Sunday, November 07, 2010

NCS Division III Preview by Northgate coach Peter Brewer...

11/7
D-III Girls
1.    Campolindo -- The Cougars did not take long to rebound from a narrow dual meet loss to Acalanes to post a convincing 23-46 league finals win over the Dons.  Carrie Verdon and Grace Orders went 1-2, a minute faster than teammate Rachel Meadows in third.
2.    Acalanes -- The Dons are not shabby either, and still state-ranked.  Amy Hollshwander was their leader in the DFAL finals.
3.    Petaluma -- The Trojans have put together quite a group in the late season, taking the SCL crown over a feisty Casa Grande squad.  Kirby Franklin is the lead runner.
4.    Maria Carillo -- the Pumas are only a notch behind Petaluma, if that.  Just a tick behind Santa Rosa at the NBL finals, Maria was lead by Brianna Thigpen.  
5.    Las Lomas -- the Knights were an invisible third in the DFAL showdown between Campolindo and Acalanes.    Clare Orton is their frontrunner.

Other individuals to watch for are Kathleen Kileen of Redwood, Shelby Nickles of Dublin, Courtney Madsen of Novato, Maria Diaz of Bishop O’Dowd,  Ami Boucher of Northgate

D-III  Boys
1.    Campolindo -- the Cougars have excellent grouping and depth, to go along with running fast.  Hard to beat.  They easily took the DFAL title behind individual winner Thomas Joyce.
2.    Petaluma -- Forrest Shaffer is a top runner in the state and provides the Trojans with a great frontrunner.  Even though they devastated the SCL  finals, hey don’t have quite the same depth as Campolindo
3.    Piner -- PIner boasts the top ranked D-III individual in the state in Luis Luna, and he has a great young group behind him.  They narrowly beat out Maria Carillo for the NBL title.
4.    Maria Carillo -- Daniel Hauptmann leads the Pumas, who were but a step or two away from beating Piner in the NBL showdown.
5.    Las Lomas -- the Knights feature an interchangeable cast.  They took second behind Campolindo at the DFAL finals with Carl Gracely in front for them.
6.    Eureka -- the Loggers are the stealth team from the north ,but have a very good tandem in front with Nick Krause and Robin McDonnell.  They beat Maria Carillo at the Viking Invite in early September, but lost to them at Stanford.
    others -- Bishop O’Dowd carved out a share of the dual meet HAAL title behind Sam Kane and Calvin John. 
    Miramonte was only a point away from Las Lomas at the DFAL finals.  Tyler Hanson  and Jamie Fehrnstrom were their top finishers at the DFAL finals.
    Individuals to watch for are Tyler Troxel of Acalanes, Danny Stalters of Northgate, Nolan Tonkyn of Albany, Evan Quigley of Alhambra

16 comments:

Andrew said...

nice work Peter. But Im pretty sure the Maria Carrillo girls was without their top runner, Lauren Kraus. I don't know if it will affect her ability to run NCS, but if not, they look strong to move up. But Campo girls look unbeatable...

Going to be another great battle between Petaluma and Campo. We get another 3 years of this rivalry since Petaluma stopped Campo's streak at 2 years.

Anonymous said...

According to the mid-season analysis, Las Lomas Boys were ranked 7th in the state and in front of Petaluma. What happened?

Anonymous said...

Piner needs to run great if they plan on making there first team trip to the state meet. Very lucky to get pass an always strong Carrillo team.

Peter Brewer said...

Yes, I did notice that Kraus was not in the Maria Carillo lineup at the NBL finals. No, I have no idea why not. Since I don't have the paranormal powers necessary to divine the situation, the assumption is that is was a reason that will carry forward. If she does show up, yes, that changes things.

Las Lomas did very well in the Woodbridge Invitational, which is considered a major "shaking out" invitational in Southern California. However, that is an early invitational and teams can undergo major changes in two months. Based on Las Lomas's latest race in a league final, that is their current status.

Peter Brewer
Northgate

Albert Caruana said...

Kraus sprained her ankle the week of their league final. She will have plenty of time to recover for the NCS meet.

Otamom said...

You probably should fix the D3 Campo boys to say Cougars (not the Dons). Peter got it right with the girls (to quote Peter, "Girls are always right") but must've let his mind wander when addressing the boys.

Albert Caruana said...

Thanks for catching that. It's fixed now.

Peter Brewer said...

Dear Ota mom:

Yes, my mind does wander at times. It's a function of cerebral disintegration at an advanced age.

Peter

Anonymous said...

Any Div. 2 Previews as well?

Ota mom said...

Dear Peter Brewer,

So now your calling yourself ADVANCED?
Leave the compliments to others, because we think you're swell.
Hmm... I'll let you decide if that's good or bad!

(I'll check the math! - inside joke!)

Anonymous said...

Tough call on Campo boys over Petaluma. I assume this is made with the presumption that Joyce is at Shaffer's level. If I see results correct Petaluma had top 4 separated by 20 seconds. first three 5 seconds separated. Campo 2nd 20 seconds back puts him with #4 Petaluma. Petaluma 1 minute 1-6 Campo 55 seconds 1-6........ Not sure on the depth thing.Who is going to run with Petaluma's first four?

Anonymous said...

Yes Lauren Kraus sprained her ankle but the number two girl for Maria Carrillo is spelled Brynna Thigpen. Just thought you should know. thank you for posting this, this was a great thing to see. I'd say Grace Orders and Carrie Verdon better watch their backs because the 'Baus' is back!!!!

Anonymous said...

schaffer could have run a lot faster at SCL finals. that assumption is based on his performances relative to his team at invitationals like stanford and clovis

Anonymous said...

Stanford and Clovis were more than a month ago though, so of course he'll be running faster times later in the season.

Anonymous said...

Good article, but I think Luis Luna is #2 in the state behind Sam Pons (pasadena)

Anonymous said...

Div 2 team rankings? and top 10 individuals?

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