San Mateo Daily Journal Runners of the Year

Boys:  Jeffrey Stalun -- Cross Country Runner of the Year (boys)
Girls:  Lauren Croshaw -- Cross Country Runner of the Year (girls)

Aptos' Hiltz named CCS Runner of the Year

http://www.santacruzsentinel.com/sports/ci_19543679

All-CCS Team Members

http://www.dyestatcal.com/ATHLETICS/XC/2011/all_ccs.htm

All CCS Teams as posted in SJ Mercury News

http://www.mercurynews.com/high-school-sports (check out links on left)
Boys List:  http://www.mercurynews.com/high-school-sports/ci_19485347
Girls List:  http://www.mercurynews.com/high-school-sports/ci_19485387?source=pkg
Runner of the Year (Girls):  http://www.mercurynews.com/high-school-sports/ci_19485346
Runner of the Year (Boys):  http://www.mercurynews.com/high-school-sports/ci_19485344

CCS Guesstimates - 2011

http://www.dyestatcal.com/ATHLETICS/XC/2011/ccsguess.htm

Don't forget to turn in your CCS predictions to me at albertjcaruana@gmail.com by midnight tonight.  Sony MP3 player up for grabs.  For instructions, scroll down.

What if every runner in CCS ran in one big race?

http://www.dyestatcal.com/ATHLETICS/XC/2011/ccs_pred.htm

Results and Rankings update...

BVAL Results (CCS at Crystal Springs Course)

CIF-State Divisional Boys Team Rankings (State)
CIF-State Divisional Girls Team Rankings (State)

CCS Time Comparisons updated through October 31 (CCS)

Latest CCS Rankings

As posted at www.lynbrooksports.com:
http://www.dyestatcal.com/ATHLETICS/XC/2011/ccs_rank.htm

CCS Time Comparisons:
http://www.dyestatcal.com/ATHLETICS/XC/2011/comparsn.htm

Top CCS Times at Mt. SAC

Check out all the individual and team times for CCS athletes at Mt. SAC here:
http://www.dyestatcal.com/ATHLETICS/XC/2011/msac_ccs.htm

List of the top individual and team times for NorCal will be posted next. 

CCS Team Rankings updated

As posted on www.lynbrooksports.com:
http://www.dyestatcal.com/ATHLETICS/XC/2011/ccs_rank.htm

Are there any teams missing from the top 15?  What changes would you make within the top 15?  What teams should move up? 

2011 CCS Team Rankings & Individual Comparisons

From the following link on Hank Lawson's website:

http://www.dyestatcal.com/ATHLETICS/XC/2011/ccs_rank.htm

SJ Mercury News Team Rankings - 09/14

Rank  BOYS                   Div  Prv Rank
1     Bellarmine                      D1
2     Menlo-Atherton            D1
3     San Benito                      D1
4     Cupertino                       D2
5     Carlmont                        D1
6     Los Gatos                       D2
7     Los Altos                         D2
8     Monta Vista                    D1
9     Aragon                             D2
10    San Lorenzo Valley       D4
11    Half Moon Bay               D4
12    Carmel                            D4
13    Mountain View              D2
14    Gunn                               D1
15    Leland                             D2

GIRLS
1     San Lorenzo Valley         D4
2     Mountain View                D2
3     St. Francis                        D2
4     San Benito                         D1
5     Carlmont                           D1
6     Gunn                                  D1
7     Presentation                     D2
8     Scotts Valley                    D4
9     Sacred Heart Cathedral D3
10    Los Gatos                        D2
11    Aragon                             D2
12    Valley Christian-SJ       D3
13    Aptos                               D3
14    Half Moon Bay               D4
15    St. Ignatius                     D2

Thoughts?

CCS Boys' Division I preview by Valley Christian SJ coach, Josh Small

Boys DI

Before we get into the nitty-gritty, let me begin by saying thank you to Hank Lawson for all the hard work he puts in to give us all the stats we could ever need over there at www.lynbrooksports.com. Walt VanZant’s team comparisons are pure gold to a stat geek like me trying to pass the summer before the start of the season. In all the discussions of great coaches and programs you cannot leave out those who have contributed in providing us with the history we seek to surpass!

Now onto the “‘inconsistent’ ranking/preview/unfair listing of things/puff piece that people can randomly crap on even though it means nothing in the end" thing. Or whatever you want to call it…

Leading the way in DI and the entire CCS is once again Bellarmine High School in San Jose. The Bells are one of those annoying teams that seem to have it figured out year after year… 15 CCS titles (8 consecutive from 1993-2000) and they are still hungry for more! The defending champions have not finished lower than 2nd in the last 5 years and time and again field a squad that will compete for a CCS title; 2nd place feels like a down year. How can it not feel that way when you go to meets with 2-3 buses packed with 75 boys (and still leave people at home)? To top it off their JV team very well could be in the top 10 over-all list of teams in CCS!

