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2011 All-Area: Boys' Cross Country - LA Daily News

Published by
chadscott   Dec 29th 2011, 2:06am
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All Area Teams: Boys’ Cross Country
WEDNESDAY, DECEMBER 28, 2011
BY ERIK BOAL STAFF WRITER

 

RUNNER OF THE YEAR

BRYAN GUIJARRO, Knight, Sr.
The learning curve definitely accelerated this season for Guijarro, allowing him to develop into one of the nation’s elite performers. Although Guijarro suffered his share of heartbreaking setbacks, each time he didn’t meet his lofty goal, the Golden League champion demonstrated character and resolve by rebounding with an impressive performance. Guijarro tied the Griffith Park course record to win the Bell-Jeff/Loyola Invitational, captured the Div. I-II individual sweepstakes race (14:56) at Mount SAC and ran the fastest Div. I prelim time on the rain course (14:19). He also produced a pair of second-place finishes at the Woodbridge Classic and Clovis Invitational in intense battles with Buchanan’s CJ Albertson. Despite an eighth-place finish at the Southern Section Div. I final, Guijarro again responded to finish third at the state meet (15:14), before earning All-America honors at Nike Cross Nationals with a 15th-place finish (15:41.35), the fastest time by a local runner at Portland Meadows.

 

FIRST TEAM

MATT BLOCH, Notre Dame, Sr.
Although he finished behind several Mission League peers during the regular season, Bloch was at his best on the Mount SAC course, which carried him to all-state honors at Woodward Park. Bloch finished second in his Div. IV prelim heat on the Mount SAC rain course, then took third at the division final in 15:29 — a five-second improvement from the Mount SAC Invitational — before placing fifth at the state meet in 15:45.
 

NOLAN DEL VALLE, Golden Valley, Jr.
The all-state performer delivered a 10th-place effort (15:35) in the Div. II final at Woodward Park, helping the Grizzlies join Canyon and Hart as Foothill League boys’ teams to win state championships. He helped Golden Valley sweep the top four spots at the league final, then finished eighth at the section final in 15:19, a 29-second improvement from the Mount SAC Invitational.
 

JUAN DAVID GARCIA, Golden Valley, Sr.
One of only six male athletes in Santa Clarita Valley history to break 15 minutes on the Mount SAC course, Garcia’s third-place finish (14:59) at the Southern Section Div. II final was just one of his brilliant postseason performances. Garcia took seventh (15:32) to help the Grizzlies become the first team in school history to win a state championship, then led Golden Valley to an 11th-place effort in its Nike Cross Nationals debut.
 

JOEL GONZALEZ, Camarillo, Jr.
During a season in which the Scorpions had to overcome numerous injuries, Gonzalez helped Camarillo win the Pacific View League title. He finished second in league and eighth at Ventura County Championships, then went on to place 13th at the Southern Section Div. II final (15:26) and 24th in the state, contributing to a sixth-place finish at the former and a ninth-place result at the latter.

 

MALIK HAYES, Quartz Hill, Sr.
The High Desert Invitational champion was overshadowed by the record-breaking season of Knight’s Bryan Guijarro, but it didn’t prevent Hayes from producing several impressive performances. After winning his Div. I varsity race (15:20) at the Mount SAC Invitational, Hayes lowered that effort to 15:17 to place 15th at the division final. After helping the Rebels win the Golden League title, Hayes also won his prelim heat on the Mount SAC rain course (14:34).
 

KRISTIAN MARTINEZ, Golden Valley, Sr.
The first Southern Section Div. II champion in program history (14:54), Martinez helped the Grizzlies pull off the sweep of Foothill League, section and state titles. In his third-place finish at the Div. I-II sweepstakes at the Mount SAC Invitational, Martinez produced the fastest time (14:50) by a Santa Clarita Valley athlete on the 2.91-mile course. The league champion battled through illness to place 15th at the Div. II state meet in 15:41.
 

ANTHONY MONROY, Burroughs, Sr.
The Pacific League runner-up rehabilitated a foot injury from the spring track season to make a second straight appearance at the Div. I state meet. Burroughs’ first male runner to make back-to-back trips to Woodward Park, Monroy placed 31st in 15:50. He was third in his Div. I prelim heat (14:35), then took sixth at the division final in 15:05. He also won his Div. I race at Mount SAC.
 

