Los Osos H. S. has competed in the powerful Baseline League since the school opened in the Fall of 2002.

• Girls: Baseline Champions 2004, 2005
• Girls: Baseline runner-up 2006, 2007, 2008
  Girls: CIF 2002, 2003, 2004, 2005, 2006, 2007, 2008
  Boys: Baseline runner-up 2005, 2006
  Boys: League Champion 2004 (Ind), 2007 (Ind)
  Boys : CIF 2005, 2006, 2007, 2008 (Ind)
  Boys : State; 2004, 2005 (Ind)

Coaches Contacts
Coach "O"     moravets@charter.net   (909) 260-9577

Coach Shelly   shelly.mendez@gmail.com   (909) 231-5385 

Coach Mike     mv_locc@yahoo.com    (909) 291-5363

SEASON ENDS AT PRELIMS!!!

It was a beautiful day at Mt. SAC...perfect conditions for fast times.  The girls saved their best race for last, finishing 6th in their heat while the top four moved on to CIF Finals.  It was their best team time in three tries on the classic course this year and they were led by junior Janelle Myers.  Last season, Janelle earned a medal for finishing in the top 5 in the Baseline League...in the JV race!!!  This year she finished third in the varsity race and raced to the #3 mark all-time at Mt. SAC on Saturday, running 19:02 to lead the Grizzlies.  Her hard work and sacrifice this past year has been impressive.  Freshman Jessica Alvarez ran the third fastest 9th grade mark and #8 time in school history while Emily Torres posted the #15 mark all-time showing great improvement.  Alex Gonzalez also had a breakthrough race finishing in the Grizzly top five for the day.

On the boys side, Daniel Hawkins was flying solo as an individual qualifier and finished 10th in his race.  He needed a top 6 finish to advance.  Considering the setback in the middle of the season with the foot injury, it was not a bad finish for the year.

Girls:  -  6th place out of 15 teams  -  13. Janelle Myers - 19:02 (#3 mark all-time);  25. Jessica Alvarez - 19:37 (#8 mark all-time);  49. Elle Farrar - 20:30;  54. Emily Torres - 20:34 (#15 mark all-time);  56. Alex Gonzalez - 20:42;  71. Tori Greaves - 21:13;  96. Alejandra Lugo - 23:02

Boys:  -  10. Daniel Hawkins - 15:41

POST-SEASON NEWS AND NOTES!!!    

Team Pictures  -  If you ordered pictures, they are in.  Come by Coach O's room (P-4) to pick them up.  Note that if you ordered a team picture, they are big...bring a rubber band. 

Awards Banquet  -  Save the date...Thursday, December 10th. We are going with a no-cost, potluck dessert banquet this year.  Times to be announced later.

Time-off  -  As is our usual custom, when your season ends, we take 2-3 weeks off (through Thanksgiving) to allow our bodies some rest.  There will be an off-season training calendar that will be posted soon.   

6th Period PE  -  It is not an ideal situation, but you need to report to the pool deck daily for the remainder of the semester and remain there until 2:45.  I cannot allow you to run during 6th period because you must be supervised.  Those of you running track, you will be moved to Coach Bryant's roll second semester where you will be free to work out on the track. 

Uniforms  -  If you checked out a jersey from Shannon for the season, you need to return it immediately.

STRONG EFFORT AT LEAGUE FINALS!!!

90 degree temps and nearby fires did not deter the Grizzlies from making a fine showing at the Baseline League Finals, held at Mt. SAC.  Cross country is all about dealing with adversity and competing with discomfort and these were uncomfortable conditions for early November.  As warm as it was, it was a pleasant experience to be at Mt. SAC without the thousands of people that come to the Invitational.  

The JV Girls got the afternoon under way and finished in a tie for 3rd, but finish 4th on the 6th runner tiebreaker.  Congratulations to medalists Alejandra Lugo and Morgan Plummer, who both finished in the top twenty.  The JV Boys finished 5th overall.

The Varsity Girls knew they had made some gains on Rancho, but was it enough to grab the league title?  Having lost by 21 at Red Hill, the Grizzlies, with better support from their 4th and 5th runners, closed the gap to 7 points to solidify their 2nd place finish.  The Grizzlies placed their 5 scorers all in the top 15 out of the 42 runners.  Emily Torres and Tori Greaves both medaled, while Janelle Myers, Elle Farrar and Jessica Alvarez earned All-Baseline League honors by placing in the top 7.