To gain an appreciation of the dominance of this team read the Bellarmine history from Hank's site before going any further! (Go ahead… CLICK HERE). After you scroll down a ways you will see that as of April, 2010 it took 15:45 just to break into their top 100 list for Crystal Springs. Probably even harder now!

In 2010, Bellarmine was 10th across all divisions at the state championship meet. I asked Coach McCrystle how his team is looking for this year and despite being the historical machine, his humility is obviously one of the things that keeps his team grounded and hungry for more. “I think we have a chance to be pretty good this year,” he said. He was also quick to point out that some good DI schools are coming up in the south part of the section like Hollister, Alisal and Salinas. He was also more than eager to point out that Menlo Atherton is going to be a huge threat this year and looks really good.

Bellarmine returns three boys who ran sub 16:00 last year at the Crystal Springs course, more than any other team in the section. Jack Bordoni returns as the top runner for the Bells and had a solid spring running 4:25 for the 1600 meters. He will be joined by Adrian Hinojosa (9:39 for 3200 meters this spring) and Esteban Valencia (4:32, 9:36) to make up the powerful 1-2-3 combo. Jose Sandoval ran 16:15 last year at Crystal (as well as 4:39 & 10:28 this spring) and will be joined by Charles Deanda (4:48, 9:44) to round out the top 5. Simply put, Bellarmine is going to be tough to beat with the depth they have and a JV team (that is better than most Varsity teams) made of runners battling to get in the top 7. The Bellarmine machine rolls on.

The great thing about cross country is there is never a guaranteed win, never an easy race for a title. There is always a team trying to upset the favorite; chasing the ones with the target on their back. If Bellarmine has the target, Menlo-Atherton are the hunters. Led by Jack Beckwith (9:44 for 3200 meters last spring) and Mike Hester (4:22 for 1600), who are both hovering at the 16-minute mark for the Crystal Springs course, M-A shows potential to be a title threat. They have a strong top 5 who were all near 17 minutes or under last season including George Baier (10:19) and John Lovegren (10:04). They will also add depth with Jordan Scandlyn who ran 4:33 for 1600 last spring.

Hollister is a big school with solid community support. With a solid core of varsity runners returning, they have a real shot at a state meet spot. Omar Vasquez leads the team with a 16:16 season best but the strength of this team is their depth. Said Hernandez ran 16:40 at Toro last year and followed that up with a 9:52 for 3200 in the spring. Ricardo Esqueda also had a solid showing at Toro last year posting 16:43 and ran 10:03 for 3200. Another top runner for the Haybalers is Steven Valarde (16:41 at CS last season) and David Kret, who had a breakthrough spring running 4:36 for 1600 meters in the spring.

I’m going to go out on a limb and pick Salinas as my #4 pick. Not to slight Monta Vista or Carlmont, those two are right in the mix for a top 5 spot, but the southern part of the section has quietly been having a resurgence as of late. The top five Salinas runners hit between 9:43 and 10:17 for 3200 meters last spring and Coach Chagnon knows how to get his boys ready for the big show. They tend to get over looked because they don’t come to Crystal Springs when CCS is not held there but following last year’s 5th place finish and a very solid spring, I’m penciling them in as my dark horse pick of 2011.

To round out the top 5 you have Monta Vista, Carlmont and Alisal all fighting for a top 5 spot. The depth of DI is getting better every year and this year you have 7-8 quality teams all with hopes for a top 2 finish and trip to state. Alisal is led by Francisco Salvador and Robert Valencia who both were very solid this spring. They have a solid core of 6-7 runners and could bring the heat. Kevin Bishop had a spectacular spring that included a CCS title and a time of 8:59 for 3200 meters. Takuto Doshiro and Michael Lu also had good runs in the 1600 meters this spring both running in the 4:30’s. Carlmont was last year’s runner-up and lost their top 2 runners to graduation but return 3-5. Ryan Dimick had a breakthrough spring running 9:51 for 3200 meters and could bridge the gap of the top 5 runners. So with three teams so close it really is a “you pick ‘em.” At this point it is anyone’s game to win or lose.

The race for the individual DI title will likely be the best of the day as defending champion Miguel Vasquez of Andrew Hill will defend his title against Yohaness Estifanos (Milpitas) and Kevin Bishop (Monta Vista). Throw in Jack Bordoni and Adrian Hinojosa of Bellarmine and you have one heck of a race!

DIV. 2 BOYS: Team Pre-Season Rankings
1.  Bellarmine
2.  Menlo-Atherton
3.  Hollister
4.  Salinas
5.  Alisal
Others Teams of Note: Monta Vista, Carlmont

DIV. I BOYS: Top Returning Individuals
(From the 2010 CCS Championship)
1.  Miguel Vasquez, Andrew Hill
2.  Yohaness Estifanos, Milpitas
3.  Jack Bordoni, Bellarmine
4.  Kevin Bishop, Monta Vista
5.  Adrian Hinojosa, Bellarmine

One Final Note:
Now that this is wrapped up and has taken us through most of the dog days of summer I encourage you all to prove the “rankings” wrong…or right, wherever you may lie in the pointless puff piece. Run every day, sometimes twice if you have to. Run faster, run further, and discover how far you can really push yourself! Most of all remember: the rankings are always wrong and flawed…and that is why we run the race!