SAM PECKHAM, Hart, Sr.
After recovering from a stress fracture in his foot last year, Peckham regrouped to delivering a series of impressive postseason efforts. Peckham took fifth in his heat at the Div. II prelims, then took sixth at the division final (15:16) at Mount SAC as Hart finished third, before placing 12th at the state meet, leading the Indians to seventh place.

NEWCOMER OF THE YEAR

RYAN ALEXANDER, Birmingham, Fr.
Alexander had plenty of expectations following older brother Dylan, but he handled the pressure by winning the freshman-class race at the Seaside Invitational and the West Valley League championship, along with strong efforts at the Mount Carmel Invitational, Weisenburger Invitational, Mount SAC Invitational and Santa Clarita Invitational. Alexander, the eighth Birmingham boys’ runner to win a league title (16:08.22) at Pierce College, placed third in his heat at the City Section prelims (16:02.57), followed by a 10th-place result at the section championship, leading the Patriots to a seventh-place result.

 

COACHES OF THE YEAR

ROB and CHRIS EVANS, Golden Valley
There were plenty of expectations placed on a veteran Grizzlies lineup following their offseason move to Div. II, but it was the ability of the Evans brothers to maintain a humble, low-key approach that allowed Golden Valley to excel in the season’s biggest races. The Grizzlies produced the fastest time in Div. II history (76:38) at Mount SAC at the Southern Section final to capture their first title, then ran the No. 2 time by a Santa Clarita Valley team (79:05) at Woodward Park, trailing Saugus’ 78:42 last year, to win the school’s first state crown with a 25-point victory over defending champion Loyola.

 

RACE OF THE YEAR
Southern Section Div. II championship, Nov. 19 In its pursuit of making history, Golden Valley nearly delivered the most impressive performance by an area boys’ team on the prestigious Mount San Antonio College course. Relying on four athletes finishing in the top 12, including the school’s first individual championship from Kristian Martinez (14:50), the Grizzlies clocked 76:38 on the 2.91-mile layout, the fastest not only in Santa Clarita Valley history but by any Div. II program. Golden Valley’s winning effort trails only a pair from Arcadia (75:16 and 76:19), along with Royal’s 76:22 from 2005 on the Mount SAC all-time list.

 

SECOND TEAM

Scott Acton, Desert Christian, Sr.

Arsen Mkrtchyan, Burbank, Soph.

Mason Alford, Viewpoint, Sr.

Aaron Nguyen, Golden Valley, Sr.

Isaiah Amos, Burbank, Soph.

Austin O’Neil, Hart, Sr.

Steban Aviles, Taft, Sr.

Nick Privitelli, Crespi, Sr.

Sahm Bazargan, Oak Park, Soph.

Josh Sherfey, Hart, Jr.

Bernie Corea, Burbank, Jr.

Jonathan Stoll, Burbank, Sr.

JoJo Cortez-Adams, Crespi, Jr.

Patrick Thedinga, Oak Park, Jr.

Cole Couchman, Camarillo, Sr.

Brendan Tinoco, Golden Valley, Jr.

Bryan Curtis, Desert Christian, Sr.

Daniel Tuit, Saugus, Sr.

Aaron de Toledo, Harvard-Westlake, Sr.

Billy Walker, Hart, Jr.

Sergio Fraire, Burbank, Jr.

Thomas Waters, Desert Christian, Sr.

Mikey Giguere, Westlake, Soph.

Sam Worley, Thousand Oaks, Sr.

Lopez, Golden Valley, Sr.

A.J. Yarnall, Saugus, Jr.

Adam Lucero, Camarillo, Sr

 

 

TOP TEN RANKINGS
1. Golden Valley
2. Hart
3. Burbank
4. Camarillo
5. Saugus
6. Desert Christian
7. Burroughs
8. Westlake
9. Oak Park
10. Crespi

LEAGUE CHAMPS
Desert Mountain: Desert Christian
Foothill: Golden Valley
Golden: Quartz Hill
Marmonte: Westlake
Mission: Loyola
Pacific: Arcadia
Pacific View: Camarillo
Rio Hondo: South Pasadena
Tri-Valley: Oak Park
Valley Mission: Reseda
West Valley: Birmingham



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