CIF-SS Championships: Storylines On and Off Script

BOYS 

• Team storyline: What are the chances Palos Verdes knocks off three-time section champion West Torrance? By the narrowest of margins and the most unlikely of scenarios, the answer, in the end, is all PV needed was ... a miracle! And that's essentially what they got as Coach Brian Shapiro's boys unseated the perennial champion by one point, 82-83. That one point was the margin created after fifth scorer Wade Nygren fell, was trampled, yet still managed to find his feet and the strength to rally from dead last out of 183 runners to cross 36th overall (15:44.3). Watching as the results came in on the Finished Results scoring app was emotional for the PV boys, who hugged and cried as the lead held in the balance. In the end, that one-point margin held up as joy and emotion spilled out.
• Individual storyline: Not as much would Rubidoux senior Kevin Ramos repeat but by how much? Ramos cruised to his second consecutive title in 14:51.0 with PV senior Nathan Lantz (pictured above after learning the team victory was official) closing fast in second in 14:58.3. Jake Parker placed fifth (15:11.6) to lead West Torrance.
  
  

Race Recap: One of the most anticipated matchups of the day lived up to the headlines!  Despite West Torrance passing up Palos Verdes at the Mt. SAC Invite, we had both squads in a virtual deadlock coming in.

At the 1.7-mile split, West Torrance held a one-point lead over Palos Verdes, but the Sea Kings were able to flip that number and knock off the two-time defending Division III champ by...one point! While Nathan Lantz stole the headlines up front with his second place finish (14:58.3), the hero of the day was Wade Nygren.   Falling down in the initial stages of the race, he was able to regather himself and move up 11 places over the last portion of the course to finish in 36^th place at 15:44.3. Frankie Reid (24^th place- 15:29.9) also stepped up as he finished as their third man despite not scoring in their top five all season.  Meanwhile, William Teets continued a great season with his ninth place finish (15:15.8).  While this is Palos Verdes' first title since 2012, this was their 12^th time in 13 seasons in making their way to the State Meet.  Several seniors were members of the 2016 squad as reflecting on today's reaction to the victory was the polar emotional opposite of what we witnessed when they did not advance two years ago. 

One of great storylines of the season was the development of West Torrance who had graduated most of their squad from 2017.  Reloaded and now even more motivated, do not be surprised if this crew flips the script next weekend.  Jake Parker (5^th place - 15:11.6) and Niccolo Esquivelzeta (10^th place - 15:16.5) led the way while Josh Murray (22^nd place - 15:29.2) and Nehme Awad (29^th place - 15:34.2) provided great support.  Despite Shingo Morita moving up 11 places over the second portion of the course, that one point will prove to be a huge motivator going into the rematch next weekend in Fresno.  This is their fifth consecutive trip to the State Meet. 

Indio ran their best race of the season and threatened to steal the show from the other two powerhouses.  Only 16 points shy of Palos Verdes, they admirably put up more of a fight than originally projected.  The trio of Esahi Bravo (8^th place -15:15.6), Aaron Perez (17^th place - 15:24.4) and Victor Urbina (18^th place - 15:26.2) led the way for the Rajas.  They return back to the State Meet for the first time since 2013. 

Qualifying for the State Meet for the first time since 2009, Esperanza secured that fourth place spot as expected.  John Welch (26^th place - 15:32.2) and Zane Cox (30^th place - 15:34.7) paced the Aztecs as they finished 49 points ahead of 5^th place and Crestview league rival, Brea Olinda. 

Brea Olinda won that battle for fifth place, outscoring Agoura by eight points.  Shane Gaffikin (27^th place - 15:32.3) and Jack Hannum led for the Wildcats.  Brea Olinda lined up six underclassmen and qualified for the State Meet for the tenth season in a row! 

Junior Ryan Koepnick paced his Agoura squad with a sixth-place finish, crossing in 15:15.1.  Bryan Gasser also shined for the Chargers return back to the State Meet for the first time since advancing in 2014 and 2015. 

Another great storyline here was how that seventh qualifying spot materialized.  First, Moorpark was off the radar in 13^th place at the 1.7-mile split.  But, with a fury, they moved all the way to finish, tied for seventh place with Servite.  Moving to the sixth man for the tie-breaker, in 133^rd place, Jay Schmidt finished less than two seconds ahead of their opponent, pushing them onward to Fresno. Keith Murray put his squad in the early lead with his third-place finish (15:05.5) but it was Ethan McGregor that made the greatest impact.  He moved up 33 spots over the last 1.3 miles of the course!  Moorpark advances for the second straight season. 

Individually, Kevin Ramos cruised to his second Division III title was also coming across as the runner-up in 2016.  The course record holder before today, Ramos left the pack after the mile mark, comfortably accelerating before settling in for the win.  Oak Park sophomore Sebastian Sawyer kept Ramos close as did Moorpark's Murray, and Indio's Bravo through the mile.  PV's Nathan Lantz unleashed over the last 300 meters to accelerate into that runner-up spot.   Wicked battle for those last two individual spots as less than three seconds separated four boys in contention for those spots. 

Individual Qualifiers: Kevin Ramos (Rubidoux) 14:51.0; Devin Hightower (South Hills) 15:08.1; Joseph Pearlman (Dos Pueblos) 15:15.5; Kishan Patel (Gahr) 15:16.9; Eduardo De Paz (Baldwin Park) 15:18.0

• Team storyline: Would it be a return to the top for 2016 section and state champion Palos Verdes or a repeat for Laguna Hills? Back on top, Shapiro's girls joined the boys with 84 points and a 4-6-11-29-38 finish. Laguna Hills, the 2017 winner, was second with Moorpark third. 

• Individual storyline: Would it be back-to-back for Oak Park girls? Yes! With defending champion junior Sylvia Cruz-Albrecht out, it was Wisconsin-bound senior Sarah Shulze taking command and powering home with an empathic victory fueled by a brutal week-plus where wildfires devastated homes near her, as well as the team's training course, and uprooted families in her area. Shulze wasn't able to compete in last week's prelims because of all the damage but was granted a waiver into these finals by CIF. This week, she raced with "805 Strong" written in black marker down her right leg and later wore an overshirt with the message: "Up from the ashes we soar." Shulze, who was second to Cruz-Albrecht, her teammate and training partner, last year in 17:39.7, undoubtedly soared over the Riverside course on Saturday. Her winning time of 17:15.9 established a new division course record, breaking the old mark of 17:19. Corona del Mar sophomore Annabelle Boudreau was second (17:40.0) and Yorba Linda soph Siena Palicke was third (17:55.5). juniors Savannah Scriven (fourth in 17:55.8) and Samantha Steman (sixth in 18:01.0) led Palos Verdes.
  
  

Race Recap: In last year's final, several of Palos Verdes' girls went down early in the race and never fully recovered to defend their 2016 title.  This year, they made all assurances that they would join their boys in bringing a title plaque back to school.  Moving onto the State Meet for the 12^th year in a row, this was their sixth title in the past nine seasons.  Savannah Scriven (17:55.8) and Samantha Steman (18:01.0) rolled to fourth and sixth place finishes, respectively.  McKenna Paulson held true to form with her 11^th place, 18:23.5 performance but it was the duo Isabella Martinez and Natalia Gagliano that stepped up this past month and closed the door on their 46-point victory.