CCS Girls' Division I preview by Valley Christian SJ coach, Josh Small

Girls DI

The Division 1 Rankings at last…

Out of the top 30 runners at last year’s CCS finals 24 of them are back for more. So outside the two big departures of Jessie Peterson and Erin Robinson, my thought is this year’s pre-season rankings will pretty much be rehashing of last year with some teams mixing it up to get in the top 5. We all know that with girls one star freshman can vault a team from contender to champion so anyone is in the mix but love it or hate it, if anyone tends to get those super-fresh freshies it tends to be Carlmont and Gunn. So once again I am guessing they go 1-2... or at least are in the driver’s seat for the two state spots up for grabs.

Calmont has won 5 of the last 6 CCS Championships in DI and looks to add on one more in 2011. Led by Sarah Schreck who ran 19:16 at the CCS finals last year she will be joined by a solid supporting cast in
Mei-Lin Okino and Corin Soelberg, who both had solid track seasons that included both of them running 5:20ish for 1600 meters. Lindsay Hendershott is a strong number 3 or 4 runner who had a huge run at state covering the 5k Woodward Park course in 19:43. They will need a number 5 to step up to solidify another title and while they are not as strong as the record setting teams in the past Carlmont is once again in the driver’s seat.

So who was that team that broke up Carlmont’s streak of 4 straight (by the slim margin of 3-points in a 39-42 victory)? Gunn High School in Palo Alto… who once again is in the hunt. Gunn brings back a solid core of runners that include the top returner from last year’s finals, Sarah Robinson. Kieran Gallagher who qualified for the state meet at 800 meters also returns adding the top 1-2 punch in the division. The team has lost some depth as compared to the past few years but Gunn is one of those schools that tend to get talent year after year. And with Coach Tomkins and Coach Lee at the helm, magic seems to never be too far away.

But before you think this season is wrapped up before it even gets started you better watch out for Hollister! Running away with the TCAL title last season, Vanessa Estrada led the Haybalers to the league championship and a 4th place finish in last year’s finals. Not only is Hollister one of the largest schools in the section, they have quickly grown into one of the top teams as well. Large numbers, good coaching and solid talent they could easily surprise some teams this year!

A slew of teams are in the mix for top 5 spots: Evergreen, Leland, Wilcox, Homestead. Each has a strong #1 runner but will need some support if they want to challenge for a top 3 spot. Homestead looks like they are trending up with 5 girls under 21:30ish last year at the Crystal Springs course. It will be a good battle to move up the ranks that is for sure!

I’m going to work hard for those boys rankings but am going out of town as of Friday to enjoy some good golf and time with the family so it might be next week… After-all, with quality teams like Bellarmine, Menlo-Atherton and Hollister I need to do them right!

DIV. I GIRLS: Team Pre-Season Rankings
1.  Carlmont
2.  Gunn
3.  Hollister
4.  Evergreen Valley
5.  Leland

DIV. I GIRLS: Top Returning Individuals
(From Last Year’s CCS Finals)
1.  Sarah Robinson, Gunn
2.  Vanessa Estrada, Hollister
3.  Sarah Schreck, Carlmont
4.  Lalida Maokhamphiou, Wilcox
5.  Samantha Garcia, Evergreen

CCS Boys' Division II preview by Valley Christian SJ coach, Josh Small

Boys DII

Los Gatos took back the title in 2010 and look to hold onto it as they are the team to beat this fall. The defending champs are loaded once again this year led by Grant Foster, who is the top returner from DII last year where he finished 3rd. Los Gatos brings back 4 of the top 20 returners this season including Henry Mannng and Ben Wagner who both were in the 16’s at Crystal Springs last season. This spring saw some big jumps from their 4-5-6 runners including Aru Rubin who ran 10:04 for 3200 meters.

Los Altos was runner-up last year by just 10 points and it looks like this fall will be a rematch between the top two teams. Austin Bowie leads the veteran squad running a season best 16:18 at Crystal Springs last fall. Bowie had a great spring running 4:25 for 1600 meters and looks to make the jump this fall and has to be considered one of the top contenders for the individual title. The strength of Los Altos though is their depth as they return 4 of the top 13 runners from last year’s CCS Finals. Looking at the stats it is going to be a tight battle for the team championship and is going to come down to the strength of the team’s #5 runner. Los Altos had some solid showings on the track this spring which will hopefully give them a bit of momentum coming into the fall. No matter how you look at it DII is going to be a tightly contested run for the team title and Los Altos is one of the heavyweights in this division.

