With a CIF-SS Division 3 title and the program’s first county championship in hand, it would have been easy for Brea Olinda’s boys cross country team to rest on last season’s accomplishments.
Despite all the success in 2013, a second-place finish in Division 3 at the CIF State Championships has left the Wildcats hungrier coming into this season.
“The mindset is we can do more,” Brea Olinda coach Jeremy Mattern said. “We’ve definitely trained harder than we did last year …”
The Wildcats sit atop Division 3 in the CIF-SS preseason poll, and they are ranked No. 1 in the Register’s Orange County preseason poll.
The goal this season is to win a state championship and qualify for the Nike Team Nationals, according to Mattern, the Register’s coach of the year last season.
Mattern estimates his top runners are training 65 to 75 miles a week, a significant increase from the 55 to 60 they were running a year ago.
The Wildcats will be led by standout junior Austin Tamagno, who finished third in his division at the state championships with a time of 15:03.
The two runners who finished ahead of Tamagno that day have moved on, so look for him to be the favorite in the division this season.
“I know I’m the top guy returning,” Tamagno said. “I’m going to have to do most of the work now in the races, and dictate how the race goes down and how it finishes.”
Tamagno didn’t spent much time with his teammates during the summer. His track season lasted well into June, he was invited to the Nike Elite Camp in Beaverton, Ore., and he went on some family vacations, but that hasn’t curtailed his training.
“He’s been gone 50 percent of the time,” Mattern said. “But the cool thing is, even he’s found a new level of discipline where he’s put in the work when he’s been away. We’ve been keeping tabs on him. He’s really, really hungry.”
That discipline will be needed from Tamagno and the rest of his teammates to help offset the graduation of All-County performer Brennon Koryta.
Senior Austin Shellito, who was all-league a year ago, will be asked to contribute in a big way, along with seniors Angel Escobar, Chris DeDio and Jeff Sipple.
Mattern also raves about the potential of sophomore Gio Orellana. Orellana and Woodbridge transfer Caleb Myers will bolster the depth of the team.
Brea Olinda has won five consecutive league titles and will aim for a sixth in the new Crestview League, which includes Esperanza, Foothill and Canyon. The Wildcats’ confidence is also high after advancing to the state championships for the first time last season.
“I think everyone’s pretty excited for the season to start,” Sipple said. “I know I am. I’ve been marking my days off the calendar to get to that first race.”
Contact the writer: amorales@ocregister.com
