The top-ranked Brea Olinda boys and Capistrano Valley girls cross country programs go into the Orange County Championships on Saturday looking to break into an elite group.
Both teams are favorites to win the featured Sweepstakes races at Irvine Regional Park in Orange. But history, as well as the rest of the deep and talented field, is against them.
They are both defending champions, and there haven’t been boys and girls repeat champions in the county’s premier showcase event since 2003, when the Dana Hills boys and Esperanza girls won the meet for consecutive years.
With more than 70 teams set to take part in the annual county championships, there are several interesting storylines worth following Saturday.
Last year, then-Villa Park senior Garrett Corcoran broke a nine-year-old course record for the race by completing the 3-mile course in 14:28.
Brea Olinda’s Austin Tamagno was hot on his heels that day. The Wildcats runner set the course record for sophomores (14:33), which followed him setting the top mark for freshmen (15:01) in 2012.
Tamagno, now a junior, could challenge Corcoran’s overall record on Saturday.
Dana Hills, which finished second to Brea Olinda at the O.C. Championships last year, appears ready to battle the Wildcats for the boys title again this year. They have been led this season by the strong performances of Mason Coppi.
But the Dolphins should get a boost from the return of Jake Ogden, the reigning CIF-SS Division 1 individual champion. The senior had been sidelined for several weeks by a muscular skeletal strain that was causing discomfort in his ribcage.
Ogden returned to competitive running on Oct. 8 at the South Coast League Preview meet, but he was limited to 80-90 percent effort, according to his coach.
“Jake is still recovering. He will be racing (Saturday),” said Dana Hills coach Craig Dunn. “He is at about 90 percent. We are optimistic that he will run around 15:10 under control.”
In the girls Sweepstakes race, Capistrano Valley is poised to make another run at the team championship. The Cougars boast three of the top 10 returners – Grace Schafer, Ashley Licata and Rebecca Deitch – from last year’s meet.
Tesoro’s Amanda Gehrich set the pace in 2013 with a time of 17:08.
48th ANNUAL ORANGE COUNTY CHAMPIONSHIPS
Where: Irvine Regional Park (1 Irvine Park Rd, Orange)
Course distance: 3 miles
First race: 7:48 a.m.
Parking: It is $5 to enter Irvine Regional Park. Exact change is required. Overflow parking is available at Santiago Canyon College (3045 E. Chapman Ave, Orange) in Lots 1-4. A shuttle service will provide transportation to the meet.
Weather: High 60s, low 70s, partly cloudy
More information: Click here for the OC Varsity Fan Gudie