Cupertino is trending up and on paper looks really good. So good in fact some might argue they should be #1 this pre-season. However, my rankings are based primarily on where you finished last season and who is coming back. Last season Cupertino finished 9th in the SCVAL Championship and did not have a scoring team in the CCS Finals so for now I will place them in the #3 spot. But don’t count them out the title hunt; last year was a funny year with muggy heat waved that really hit some teams hard. My guess would be that Cupertino will rebound and run a purpose this year as they will have something to prove. ‘Tino is strong up front with arguably the best 1-2 punch in D2 this year in Peter and Thomas Anthony. Peter had a stellar track season running 4:19 for 1600 and 9:28 for 3200 meters while Thomas was not far behind running 4:30 and 9:47 respectably. They will be joined by Shubhankar Jain and Bryce Chen-Campbell who were both in the 16:35 range at Crystal Springs last year.

Rounding out the top 5 are Aragon and Willow Glen. Aragon also has a strong 1-2 combo led by Rory Beyer and Christian Pedro. Pedro ran just 17:12 last year at Crystal Springs but had a fantastic track season running 4:30 for 1600 and 9:30 for 3200 meters. With solid 3-4-5 runners Aragon could surprise some people this year and really make a push for a top 3 spot. Willow Glen is also in that battle to get a top 3 spot and punch their ticket to the state meet. Last year’s DIII champions they got bumped up to DII in this year’s CBED’s. The team took a hit with graduation but if they can keep McCabe healthy and get a few runners to step up they are right there in the mix.

It seems odd not placing Mountain View in the top 5 of their division as they have been so strong as of late.  I really think they will rebuild after the graduation of some top runners so I am going to take the easy route and give you my contenders list. These teams are all quality programs that could very well see themselves in the top 5: Mountain View, Leland, Lynbrook, St. Francis and Mitty. All quality programs in a tough division!

DIV. II BOYS: Team Pre-Season Rankings
1.  Los Gatos
2.  Los Altos
3.  Cupertino
4.  Aragon
5.  Willow Glen

DIV. 2 BOYS: Top Returning Individuals
1.  Grant Foster, Los Gatos
2.  Richard Ho, Leland
3.  Peter Anthony, Cupertino
4.  Henry Manning, Los Gatos
5.  Dane Kreisman, Los Altos

Comments?

CCS Girls' Division II preview by Valley Christian SJ coach, Josh Small

Girls Division II
To put it simply, Girls Division II is going to come down to survival of the fittest. Looking at the powerhouse schools in DII you very well could have 6…7…8 teams slugging it out for just 4 spots. Who makes to the state meet could very well come down to everyone’s #5…or who has a runner with a huge breakthrough. At this point it’s all just a roll of the dice as is could take one bad day from one runner to be the difference in who goes to state and who stays home. It took me a few extra days to sort out the madness. The top 10 schools all have a strong tradition of great teams, strong JV and Frosh-Soph teams, strong feeder programs which leads to large numbers and all have great coaching. Take your pick from the reasons just listed above as to why this division will mostly likely end the season with 6 or 7 of the top 10 teams in the section. Year after year these teams bring it and will once again this year.

To reward the competitiveness and accomplishments at the state meet level in the past few years, CCS Division II has been awarded an additional state birth this year. But that doesn’t help settle the murky waters of DII. With 4 state meet spots up for grabs, a top ranked team could still be left on the outside looking in. With the addition of Saint Ignatius, the defending DIII Champs, the division got that much tougher.

If there is one team that stands out above the rest, it has to be Mountain View HS. For the last three years, this team has been the #1 team in CCS and in my opinion once again leads the way. Every year they lose 2, 3 or 4 of their top 7 and every year, young talent fills those roles. You can go for a run during any random afternoon in Rancho San Antonio and you can see that momentum is still rolling along. Despite losing two huge contributors, MV has 4 of the top 13 returning runners in DII and has some incoming talent that arguably make them the favorites to once again to repeat as theCCS top team. I know MV wants to downplay the fact they are the favorites but they are the one’s with the target on their back…after all they are the three time defending champs! Led by Allison Sturges, the Mercury News Runner of the Year the past two seasons look for this team to once again be #1.

St. Francis won the WCAL Championship last year in a season that had the league title up for grabs between 5 teams into a 20 point blow-out. Runner-up Saint Ignatius was closely followed by Presentation, Sacred Heart Cathedral (DIII) and Mitty. St. Francis was also last year’s runner-up in DII and has been rolling the last few years  and this year is no different. Morgan Healy returns as the Lancers #1 runner and will be joined once again by standout Madeline Roemer. The 3-4-5 runners have graduated but St. Francis has a very deep JV and Frosh-Soph teams that will step up nicely. Coach Roberta Chisam does a fantastic job getting her girls ready to compete well at the end of the season and I would expect them to challenge for a top 4 spot and make the trip to Fresno come November.