The Varsity Boys rebounded after taking a 23 point beating at the hands of Alta Loma at Red Hill and turned the tables to defeat the Braves by 28 to finish 5th in the league.  The difference was made up front as Danny Hawkins moved from 20th in the first league meet to 10th in the second meet to 2nd yesterday to lead the Grizzlies and to vault his way into CIF as an individual.  Christian Navarro moved up from 25th at Red Hill to 14th yesterday to medal in the race.

When comparing times to the Invitational, realize that a Saturday meet will usually produce better times as the conditions are better with larger races and having not spent the entire day in school.  Anyone who improved their time yesterday had a fantastic race;  maybe a better way to see how well you improved is to look at what place you finished in the other league races and see if you improved your position. 

The girls and Danny will compete in CIF Prelims a week from this Saturday back at Mt. SAC.

Complete Results:

Varsity Boys:  Team Scores - 1. Rancho Cucamonga - 45;  2. Upland - 56;  3. Claremont - 74;  4. Etiwanda - 80;  5. LOS OSOS - 115;  6. Alta Loma - 143;  Individual Results - 2. Daniel Hawkins - 15:41;  14. Christian Navarro - 16:27;  32. Scott Aylor - 18:57;  33. Scott Palti - 19:09;  34. Ian Peace - 19:13;  40. Joel Sincock - 20:41;  41. Andy Hollist - 20:45

Varsity Girls:  Team Scores - 1. Rancho Cucamonga - 36;  2. LOS OSOS - 43;  3. Upland - 72;  4. Claremont - 80;  5. Etiwanda - 134;  6. Alta Loma - 150;  Individual Results - 3. Janelle Myers - 19:43;  4. Elle Farrar - 20:05;  7. Jessica Alvarez - 20:22;  14. Emily Torres - 20:58;  15. Tori Greaves - 21:04;  21. Alex Gonzalez - 21:35;  33. Olivia Ayres - 22:31

JV Boys:  Team Scores - 1. Upland - 33;  2. Rancho Cucamonga - 44;  3. Claremont - 59;  4. Etiwanda - 91;  5. LOS OSOS - 154;  6. Alta Loma - 190;  Individual Results - 44. Justin Wilder - 19:47;  73. Michael Goedel - 20:30;  78. Corey Boggs - 20:42;  80. David Garcia - 20:46;  84. Jeffrey Graham - 20:58;  90. Aaron Cisneros - 21:15;  91. Kyle Blake - 21:16;  112. Wesley Ewart - 22:05;  113. Ben Dhami - 22:06;  114. Anthony Jensen - 22:10;  118. Colton Merrill - 22:34;  121. Arturo Beltran - 22:47;  126. Bryan Gielen - 23:26;  129. Miguel Chavez - 23:29;  131. Kevin Pasma - 23:40;  141. Jake Trauger - 24:09;  145. Eddie Hills - 24:22;  148. Matt Hawkins - 24:34;  

JV Girls:  Team Scores - 1. Claremont - 30;  2. Upland - 32;  3. Rancho Cucamonga - 101;  4. LOS OSOS - 101;  5. Etiwanda - 118;  Individual Results - 15. Alejandra Lugo - 23:51;  17. Morgan Plummer - 23:56;  26. Adryanna Lugo - 24:58;  27. Kelsey McCauley - 25:00;  29. Casey Gielen - 25:11;  46. Lauren Brown - 27:00;  48. Amy Metzgar - 27:05;  49. Lauren Eubanks - 27:06;  51. Sara Garcia - 27:13;  53. Tabitha Ary - 27:18;  61. Christiana Rodriguez - 28:13;  66. Makenna Lynch - 28:30;  72. Kayla Bello - 29:13;  74. Vannessa Jackson - 29:29;  86. Brianna Cannon - 31:27

GAINS MADE AT MT. SAC!!!

2 NEW NAMES ON THE ALL-TIME LIST AND SOMEONE MAKES A BIG JUMP

It was a very pleasant morning at the Mt. SAC Invitational which yielded to a warm, but moderate afternoon.  In years past, we have not been so lucky!  All the pagentry that embodies this meet were there - the large video screen, the Olympic medalist, the camera coverage with announcers broadcasting over speakers loud enough for everyone to hear, and the famed crowds.  Races every seven minutes all day long and most of Friday too; it is the largest HS meet in the nation.

The girls closed the gap on Rancho based on the times ran, and let's hope that is a trend we can carry to League Finals, run on the same course.  Janelle Myers, nowhere to be found on the All-Time Top 15 list for LOHS runners, ran strong to vault up to #8 while super frosh Jessica Alvarez, finishing 2nd in her race, ran the 14th fastest time in school history.  For the boys, Christian Navarro made a big move to #5 all-time as both he and Danny Hawkins finished in the top 15 in their race.

