Chase Frazier knows what it takes to win a championship.
When he was a student at Mission Viejo, he won a CIF-SS title on a Mark Sanchez-led football team.
Now he is the coach of the school’s girls track and field team. Going into this season, Fraizer noted that Mission Viejo had the senior leadership, depth and a thirst to possibly win its first CIF-SS title.
The Diablos lived up to their potential, dominating the regular season and capturing the CIF-SS Division 2 crown.
For guiding the Diablos to a history-making season, Frazier has been selected by the Register as the Orange County girls track and field coach of the year.
The Diablos routinely posted 100 points or more in meets throughout the first two months of the season, but it was their victory in the Orange County Championships that confirmed Frazier’s belief in his team.
“Orange County Championships proved to us how strong we were,” Frazier said. “In Orange County, you have state champions in events across the board.
“It gave us that realistic dream that we can win a CIF title for the first time in our school’s history.”
Mission Viejo had eight CIF-SS Masters qualifiers, and five for the CIF State meet.
The Diablos 1,600 relay team of Sahla Cook, Taylor Arco, ,Whitney Hessler and Kennedy Gillian set a county record with a time of 3:47.31 at the Masters.
Emma DeSilva was the county leader in the discus.
One accomplishment topped them all.
“I would say the CIF championship,” Frazier said. “It’s a collective of all our efforts.”
Frazier enjoys track and field’s inclusive nature.
“You have athletes from all different body types, skill sets and backgrounds, and they’re all competing together,” he said. “They all respect each other. It’s a pretty unique sport.”