Los Gatos was #3 last year and so I’m going to take the high road and plug them in there this year once
again! They have a killer 1-2 punch in Knapp and Katz and a bunch of runners who can run in the 20-21 minute range for three miles. Traditionally they get a large turn-out every year from Fischer middle school who had to cut their track team down to 200 athletes this past spring. A slew of 5:30-6:00 min. girls coming in will only strengthen the wildcats chances of finishing in the top 3.

After that, it’s a “you pick ‘em”… Presentation has a ton of talent returning led by Laura Vasquez. Saint Ignatius won the DIII title and was the runner-up in the WCAL Championship last fall. They lost last year’s #1 but return Kendall Hacker who finished last season as the 6th fastest CCS runner at the State Championship (18:34). Lauren Crowshaw leads a strong Aragon team that has been trending up the last few years and is looking to have a huge impact this season. Mitty also lost their #1 but are always tough and get quality runners year after year. And then there’s Willow Glen who has also been steadily getting better over the last few years and you can never count out Gilroy.

So as you can see, this is a mess and I am certain you all can do a better job than me. The good news through it all is that the CCS girls have really has a surge of depth over the last 5-10 years and we all know the stronger your 3-4-5 runners are the better you do in the big races. It is good to see the smaller CCS schools go and compete against larger Southern California schools and be able to do some damage. Another exciting division that makes racing exciting. It is certainly good for the sport!

DIV. 2 GIRLS: Team Pre-Season Rankings
1.  Mountain View
2.  St. Francis
3.  Los Gatos
4.  Presentation
5.  Saint Ignatius
In the hunt: Mitty, Aragon, Willow Glen

DIV. 2 GIRLS: Top Returning Individuals
1.  Kendall Hacker, Saint Ignatius
2.  Allison Sturges, Mtn. View
3.  Lauren Croshaw, Aragon
4.  Danielle Katz, Los Gatos
5.  Kayla Knapp, Los Gatos

Feel free to comment on the above rankings.  Thanks once again to Coach Small for his work on the CCS rankings.

CCS Boys' Division III preview by Valley Christian SJ coach, Josh Small

Boys Division III

After the summer CBEDs dust settled, it’s another departure for another top D3 team as Willow Glen moves up to Division II. With the exit of the defending Champs and a mass exodus of graduating seniors, the door is wide open for a youthful Saint Ignatius team. Last year’s runner-up, they have three of the top 5 returners this season. SI is traditionally one of the top teams year after year in D3, if not the entire CCS and this year is no different. One of the few teams that seems to get hundreds of new recruits every year it should be no surprise that they will be good once again this fall. They will be led by Ciaran Mirphy and Joseph McIntyre but have a solid top 7 who all hit 18:11 or faster last season at Crystal Springs.

Last year Sacred Heart Cathedral was on a mission. Finishing 4th in the WCAL and knocking St. Francis out of CCS in the process, they went on to pull off another great run at CCS finishing 3rd in the CCS finals clinching a state meet berth. SHC loses an outstanding top runner to graduation but returns with a strong core of runners and is the only team in D3 who returns 5 guys who ran sub 18 last year at Crystal Springs. They are led by Austin Quach and Carlos Flores but the strength of Andy Chan’s Irish is the 39 second spread from 1-5.

North Monterey County brings experience into this season as their top 6 returning runners are all seniors. NMC returns a strong top 4 who all ran mid 17’s last season led by Andres Guerrero. Erik Lopez, David Parry and Esteban Gonzalez add big time depth to the team. This spring saw big jumps from their 5 & 6 runners Michael Vargas and Jonathon Nolasco as they ran mid 10’s for 3200 meters. NMC could very well have 5 runners 17:30 or better at Crystal and Challenge for the title. At this point, the team championship is up for grabs as the top 3 all match up evenly. It will be a close and exciting race and no doubt nerve-racking for the coaches who are trying to add up scores as the runners come cross the finish!

Rounding out the top 5 and expected to challenge for a state spot is Aptos and Mills. Aptos finished 5th last year and have a solid 5 runners returning from last year’s CCS finals. Led by Colby Meyer, Aptos has 5 boys all in the mid-18’s last season. Mills who finished 9th last year at CCS has potential this season to move up big and is one of those teams on the move. Led by Grant Murphy and followed by a solid core of runners who were mid-18’s or better last year at Crystal Springs they are trending up.

Ciaran Murphy is the top returner this season and had a fantastic spring running 4:24 for 1600 meters. He will be joined by teammates Joeseph McIntyre and Patric Cummins. Expect Grant Murphy of Mills and Daniel Chiriaev of Prospect to also make a run for the individual title.