Complete Results:

Varsity Boys:  12th of 21 teams - 134 total runners   -   5. Danny Hawkins - 15:54;  12. Christian Navarro - 16:12 (#5 mark all-time);  96. Scott Palti - 18:13;  110. Scott Aylor - 18:34;  121. Andy Hollist - 19:17;  133. Michael Goedel - 20:56

Varsity Girls:  9th of 21 teams - 152 total runners   -   16. Elle Farrar - 19:29;  21. Janelle Myers - 19:49 (#8 mark all-time);  48. Tori Greaves - 20:36;  68. Emily Torres - 21:10;  93. Rebecca Roberts - 21:58;  129. Alejandra Lugo - 23:20

Soph Boys:  173 runners   -   77. Ian Peace - 19:26;  83. Joel Sincock - 19:33;  140. Wesley Ewart - 21:34

Soph Girls:  8th of 21 teams - 130 total runners   -   15. Alex Gonzalez - 21:33;  58. Kelsey McCauley - 24:05;  65. Casey Gielen - 24:38;  86. Sara Garcia - 25:55;  93. Kayla Bello - 26:42

Frosh Boys:  146 total runners   -   42. David Garcia - 19:53;  44. Aaron Cisneros - 19:58;  86. Kyle Blake - 21:22

Frosh Girls:  121 total runners   -   2. Jessica Alvarez - 20:23 (#14 mark all-time);  30. Adryanna Lugo - 23:08;  34. Morgan Plummer - 23:29;  74. Amy Metzgar - 25:29

NEW COURSE AT RED HILL!!!

It was the debut of a new course at Red Hill Park;  one that is more spectator friendly and runner friendly.  The downside?  More grass, less cement = s-l-o-w-e-r course.  Despite Rancho again winning both the boys and girls varsity races, the day belonged to the Etiwanda Eagles.  After finishing 5th in the girls race at Glen Helen, they improved to third, while their boys went from 4th to 2nd.  The Grizzlies made some progress in areas and maintained their status in others.

The girls scores were almost identical to the first league meet as the Grizzlies again finished 2nd overall and again put three in the top six overall.  Another game effort by Elle Farrar, Janelle Myers and Jessica Alvarez, but better production from our 4 through 7 runners will be needed to close the 21 point gap to Rancho.  The boys struggled as a team again as depth continues to be the problem.  Danny Hawkins has begun to improve as he deals with a foot injury, this time moving up 10 spots to finish 10th overall. 

Up next is the Mt. SAC Invitational on Saturday and League Finals on Tuesday, November 3rd.

Complete Results:

Boys Varsity:  Rancho - 44, Etiwanda - 60, Upland - 70, Claremont - 72, Alta Loma - 131, LOS OSOS - 154;  10. Danny Hawkins - 15:59;  25. Christian Navarro - 16:58;  34. Scott Palti - 18:28;  35. Ian Peace - 18:41;  36. Scott Aylor - 18:48;  39. Corey Boggs - 19:17;  42. Andy Hollist - 19:52

Girls Varsity:  Rancho - 36;  LOS OSOS - 57;  Etiwanda - 72;  Upland - 76;  Claremont - 89;  Alta Loma - 165;  3. Elle Farrar - 19:16;  5. Janelle Myers - 19:40;  6. Jessica Alvarez - 19:47;  18. Tori Greaves - 20:45;  25. Emily Torres - 21:05;  35. Olivia Ayres - 22:11;  36. Rebecca Roberts - 22:28

Boys JV: 50. Michael Goedel - 19:16;  52. Joel Sincock - 19:22;  69. Jeffrey Graham - 19:51;  70. David Garcia - 19:52;  76. Aaron Cisneros - 20:02;  85. Ben Dhami - 20:25;  88. Colton Merrill - 20:27;  95. Bryan Gielen - 20:36;  104. Arturo Beltran - 21:16;  110. Wesley Ewart - 21:28;  111. Miguel Chavez - 21:32;  112. Kevin Pasma - 21:33;  116. Eddie Hills - 21:56;  117. Anthony Jensen - 21:58;  130. Jake Trauger - 23:17;  140. Matthew Hawkins - 24:19;  147. Jerry Edwards - 28:12

Girls JV:  7. Alex Gonzalez - 22:20;  18. Alejandra Lugo - 23:10;  22. Morgan Plummer - 23:14;  27. Kelsey McCauley - 23:32;  28. Casey Gielen - 23:42;  31. Tabitha Ary - 23:57;  41. Sara Garcia - 24:37;  43. Lauren Eubanks - 24:46;  48. Christiana Rodriguez - 25:27;  53. Adryanna Lugo - 25:52;  56. Makenna Lynch - 26:02;  62. Amy Metzgar - 26:25;  68. Kayla Bello - 26:51;  75. Vannessa Jackson - 27:59;  76. Nikki Dalton - 28:15;  88. Brianna Cannon - 30:31

GIRLS 4TH PLACE FINISH HIGHLIGHTS IE CHALLENGE!!!

