RIVERSIDE – JSerra won its first CIF-Southern Section title since 2012 and three other Orange Country girls teams took second place to highlight 10 county teams and four O.C. individuals to qualify for the girls state meet in the CIF-SS Finals at the Riverside City Cross Country Course on Saturday.
“Last time we won a CIF championship was four years ago,” JSerra coach Marty Dugard said, “so none of these girls know what it’s like to win. To be here and know we have state next week and want to do even better at state, it’s a fantastic feeling.”
JSerra won the Division 4 title over Foothill Technology, 81-100, and beat out the top-ranked team in its state and CIF-SS division, Bishop Amat of La Puente, 81-146.
“We went into the season unranked. We kind of had a chip on our shoulder,” Dugard said. “We changed the culture. We pushed the pace in workouts and came together as a family. It’s unreal.”
Nadia Tabrizi led JSerra with a second-place finish (17:23) and was beaten out for the title by another unreal performance by Claudia Lane of Malibu (16:30).
In Division 1, Dana Hills was ranked seventh in CIF-SS but finished as a solid pack to jump into second place to take a runner-up plaque.
“I can’t even believe it right now,” Dana Hills coach Chris Cota said. “I’m in awe. I don’t have any words. All I have is emotions. They ran exactly how they needed to.”
El Toro also qualified for state in Division 1 in sixth place.
Canyon continued what would be a run of county runner-ups in the top three divisions with a strong performance led by Sara Leonard in ninth (17:04).
Alyssa Bautista of Capistrano Valley put up the top county time of the day in third place (16:57) to help Capo Valley qualify in sixth.
While Northwood missed a team spot by just seven points, Erika Adler (16:58) qualified as an individual in fourth.
Woodbridge’s Lora Gonzalez (17:34) also qualified in 16th place.
In no surprise, the division with the most county teams produced the most county qualifiers as Esperanza, Laguna Hills and Corona del Mar finished second, third and fourth in Division 3.
Esperanza beat out Laguna Hills, 104-136, and Corona del Mar, 104-158, for the runner-up plaque.
“Over the last three weeks, they came up big and put it together,” Esperanza coach Rich Medellin said. “I thought they went out too hard, but you have to admire the aggressiveness. It worked.”
Western’s Wendi Leos (17:47) and Santa Margarita’s McKenzie Shulman (18:00) qualified as individuals out of Division 3 in sixth and 11th place.
In Division 5, St. Margaret’s beat out Sage Hill, 153-199, for third place, but both still secured state berths.
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CIF-SS CROSS COUNTRY CHAMPIONSHIPS
Saturday, At Riverside City Course, 3 miles
BOYS
Division 1
Team results: 1. Great Oak 62; 2. Dana Hills, 102; 3. Roosevelt 114; 4. Arroyo Grande 229; 5. California 245; 6. Valencia 251; 7. Newbury Park 252
Individual results: 1. Comeaux, Redondo Union, 14:43; 2. Fitzgerald, Crescenta Valley, 14:44; 3. Rutherford, Rancho Cucamonga, 14:48; 4. Landgraf, Dana Hills, 14:50; 5. Fountain, Great Oak, 14:52; Also qualified: 7. Riley, Rancho Cucamonga, 14:53; 9. Kendall, Foothill, 14:55
Division 2
Team results: 1. Ventura 98; 2. Mira Costa 127; 3. Loyola 143; 5. Mission Viejo 201; 6. West Ranch 219; 7. Saugus 259
Individual results: 1. Kahn, Ayala, 14:48; 2. Bishop, Claremont, 14:51; 3. Llorin, Mira Costa, 14:52; 4. Opsahl, Redlands East Valley, 14:57; 5. Holston, Serrano, 14:58.4; Also qualified: 10. Garcia, Newport Harbor, 15:06; 11. Tanner, Canyon, 15:07
Division 3