DIV. 3 BOYS: Team Pre-Season Rankings

1.  Saint Ignatius
2.  Sacred Heart Cathedral
3.  North Monterey County
4.  Aptos
5.  Mills

DIV. 3 BOYS: Top Returning Individuals
1. Ciaran Mirphy, SI
2. Joseph McIntyre, SI
3. Grant Murphy, Mills
4. Daniel Chiriaev, Prospect
5. Patrick Cummins, SI

Photos courtesy of Margaret Gallagher and www.sportsimagewire.com.  Feel free to comment on the above rankings in the section below.  Thank you once again to Coach Josh Small for his work with the CCS rankings.

CCS Girls' Division III preview by Valley Christian SJ coach, Josh Small

Girls Division III
With the departure of the defending champions (St. Ignatius) to Division II, the title is up for grabs in DIII with Sacred Heart Cathedral, Saratoga and Aptos leading the charge. SHC coach Andy Chan has a solid team this season led by standout Sophie Cannata-Bowman who ran 18:53 at Crystal Springs last fall. She missed the 2011 track season but was the WCAL champion at 3200 meters and was a CCS finalist in 2010. The strength of SHC is not just upfront but in their amazing depth. They return 5 runners who ran 21:19 or better at last year’s CCS Championship, all of whom ran under 21 at Crystal as well. All 5 runners have 1600 personal bests of 5:42 or better and 12:30 or better for 3200. This team is going to be good!

Saratoga had a breakthrough at the CCS Finals last year and is poised to have another great season this fall. This is a young team that has depth up front with a powerful trio in Maya Nag, Emily Williams and Courtney Schlossaresk who all ran 20:36 and under at last year’s CCS Finals at Toro. Their front four matches up well with Sacred Heart Cathedral and with the addition of new recruits who showed potential this track season (Stephanie Ho ran 5:28 for the 1600 while Allison Bruno ran 5:49) they could very well make a run for the title.

It is hard for me to put Aptos down at number three…so I am doing so with a “for now” asterisk because they won’t be there for long. (After all this is just a pre-season paper ranking before anyone has even laced ‘em up). As a Santa Cruz native I admit my bias for the SCCAL but both my heart and my brain tells me Aptos will make a run for the title and in all reality are the co-favorites. What can you say about Aptos? Year in and year out they consistently have some of the best athletes and teams in the CCS. They have one of the best places to run in the world, great community, a solid feeder program and awesome coaching. It is a recipe for success! Nikki Hiltz was phenomenal this past track season running 4:43 for 1600 meters placing 3rd at the State Championship meet. She is the top returning runner this fall for DIII and my guess is she is going to bring that dominance to Crystal Springs in November. She is followed by Clare Peabody who ran 20:15 at last year’s CCS Finals but really broke through this spring where she ran 5:08 for 1600 and 11:22 for 3200. They will be supported by Meghan Morse and surfer Maddy Hagerle. If that were not enough, Jackie Stanger showed up on the track this spring and ran 5:13 for 1600 meters. Rumor has it she doesn’t run cross country but I have heard that story before. And just when you thought things might open up for the rest of the section you take a look at some cross country results from Aptos Middle School and you see slew of young talent coming in, including Jade Bowdin who placed 3rd in the Lynbrook Invite Middle School race. The machine is rolling in Aptos.

Also, expecting to make a run for a State birth is Santa Cruz High School. It seems like Coach Greg Brock tells me every year, “We are not going to be as good this year,” and every year they come out and challenge for another state meet spot. And this year is not any different. They return four very talented runners led by Mimi Eckhardt, the #2 returner this season. She is followed by 4 runners who ran 21:38 or better in last year’s finals and with the addition of sub 6 min miler Erin Coffey the Cardinals are in position to make another run for a top 3 spot.

Rounding out the top 5 are my Warriors. I’m not going to lie, 6th place was disappointing for us after 4 consecutive trips to the state meet. Plagued by illness, injury and a couple of bad races the end of the season was not kind to us. But the girls all ran with heart and never gave up all the way to the end.  Refocused and with a determination to get back to the state meet, the girls have a solid shot but will need to work hard and catch a couple breaks if they want to move up. Led by Morgan Lira who won the WCAL championship last season and was 4th in last year’s final,s the Warriors return a group of 5 girls who ran 6 minutes or under this past spring.

The team title for D3 will certainly be a battle!

The top 5 returning girls in D3 are some of the best in all of CCS. As mentioned, Nikki Hiltz leads a talented group of runners after running 4:43 for 1600 last spring. Mimi Eckhardt was a CCS finalist at 3200 meters and Morgan Lira is the defending WCAL Champion and posted an 11:05 for 3200 this spring and was a CCS Finalist. Anna Welsh of Monterey is one of the best around at 2 miles running a blazing 10:44 at 3200 meters to finish the season with the 3rd fastest time in the section. Sophia Cannata-Bowman rounds out the top 5 and is the 2010 WCAL Champion at 3200 meters and very solid over three miles running 18’s at Toro last fall. It will be a heated battle for the individual and team titles this year and anyone can win. And that is why they run the race!