A change of venue and cold, overcast weather could not deter the varsity girls from taking 4th place at this years Inland Empire Challenge.  With a last minute move to Prado Park, meet management did a great job bringing it all together to put on a fine meet.  Elle Farrar led the girls to their 4th place finish despite Jessica Alvarez running in the frosh race and Olivia Ayres out for the meet.

Danny Hawkins, slowed by a bruised foot much of the season, ran with some of that swagger that has brought him so much success to finish 3rd in the varsity race with Christian Navarro finishing 12th. 

Parental support was first class today and your Grizzly athletes appreciate it very much! 

Complete Results:

Girls Varsity (133 total runners) - 4th of 17 teams - 18. Elle Farrar - 18:54;  25. Janelle Myers - 19:12;  39. Tori Greaves - 19:33;  63. Emily Torres - 20:49;  68. Rebecca Roberts - 20:55;  97. Alejandra Lugo - 22:30

Boys Varsity (128 total runners) - 16th of 19 teams - 3. Daniel Hawkins - 15:29;  12. Christian Navarro - 15:42;  114. Corey Boggs - 18:23;  116. Justin Wilder - 18:30;  119. Michael Goedel - 18:50

Girls Frosh (134 total runners) - 7th of 11 teams - 3. Jessica Alvarez - 19:19;  23. Adryanna Lugo - 20:49;  72. Tabitha Ary - 23:05;  93. Amy Metzgar - 24:33;  114. Nessa Pierce - 25:55;  118. Chloe Esperiquette - 26:18;  119. Cortney Cunningham - 26:29

Boys Frosh (173 total runners) - 13th of 15 teams - 57. Kyle Blake - 18:33;  72. David Garcia - 18:49;  76. Aaron Cisneros - 18:53;  124. Eddie Hills - 20:26;  128. Arturo Beltran - 20:35;  166. Matthew Hawkins - 23:31

Girls Sophs (95 total runners) - no team score - 20. Alex Gonzalez - 21:15;  26. Kelsey McCauley - 21:42;  44. Sara Garcia - 22:28;  67. Kayla Bello - 25:10

Boys Sophs (160 total runners) - 12th of 15 teams - 30. Ian Peace - 17:44;  52. Taylor Friday - 18:21;  66. Joel Sincock - 18:31;  84. Jeffrey Graham - 18:51;  116. Wesley Ewart - 19:56;  149. Jake Trauger - 22:10

Girls JV (104 total runners) - 8th of 10 teams - 65. Makenna Lynch - 23:31;  71. Lauren Brown - 23:53;  76. Lauren Eubanks - 24:21;  84. Brianna Cannon - 25:27;  86. Emilee Comeau - 25:37

Boys JV (142 total runners) - no team score - 57. Andy Hollist - 18:29;  100. Kevin Pasma - 19:53;  120. Anthony Jensen - 20:53;  140. Jerry Edwards - 25:18

HAVING FUN AT CARBON CANYON!!!

After the high-level Stanford meet and the intensity of league competition, it was time for a fun break.  Not wanting to grind out three races in a seven day period, the Stanford 14 sat out today, leaving the team thin.  It didn't matter because the Brea-Olinda Invitational puts the emphasis on the individual so this meet is a chance to run for yourself on a fun, but challenging 3.22 mile course.  To combat the perfect running weather, the course presented plenty of grass, thick sand and the first major hill climb of the season...strategically placed in the third mile.  A great course to run...but not so great to watch.

This was also the chance to pick up a "free" letter point by beating the coaches times.  That point proved to not be so free as both coaches stepped up their game in the coaches/alumni race.  Coach Mendez knocked nearly a minute off her time to allow only two girls to earn the point and only by 9 seconds.  Coach O pitched a shutout, knocking 1:30 off last year's mark.

All in all, I think everyone had fun and gained some race experience.  Thanks to all the parents for their continued support of their athlete(s).

