first two Foothill League races at the junior varsity level (her times at both meets were Saugus’ seventh fastest overall though); 18:32 at Seaside; 19:47 at CV Park

13. Jessica McCall – Saugus – Senior – 18:15 three-mile at Woodbridge Invitational and second in the junior varsity race at Foothill League #2

14. Madison Hills – Canyon – Junior – Twelfth at Foothill League #1 and tenth at Foothill League #2; 18:45 at Seaside Invite; 19:33 at Kenny-Staub; 19:03 for sixth at Santa Clarita Valley Invite at Castaic Lake

15. Abby Buckhoff – Golden Valley – Junior – Tenth at Foothill League #1 and eleventh at Foothill League #2; 19:47 at Kenny-Staub Invitational; 19:07 three-mile at Santa Clarita Valley Invitational

Who has their ticket stamped to CIF?

I think it’s safe to say the Golden Valley boys and Saugus girls, as well as the Valencia and Canyon girls, will qualify for the CIF Southern Section Preliminaries at Mt. San Antonio College in three weeks. The Golden Valley boys are ranked #1 in the state division two, while the Saugus girls are currently #10 in the ESPN Rise National Cross Country Rankings on DyeStat.com. Valencia and Canyon girls, meanwhile, have been so incredibly consistent and should have no problems finishing second and third at the Foothill League Championships on November 3.

On the boys side, the Saugus and Hart boys are tied for second in the Foothill League standings; however, both teams have been incredibly inconsistent over the last six weeks, leaving a Valencia boys squad within striking distance if something goes wrong at the finals. Saugus will need to improve their 1-5 gap in order to finish second again in three weeks, while a healthy and ready-to-go Gerardo Granados could seal the deal for the Indians. It will be an intense battle indeed!

Individually, Canyon’s Zach Wims and Golden Valley’s Chelsey Totten are honestly the only likely candidates to challenge for a top six spot and berth into CIF Prelims. I definitely like Wims chances, as the junior has been so so consistent over the first half of the season, taking fifth in both league meets; however, Totten is hard to read. She was fifth at the Foothill League opener, then an outstanding second in Foothill League #2, but she’ll have to be at the top of her game at the finals in order to qualify. Something working with her is the last two season endings she’s had. Last cross country season, as a sophomore, Totten took fifth at the Foothill League Championships, just five seconds behind second place finisher Danielle Hernando of Saugus. Pretty damn good for running against a 4:52 miler in West Ranch’s Jennifer Owen and seven Lady Cents who later went on to run between 17:44 and 18:30 on a 5,000-meter course at Woodward Park three weeks later. Then in track, Totten blazed personal bests of 5:07 in the 1,600-meter league prelims and 11:17 in the 3,200-meter finals. So again, I like Totten’s chances.
Brando’s 2011 Foothill League Championship Predictions:
Finally, many have given me a lot of crap for some of the rankings I’ve said, saying things like, “Wow! You really think so-and-so is going to finish this place at the finals” and comments like that. No, I do not. The rankings I’ve put together are completely different from what I think is going to happen at the Foothill League Championships and less than three weeks away, I’ve decided to reveal them, to the right of this column.

I’ll go more in depth during the week of finals; however, a little about my rankings: I do think Golden Valley boys will have five in the top ten, while the Saugus girls put all seven varsity runners in the top ten. I also believe, and hope, veterans Sam Peckham of Hart and Saugus’ Emily McCarty will put it all together in the finals and end their Foothill League XC careers in fine fashion!

BOYS

1. Kristian Martinez (Golden Valley)

2. Juan David Garcia (Golden Valley)

3. AJ Yarnell (Saugus)

4. Nolan Del Valle (Golden Valley)

5. Sam Peckham (Hart)

6. Zach Wims (Canyon)

7. Aaron Nguyen (Golden Valley)

8. Daniel Tuit (Saugus)

9. Austin O’Neil (Hart)

10. Gabe Levy (Golden Valley)

 

GIRLS

1. Karis Frankian (Saugus)

2. Jenay Jauregui (Saugus)

3. Chelsey Totten (Golden Valley)

4. Emily McCarty (Saugus)

5. Maddie Dignadice (Valencia)

6. Katie Huntington (Saugus)

7. Jordan McCall (Saugus)

8. Arianna Michaels (Valencia)

9. Tiffany West (Saugus)

10. Heidi Hoslet (Saugus)

 

2011 Foothill League Cross Country Rankings – Week #6
(Prior ranking in parentheses)

BOYS TEAM

1. Golden Valley (1)

2. Hart (2)

3. Saugus (3)

4. Valencia (4)

5. Canyon (5)

6. West Ranch (6)

 

BOYS INDIVIDUAL

1. Kristian Martinez – Golden Valley – Senior (1)

2. Juan David Garcia – Golden Valley – Senior (2)

3. Nolan Del Valle – Golden Valley – Junior (4)

4. AJ Yarnell – Saugus – Junior (2)

5. Zach Wims – Canyon – Junior (7)

6. Austin O’Neil – Hart – Senior (5)

7. Sam Peckham – Hart – Senior (6)

8. Daniel Tuit – Saugus – Senior (NR)

9. Aaron Nguyen – Golden Valley – Senior (8)

10. Gabe Levy – Golden Valley – Senior (9)

 

GIRLS TEAM

1. Saugus (1)

2. Valencia (2)

3. Canyon (3)

4. Golden Valley (5)

5. West Ranch (4)

6. Hart (6)

 

GIRLS INDIVIDUAL

1. Karis Frankian – Saugus – Senior (1)

2. Chelsey Totten – Golden Valley – Junior (4)

3. Jenay Jauregui – Saugus – Senior (2)

4. Jordan McCall – Saugus – Senior (8)

5. Emily McCarty – Saugus – Senior (9)

6. Maddie Dignadice – Valencia – Junior (2)

7. Katie Huntington – Saugus – Junior (6)

8. Arianna Michaels – Valencia – Junior (5)

9. Heidi Hoslet – Saugus – Junior (NR)

10. Tiffany West – Saugus – Junior (7)