Team results: 1. West Torrance 70; 2. Brea Olinda 117; 3. Paso Robles 148; 4. Baldwin Park 172; 5. Cathedral 184; 6. St. John Bosco 195; 7. Sultana 203
Individual results: 1. Gonzalez, Rubidoux, 14:36; 2. Ramos, Rubidoux, 14:39; 3. Berti, Paso Robles, 14:42; 4. Bix, West Torrance, 14:48; 5. Ramirez, Sultana, 14:49; Also qualified: 10. Smith, Pacifica, 15:10; 12. Beckum, Bonita, 15:12; 15. Botten, Royal, 15:15
Division 4
Team results: 1. Foothill Technology 50; 2. JSerra 98; 3. San Luis Obispo 131; 4. Harvard Westlake 173; 5. Crean Lutheran 208; 6. Oaks Christian 208; 7. Granite Hills 261
Individual results: 1. Bolger, San Luis Obispo, 14:26; 2. Rodriguez, Foothill Technology, 14:56; 3. Garcia, Salesian, 15:06; 4. Grover, JSerra, 15:19; 5. Elliot Hachac, Costa Mesa, 15:23; Also qualified: 7. Acosta, Lompoc, 15:25; 16. Ramirez, Bassett, 15:45; 18. Arrelano, Bishop Amat, 15;46
Division 5
Team results: 1. Desert Christian/Lancaster 74; 2. Valley Christian/Cerritos 79; 3. Flintridge Prep 83; 4. Thacher 159; 5. St. Margaret’s 180; 6. Campbell Hall 229; 7. Xavier Prep 264
Individual results: 1. Pattinelli, Flintridge Prep, 15:10; 2. Biehl, Desert Christian, 15:20; 3. Mitchell, Desert Christian, 15:23; 4. Vreeke, Valley Christian, 15:23; 5. Van Schendel, Cate, 15:24; Also qualified: 6. Shively, Pasadena Poly, 15:26; 7. Bradford, Woodcrest Christian, 15:29; 13. White, Whittier Christian, 15:50; 14. Huang, Webb, 15:51
GIRLS
Division 1
Team results: 1. Great Oak 30; 2. Dana Hills 125; 3. Arcadia 128; 4. Yucaipa 179; 5. Vista Murrieta 180; 6. El Toro 245; 7. M.L. King 271
Individual results: 1. C. Arriaga, Walnut, 16:47; 2. Peuirfoy, M.L. King, 16:56; 3. Belus, Great Oak, 17:07; 4. Rice, Great Oak, 17:08; 5. Virtue, Burroughs, 17:09; Also qualified: 7. E. Arriaga, Walnut, 17:10; 10. Von Scherr, La Quinta/La Quinta, 17:18; 15. Gaitan, Yucaipa, 17:34; 16. Penn, Centennial/Corona, 17:35
Division 2
Team results: 1. Claremont 96; 2. Canyon 143; 3. San Marcos 186; 4. Ventura 194; 5. Mira Costa 203; 6. Capistrano Valley 203; 7. Saugus 219
Individual results: 1. Chittenden, Mira Costa, 16:49; 2. Schroeder, San Marcos, 16:53; 3. Bautista, Capistrano Valley, 16:57; 4. Adler, Northwood, 16:58; 5. Almanza, Channel Islands, 17:00; Also qualified: 12. Graves, Citrus Valley, 15. Ramirez, Ayala, 17:32; 16. Gonzalez, Woodbridge, 17:34
Division 3
Team results: 1. Palos Verdes 37; 2. Esperanza 104; 3. Laguna Hills 136; 4. Corona del Mar 158; 5. Royal 196; 6. Moorpark 210; 7. Oak Park 243
Individual results: 1. Genovese, Palos Verdes, 17:19; 2. Cruz-Albrecht, Oak Park, 17:28; 3. Diaz, Norwalk, 17:35; 4. Powers, Corona del Mar, 17:37; 5. Dholakia, Esperanza, 17:47; Also qualified: 6. Leos, Western, 17:47; 7. Meedler, Paso Robles, 17:49; 10. Galindo, Norwalk, 17:58; 11. Shulman, Santa Margarita, 18:00
Division 4
Team results: 1. JSerra 81; 2. Foothill Technology 100; 3. Bishop Amat 146; 4. Mayfield 160; 5. El Segundo 224; 6. Harvard Westlake 234; 7. Covina 236
Individual results: 1. Lane, Malibu, 16:30; 2. Tabrizi, JSerra, 17:23; 3. Paez, Bishop Amat, 17:33; 4. Smith, Mayfield, 17:38; 5. Kearney, Foothill Technology, 17:42; Also qualified: 7. Moro, Notre Dame/Sherman Oaks, 17:50; 8. Nisbet, Atascadero, 17:54; 11. McAllister, Marymount, 18:01; 14. Bergin, Granite Hills, 18:06
Division 5
Team results: 1. Flintridge Prep 31; 2. Pacifica Christian 127; 3. St. Margaret’s 153; 4. Sage Hill 199; 5. Orcutt Academy 201; 6. Bell-Jeff 214; 7. Pasadena Poly
Individual results: 1. Pourmussa, Brentwood, 17:38; 2. O’Brien, Flintridge Prep, 17:44; 3. Codiga, Flintridge Prep; 4. Ledesma, Valley Christian, 18:12; 5. Harper, Mammoth, 18:13; Also qualified: 9. Delgadillo, Hamilton, 18:22; 11. Thompson, Woodcrest Christian, 18:26