CCS Division I Pre-Season Rankings

By Kevin Liao (Evergreen Valley HS) aka attack the hill on dyestatcal message board.

After winning the CCS Division I title the last three seasons, the Surh brothers and other top athletes at Carlmont High have moved on to the college ranks, leaving the door wide open for a number of quality squads vying for the top two spots advancing to the state meet. A quick glance at the rankings shows Bellarmine College Prep the heavy favorite for the team championship. The Bells have five of their top seven returning, led by seniors Lawrence Smith, Marcos Hinojosa, and Ben Kelly (4:30 miler on the track) and junior Dalton Guthrie. A young Carlmont squad headlined by senior Chris Pedro as well as Evergreen Valley, Serra, and San Benito look to have a strong chance of grabbing the second ticket to the state meet. The battle for the individual title is also very much up for grabs. Nick Oliver of Homestead is the only returning individual state meet qualifier, but Salinas's Robert Anderson and members of the Bellarmine crew are also poised to compete for the win.

Division I Boys (Top 2 advance to state):
1. Bellarmine – Return most of 2nd pace team
2. Carlmont – Three time defending champs lose 4 of top 6 from '07
3. Evergreen Valley – Lose top 2 but have young runners with potential
4. Serra – Padres have four sub-17 Crystal runners returning
5. San Benito – Young athletes had solid track seasons
On the bubble: Salinas, Homestead, Monta Vista

Top 5 returning individuals, (place) & 2007 CCS meet time:
Nick Oliver (6) Homestead 15:53
Lawrence Smith (8) Bellarmine 16:00
Robert Anderson (9) Salinas 16:01
Dalton Guthrie (11) Bellarmine 16:04
Marcos Hinojosa (12) Bellarmine 16:13

Like their boys team, the Carlmont girls' squad is looking for their fourth consecutive CCS team championship. Led by defending champ Justine Ferdronic (CCS 800m runner-up) and CCS 3200m champion Jessie Petersen, the Scots took to be the presumptive favorite despite the unknown regarding often-injured star Hayley Pascale. Gilroy is looking strong for the second spot going to the state meet, returning all six of their top runners from 2007 squad that just missed a spot to Woodward Park. Salinas, Monta Vista, and Homestead could also challenge for those top two positions in the team competition. Several phenomenal athletes will be battling it out for the individual title at Toro Park on November 15. Fedronic is the two-time defending champ, but Petersen and a healthy Pascale, as well as Gilroy's Kathleen Miller could challenge for the top spot.

Division I Girls (Top 2 Advance to state)
1. Carlmont-3 time defending champions
2. Gilroy-Top 6 returning for 2nd spot they just missed last year
3. Salinas-Qualified to state last year with 6th runner tie-breaker
4. Monta Vista-Perennial contender in this division
5. Homestead-Top 5 are back and could move up rankings
On the bubble: San Benito, Piedmont Hills

Top 5 returning individuals, (place) & 2007 CCS meet time:
Justine Fedronic (1) Carlmont 18:04
Kathleen Miller (2) Gilroy 18:09
Jean Feng (5) Monta Vista 18:27
Jessie Petersen (6) Calrmont 18:40
Emily Evans (7) Homestead 18:45

Keep coming back for more rankings (CCS, NCS, SJS and more) in the next few weeks. Feel free to state your opinions about the above rankings. Who are the sleepers in this division? Any new hot shot freshmen?

I don't have pictures for all the runners above so if you have them for any of the runners above, please send them to this email.