Complete Results (merge of all races):

Girls Varsity -  (249 total runners)   112. Alejandra Lugo - 24:33;  155. Lauren Brown - 26:01 (-1:20 from last year);  160. Christiana Rodriguez - 26:08 (-:32);  166. Makenna Lynch - 26:35;  170. Lauren Eubanks - 26:49;  193. Vannessa Jackson - 28:14;  194. Brianna Cannon - 28:32;  234. Danielle Yellen - 30:19

Girls Frosh/Soph  -  (301 total runners)  20. Alex Gonzalez - 23:02;  22. Adryanna Lugo - 23:04;  41. Morgan Plummer - 23:49;  42. Kelsey McCauley - 23:50;  67. Casey Gielen - 24:36;  88. Sara Garcia - 25:11 (-:33);  91. Kelly Hein - 25:14;  110. Kayla Bello - 25:29;  117. Amy Metzgar - 25:36;  152. Tabitha Ary - 26:46;  182. Christina Cooper - 27:37;  222. Cortney Cunningham - 29:06;  231. Chloe Esperiquette - 29:33;  253. Nicole Dalton - 31:08;  293. Kelsey Crawford - 34:26

Boys Varsity  -  (437 total runners)  234. Corey Boggs - 20:20;  261. Justin Wilder - 20:46;  285. Andy Hollist - 21:08;  325. Bryan Gielen - 21:56;  343. Kevin Pasma - 22:10;  379. Austin Long - 23:00;  383. Anthony Jensen - 23:10 (-3:32);  403. Tim Laws - 24:15 (-1:47);  429. Jerry Edwards - 26:52 (-1:44)

Boys Frosh/Soph  -  (385 total runners)  128. Taylor Friday - 20:46 (-:32);  129. Jeffrey Graham - 20:46;  130. David Garcia - 20:47;  167. Wesley Ewart - 21:20 (-:32);  170. Ben Dhami - 21:22 (-:08);  176. Kyle Blake - 21:24;  219. Aaron Cisneros - 22:17;  236. Miguel Chavez - 22:25;  267. Eddie Hills - 22:50;  294. Arturo Beltran - 23:23;  329. Jake Trauger - 24:58;  352. Matthew Hawkins - 25:54

Coaches/Alumni Race  -  Coach O - 18:44 (-1:30);  Coach Mendez - 23:11 (-:56)

GREAT WEATHER AT GLEN HELEN!!!

This was my 5th Baseline League Meet #1 and the first one of those that wasn't blazing hot!  The weather was a delight, but the team turned in a "partly cloudy" performance.  Many Grizzlies rose to the occasion and turned in great races, while others ran.  We have many newcomers to the sport and one of the hardest things to learn is how to race, how to compete, how to cope with pain and to push through that barrier in your mind.  Of course this all starts at practice;  no one races well that doesn't practice well...there is no magic switch that you can turn on come race day.  To get better, we have to practice with a purpose;  practice with intensity.  And for some, this has not been happening.  

The '09 boys Baseline League is one of the toughest in the entire state this year.  When the State Top 100 Team Rankings came out at the start of the season, three of the top 15 were from our league, and the rumor mill was churning with news of a much improved fourth team (Etiwanda) that could challenge these three elite teams...and the rumors were true.  Combine this with a Grizzly squad decimated by the departure of five seniors in last year's top seven and this meant today was going to be a tough go.  While the elite squads battled it out in a spirited race, the Grizzlies picked up a victory over Alta Loma to finish 5th.  With no runner in the top 20 and a nearly 2 minute gap between #2 and #3 runners, the team simply has to work harder to change that in the next league meet.

The girls face a much easier path with a league of very good teams, but none to be considered elite.  After falling short in pieced together results at Woodbridge versus Claremont and Upland, the Lady Grizzlies knew they had to run well to try to turn the tide.  The coaches were confident that if we were matched up head to head in the same race that the outcome would be different...and they were right.  The girls beat out both teams that had better team times at Woodbridge, but...watch out for the Cougars of Rancho Cucamonga!  Flying under the radar, they have remained quiet during the early part of the season.  Anytime a team is going to have that automatic "1" it makes building a team much easier.  Melissa Telon will give the Cougars that 1 point in each meet, which means the girls have some work to do to run them down for a league title.  We put 3 in the top 6, which I have to admit was surprising.  Anyone who watched Elle Farrar, Janelle Myers and Jessica Alvarez run today saw what it means to race, what it means to sacrifice for the sake of the team.  Elle finishing 2nd was not a surprise, Janelle finishing 5th and beating four school's #1 runner is a credit to the hard work and dedication she has shown, and Jessica finishing 6th and also beating four school's #1 runner tells me that she has learned quickly and has a special competitive drive.  The 40-second gap between our #4 and #5 was double what it was at Stanford and allowed 10 runners to fill in between which cost us the win.  We will get better and we will close that gap of 17 points that separated us today.