DIV. III GIRLS: Team Pre-Season Rankings
1.  Sacred Heart Cathedral
2.  Saratoga
3.  Aptos
4.  Santa Cruz
5.  Valley Christian S.J.

DIV. III GIRLS: Top Returning Individuals
1.  Nikki Hiltz, Aptos
2.  Mimi Eckhardt, Santa Cruz
3.  Morgan Lira, Valley Christian S.J.
4.  Anna Welsh, Monterey
5.  Sophia Cannata-Bowman, Sacred Heart Cathedral

Comparisons of CCS XC times in 2011 by Wilcox HS coach Walt VanZant

Once again, an amazing compilation of times and rankings posted on the Lynbrook HS website and compiled by Walt VanZant.

http://www.dyestatcal.com/ATHLETICS/XC/2011/comparsn.htm

How do you feel about the rankings on this list?  Who is ranked too high and/or too low?  Are there times that are missing or incorrect?  Missing athletes?  

Thanks to Walt for his continued hard work with compiling all the times for every CCS athlete.

CCS Boys' Division IV preview by Valley Christian SJ coach, Josh Small

Boys D4 
There is just no other way to put it, Division IV is going to be a dog fight  this year.  With just two state spots available to this division, it will be slim pickings for some of the best teams in the section.  You could very well see a top ranked CCS team stay home this year as it is that close.  And don’t be fooled, these pre-season rankings could very well be top to bottom by season’s end.  4th has just as much of a shot as 1st this year for the section title.  It is going to be great to see these teams duke it out come November!

Robert Louis Stevenson (RLS) dominated this division in 2010 (scoring an impressive 36 points to win) and proved to us all that a school with just over 500 students could be one of the best in the entire section.  They finished #2 over-all in CCS, an amazing feat in itself, but they weren’t done there.  Running against schools up to two and a half times their size, they went on to finish 3^rd at the State Meet!  What makes this year so close is that Stevenson graduated 4 of their top 7 runners providing an opening for other teams in the section.  But when you stand on the podium at the State Championship it is a magical thing and my guess is that they will be back, reloaded and ready to do defend their title.  RLS is led by Alex Farmer and Andres Spanos who both are in the top 10 returners for this season.  Also after winning the MTAL JV Championship, Stevenson will have runners eager to make the jump to varsity.    

Carmel, who finished 2^nd to RLS in the MTAL and CCS Championship in 2010, also look to return to the State meet this season and are in the running for the Section title.  Finishing 12^th at the State meet last season they made a strong statement that CCS schools may be worthy of an additional state birth down the line.  But with only two teams advancing this year, everyone is going to need to be tough at the section meet and Carmel is going to be in the mix.  Carmel returns 4 strong runners led by Conrad Hain who is the #2 returner this season in D4 but their real strength is the depth of their top 5. 

Another team with their eyes on the team title is San Lorenzo Valley (SLV).  Led by Cody Johnson, who is coming off qualifying for the State Meet at 800 meters, the SLV squad returns 3 runners ranked in the top 10, the most of any team in this division.  While SLV is tough up front, Carmel and Half Moon advantage is in the strength of their 4 & 5 runners.   Coach Rob Collins knows the tall task at hand, “The boys need to train hard this summer if they want to make a run for the title.  Carmel is always tough and RLS is the defending champion and you can never count out Half Moon Bay and King City.” 

Half Moon Bay is in the hunt and the top ranked team in Walt VanZant's time comparison list (and rightfully so).  Half Moon Bay was 5^th last year and following an amazing track season they are ready to go after the title.  They are led by Mitch Martin who ran 16:07 at Crystal last season but Half Moon Bay’s strength is in their depth. They return 4 runners who ran 17:13 or better at Crystal last season where they are always tough.  This team is certainly capable of winning it all this season.

And lastly the depth of D4 gives these top teams “Dark Horse” status as they are all very capable of pulling off an upset this season: (1) Sacred Heart Prep is trending up.  (2) Menlo returns 4 strong runners despite losing their top runner to graduation. (3) King City is always tough and returns Samuel Hales, the top returning individual this season.

DIV. 4 BOYS: Team Pre-Season Rankings

1. Carmel
2. Half Moon Bay
3. San Lorenzo Valley
4. RL Stevenson
5. King City

DIV. 4 BOYS: Top Returning Individuals

1. Samuel Hales, King City
2. Conrad Hain, Carmel
3. Alex Farmer, Stevenson
4. Cody Johnson, SLV
5. Landis MacMillan, SLV

CCS Girls' Division IV preview by Valley Christian SJ coach, Josh Small

Girls' D4
Let me begin by getting on my soap box and stating that it is my personal belief that if the CIF has set enrollment from 501-1250 for Division IV at the State level we as a section should support our smaller schools here in CCS by allowing those with CBED’s in this range to compete in this division so they can represent and compete to the best of their ability at the State Meet. I know there are those who disagree but I believe it would be better to have a larger division and then create equal teams across the three remaining divisions. There is a distinct disadvantage running against schools more than twice your size as the talent pool for runners 4, 5, 6 is much deeper. But there is no use crying over a process that puts smaller schools at a disadvantage, especially at the State level. And despite my complaining, smaller schools rub it in my face and (despite their smaller enrollment size) find ways to win. Take San Lorenzo Valley (SLV) for example, who with an enrollment of 876 could very well be the top team in
CCS.