Consistency, consistency, consistency!  Practice hard everyday and good things will happen on race day.

Boys Varsity:  1. Rancho Cucamonga - 43;  2. Claremont - 45;  3. Upland - 71;  4. Etiwanda - 75;  5. LOS OSOS - 143;  6. Alta Loma - 151        21. Daniel Hawkins - 16:32;  22. Christian Navarro - 16:33;  32. Scott Aylor - 18:19;  33. Scott Palti - 18:26;  35. Ian Peace - 19:03;  38. Michael Goedel - 19:39;  39. Joel Sincock - 19:54

Girls Varsity:  1. Rancho Cucamonga - 37;  2. LOS OSOS - 54;  3. Upland - 70;  4. Claremont - 72;  5. Etiwanda - 107;  6. Alta Loma - 178       2. Elle Farrar - 19:18;  5. Janelle Myers - 19:40;  6. Jessica Alvarez - 19:45;  15. Tori Greaves - 20:14;  26. Olivia Ayres - 20:54;  28. Emily Torres - 20:58;  34. Rebecca Roberts - 21:46

Girls JV:  (3rd Place)  14. Alejandra Lugo - 22:25;  15. Adryanna Lugo - 22:43;  18. Alex Gonzalez - 22:54;  20. Kelsey McCauley - 23:00;  25. Morgan Plummer - 23:16;  38. Amy Metzgar - 24:03;  43. Christiana Rodriguez - 24:17;  44. Lauren Brown - 24:19;  53. Makenna Lynch - 24:45;  56. Lauren Eubanks - 25:01;  57. Tabitha Ary - 25:02;  58. Nina Gonzalez - 25:17;  65. Kayla Bello - 25:49;  69. Sara Garcia - 25:59;  70. Emilee Comeau - 26:05;  73. Vannessa Jackson - 26:11;  82. Brianna Cannon - 27:23

Boys JV:  (5th Place)  70. Wesley Ewart - 19:35;  71. Kyle Blake - 19:35;  72. Corey Boggs - 19:36;  83. Kevin Pasma - 19:51;  86. Andy Hollist - 19:55;  89. Taylor Friday - 20:02;  94. David Garcia - 20:18;  95. Jeffrey Graham - 20:26;  96. Ben Dhami - 20:27;  97. Colton Merrill - 20:34;  117. Justin Wilder - 21:08;  125. Anthony Jensen - 21:56;  126. Arturo Beltran - 21:56;  146. Eddie Hills - 23:41;  148. Jake Trauger - 23:55;  150. Matthew Hawkins - 24:14;  153. Ryan Scheidemantle - 24:38;  157. Jerry Edwards - 25:19 

HAVING A BLAST IN THE BAY AREA!!!

For the fourth consecutive year, the varsity Grizzlies journeyed to the Bay Area for a two night trip to compete in the Stanford Invitational on Saturday.  A great incentive to work hard, we had a mostly novice group with only five of fourteen returning from last year.  Leaving at lunch on Thursday, the team made good time on the less than scenic drive up the 5.  After a fine dinner in Gilroy, the team arrived at their hotel around 9:00.  A light breakfast and a 10:00am 7-10 mile run along the San Francisco Bay trail filled Friday morning and then it was into the city.  Crossing the Golden Gate Bridge for pictures and then it was to Fisherman's Wharf and Ghiradelli Square for some free time before dinner.  We had our traditional Chinese feast and then stopped at a mall before returning to the hotel.  The girls made shirts and the boys watched a movie before turning in. 

A good time was not the only blast the team experienced as the temperature in Palo Alto soared for race time.  Talk about running at the wrong time!  The early races were run in 60 degrees, while our 2:00 hour races were 101 for the boys and 104 for the girls!!!  At least we train regularly in those conditions...some schools were not prepared for it.  Five senior boys made the trip last year and the inexperience this year showed as they finished 20th out of 32 teams.  It took a mile before many of them looked comfortable.  Christian Navarro led the team by finishing 13th overall, followed by Danny Hawkins' 24th place finish as he is still nursing a foot injury.  On the girls side, Elle Farrar knocked over a minute off her time from a year ago to finish 12th, while freshman Jessica Alvarez ran second for the team and 33rd overall.  The girls finished a very respectable 7th out of 22 teams.  Other strong performances were turned in by Emily Torres and Ian Peace.