Politics aside, this division is strong! Division IV has been represented very well at the State level by schools like SLV, Scotts Valley, Half Moon Bay (HMB), Carmel, and schools who are now in D3: Santa Cruz and Valley Christian. Last year, CCS Schools placed 7th (SLV), 9th (Scotts Valley) and 10th (Half Moon Bay) at the CA state xc meet. The results of these performances have been rewarded with an additional State birth: 4 teams will now advance to the State Championship in 2011!

One of the most successful teams in the CCS over the past 15 years comes from the small mountain community of Felton, CA. Since 1997 SLV has won 8 CCS titles and 4 State Championships. SLV is the defending champion (D4) and the favorite to repeat once again as they return their top 7 runners from last season. SLV very well could be the #1 over-all school in the section but will have to run out of their minds if they want to dethrone Mountain View who has held the #1 ranking the past 3 years. It’s not going to be easy but having Anna Maxwell, who was the top CCS runner at the Section Championship in 2010 and was a footlocker finalist is a great start. She blazed the 1600 in 4:56 and ran 10:29 for the 3200 meters this spring and was the top individual last year at the CCS xc meet by an amazing 20 seconds! She will be supported by Claire MacMillan (5:15, 11:47) and Abby Sherman (2:17, 5:18, 11:48). Additional support will come from a slew of developing runners hanging around the 12 minute range for 2 miles this past track season.

I asked Coach Rob Collins about his team and he couldn’t help but be excited. 30 girls are coming back for this year’s team and only 2 are seniors. After a few rebuilding years it seems as if the machine is back to pumping out national class runners. “As a coach I'm very blessed to have a huge support from the school, parents and especially the community for all their support they have given us which has made this program a lot of fun and will be aiming for our 9th CCS Championship and the big goal our 5th State Championship but there is a lot of great teams we need to overcome first to get to the podium at League, CCS and State,” Coach Rob Collins said.

One might wonder what the Santa Cruz schools have going on over there as with a total population of about 75,000 throughout the Santa Cruz area to draw from four schools (SLV, Scotts Valley, Aptos & Santa Cruz) have realistic shots at going to the State meet. Good coaching, perfect weather, a supportive community, not to mention amazing running trails seem to be the recipe for success.

With all the pre-season hype surrounding SLV, a very big and realistic threat comes from two schools: Half Moon Bay and Scotts Valley. Half Moon Bay is a perennial power. They won the team title in 2009 and finished 3rd last season behind Scotts Valley. They return 6 of their top 8 runners from last season and will be led by Chandra Anderson, Kylie Freeburg and Natalie Strohm, all of whom were hovering in the 20 minute range at Crystal last season.

And their biggest challenge just might come from the school down the street. Scotts Valley is last year’s runner-up and they will be led by Vanessa Fraser who finished second over-all last season and coming off a superb 10:37 in the 3200 meters at the State Track Championships. Scotts Valley returns 4 of their top 5 from last year’s state meet is rumored that their #2 runner Abby Attic moved out of the area.  Still, Scotts Valley has to be considered a threat and a favorite to return to Woodward Park this fall, and maybe even pull off an upset.

The battle for a top 4 position and the final state qualifying spot will be fierce as Sacred Heart Prep (4th) and Notre Dame Salinas (5th) were separated by just one point (129-130) last season. Notre Dame is led by standout Nina Anderson but will need to add depth to the #4 and #5 positions. SHP returns 5 of their top 7 from last season.

In the individual race, two of the top individuals in the CCS will go at it again: Anna Maxwell of SLV and Vanessa Fraser of Scotts Valley. Expect Nina Anderson to also be in the mix as she came on strong at the end of both cross country and track and field seasons.

DIV. 4 GIRLS: Team Pre-Season Rankings
1.  San Lorenzo Valley
2.  Scotts Valley
3.  Half Moon Bay
4.  Sacred Heart Prep
5.  Notre Dame Salinas

DIV. 4 GIRLS: Top Returning Individuals
1.  Anna Maxwell, SLV

2.  Vanessa Fraser, Scotts Valley (picture courtesy of Shmuel Thaler/Sentinel)
3.  Nina Anderson, Notre Dame
4.  Maddie Price, Menlo (photo courtesy of SM Daily Journal)
5.  Katie Alioto, Soquel (photo courtesy of Larissa Mueller/Sentinel)
6.  Abby Sherman, SLV (photo courtesy of Margaret Gallagher/sportsimagewire.com)