This trip has never been about the race, but instead a learning experience and a chance to grow together as a team.  A huge thank you goes out to the athletes for their conduct on the trip.  Each year there is a different chemistry and dynamic and I have to say that I enjoyed this group more than any in previous years.  Thanks also to the parents that made the trip to lend their support.

Boys Results:  (218 total runners)  13. Christian Navarro - 16:40;  24. Daniel Hawkins - 16:58;  133. Scott Aylor - 18:43;  176. Ian Peace - 19:36;  180. Scott Palti - 19:38;  196. Joel Sincock - 20:31;  210. Michael Goedel - 21:56

Girls Results:  (161 total runners)  12. Elle Farrar - 19:49;  33. Jessica Alvarez - 20:58;  49. Janelle Myers - 21:29;  52. Tori Greaves - 21:36;  67. Emily Torres - 21:57;  79. Olivia Ayres - 22:16;  109. Rebecca Roberts - 23:41

STARS COME OUT UNDER THE LIGHTS IN IRVINE!!!

A massive heat wave struck Orange County on Saturday...it actually reached the 80's in Irvine and you would have thought the earth was melting the way people were behaving.  A beautiful day for us IEers that made the journey!  One of the athletes favorite meets with the great weather, strong competition, flat and fast course and the only chance we get to race under the cover of darkness and...many portable generators.  The generators were not the only thing buzzing on Saturday night...junior Danny Hawkins was invited into the elite, show-closing Boys Sweepstakes race, the best gathering so far this season.  With a 9:40pm start, they certainly had the buildup and Danny did not disappoint, running the 2nd fastest time in school history with a 15:16.

What makes this meet so special for the team is the large carrot dangling in front of everyone...the Bay Area trip for the Stanford Invitational this coming weekend.  There is no "selection process" besides the stopwatch;  whoever brings it on this day earns the trip.  Congratulations to those 14 who are noted below in the results.  Congratulations to Christian Navarro as he broke into the top 10 list at number 6 with a 15:51 and to Elle Farrar, who led the girls varsity and ran 18:32 to move to #3 all-time. 

Full Results (****denotes Stanford qualifier; improvement from a year ago also noted):

Boys Sweepstakes Race (170 total runners):  53. ****Daniel Hawkins - 15:16 (#2 mark all-time)(-:09)

Girls Varsity (193 runners):  16. ****Elle Farrar - 18:32 (#3 mark all-time)(-1:14);  73. ****Janelle Myers - 19:30(-1:08);  99. ****Tori Greaves - 19:52(-:15);  136. ****Emily Torres - 20:37(-2:12);  138. ****Olivia Ayres - 20:40;  152. ****Rebecca Roberts - 21:08 (-1:32);  169. Alejandra Lugo - 21:53

Senior Boys (193 runners):  102. ****Scott Aylor - 17:15 (-:19);  171. Ryan Winn - 19:32

Junior Boys (264 runners):  18. ****Christian Navarro - 15:51 (#6 mark all-time)(-:56);  120. ****Scott Palti - 17:55(-:27);  167. ****Michael Goedel - 18:43;  174. Kevin Pasma - 18:53(-:23);  176. Corey Boggs - 18:55;  203. Justin Wilder - 19:36;  205. Andy Hollist - 19:39;  210. Tim Laws - 19:49(-2:34);  219. Bryan Gielen - 19:59;  231. Austin Long - 20:24;  241. Anthony Jensen - 20:56;  249. Jeohnny Newell - 21:33(-1:35)

Soph Boys (309 runners):  133. ****Ian Peace - 18:27(-1:23);  145. ****Joel Sincock - 18:33;  179. Taylor Friday - 19:03(-1:10);  182. Wesley Ewart - 19:05(-1:08);  188. Ben Dhami - 19:08(-1:02);  226. Jeff Graham - 19:42

Frosh Boys (305 runners):  157. Aaron Cisneros - 19:26;  163. David Garcia - 19:31;  208. Kyle Blake - 20:17;  269. Arturo Beltran - 21:45;  285. Eddie Hills - 22:28

JV Girls (186 runners):  128. Makenna Lynch - 24:02(-2:23);  130. Lauren Brown - 24:04(-1:47);  146. Lauren Eubanks - 24:27;  147. Christiana Rodriguez - 24:32(-:53);  149. Emilee Comeau - 24:45;  162. Victoria McNamara - 25:13;  182. Danielle Yellen - 29:10

Soph Girls (158 runners): 44. Alex Gonzalez - 21:18;  88. Kelsey McCauley - 22:51;  89. Casey Gielen - 22:54;  99. Sara Garcia - 23:10(-3:57)

Frosh Girls (196 runners):  10. ****Jessica Alvarez - 20:14;  47. Adryanna Lugo - 21:43;  102. Tabitha Ary - 23:15;  126. Morgan Plummer - 23:55;  150. Amy Metzgar - 25:23

Novice Race:  Jake Trauger - 22:55;  Jerry Edwards - 24:09(-2:36);  Matthew Hawkins - 24:17;  Kayla Bello - 24:54;  Cortney Cunningham - 25:09;  Brianna Cannon - 26:33;  Vannessa Jackson - 26:52;  Cheyenne Wiscovitch - 29:31;  Kaylee Leibovitz - 29:37   

IT'S GOOD TO BE COLD!!!

As summer turns to fall, the Southland continues to bake in 90 degree plus heat.  This is one of many reasons the team escapes each year to the Central Coast to open the season at the Morro Bay Invitational.  The sun never made an appearance and I didn't hear any complaints about it as everyone bundled up at night and enjoyed kicking off the competitive season with temps in the low 60's.

This is the fourth year we have offered this reward trip for summer practice attendance and each year it has been the perfect way to begin a season.  A functional DVD player immediately gave this year's trip a leg up on '08!  After the drive and check in, we did our training run reviewing the course and running on the beach.  A quick change and it was off to the beach for a couple of hours.  If the air felt cold, I don't have to tell you how the water felt...yet many still made their way in.  Others played a spirited game of frisbee football, and well...I don't have to tell you how that turned out :)  (Just go to the archives and read about it in each of the last three years!)  After cleaning up, dinner was served at the neighboring park...pasta, salad, bread and brownies along with a warm fire.

After a good nights sleep, we checked out and made the long journey across the street for the meet.  Not an indication of what to expect next weekend, the Morro Bay meet is as casual as they come...no scores, no awards and a course that while always has the same layout, is influenced by the tide each year.  One thing that doesn't change is the thick sand, which makes the short course run like it's three miles.  You never know what to expect when the gun goes off in a first meet, and no doubt some learned a valuable lesson on what not to do, but we did have many successes.  Daniel Hawkins led the way for the boys by finishing 4th overall in a time that ranks #1 in school history at 15:11, while Christian Navarro ran the 4th fastest time ever at 15:58.  How accurate these rankings are is of course questionable with the changing course, but there is no doubt that those were two fine performances.  On the girls side, Elle Farrar ran a 19:02, #2 all-time while both Janelle Myers and Tori Greaves broke into the top 10. 

All in all, it was a great trip;  one that doesn't come without some help.  A big thank you to the Aylor's for organizing the dinner...we will certainly miss you next year!  Thanks also to Mrs. Cannon and the Garcia's for braving the bus ride with 41 teenagers and for additional help during the trip.  Thanks also to the other parents who made the trip and assisted with dinner, breakfast, coffee, use of their truck, etc...the Greaves, Metzgars, Boggs, Edwards, Arys, Myers and to those that made the journey to watch the meet.  And a big thanks to the athletes themselves for their overall conduct on the trip.  I've always said this is the best group on campus and it's on these trip especially that you prove me correct!

Complete Results:

Boys Varsity:  (90 total runners)  4. Daniel Hawkins - 15:11 (NEW LOS OSOS COURSE RECORD);  12.  Christian Navarro - 15:58 (#4 all-time mark);  55. Scott Aylor - 17:03

Girls Varsity:  (98 total runners)  9. Elle Farrar - 19:02 (#2 mark all-time);  28. Janelle Myers - 19:48 (#7 mark all-time);  39. Tori Greaves - 20:23 (#8 mark all-time);  58. Emily Torres - 21:27;  59. Olivia Ayres - 21:28;  71. Alejandra Lugo - 22:39

Boys JV:  (168 total runners)  58. Michael Goedel - 18:30;  70. Taylor Friday - 18:45;  75. Scott Palti - 18:53;  76. Ben Dhami - 19:01;  82. Andy Hollist - 19:16;  86. Joel Sincock - 19:22;  89. Kevin Pasma - 19:26;  90. Corey Boggs - 19:27;  105. Aaron Cisneros - 19:51;  106. David Garcia - 19:52;  128. Miguel Chavez - 20:57;  124. Tim Laws - 20:35;  135. Jeohnny Newell - 21:41;  137. Anthony Jensen - 21:50;  153. Matthew Hawkins - 22:57;  154. D'Andre Pouchie - 23:11;  160. Jerry Edwards - 24:19

Girls JV:  (179 total runners)  27. Adryanna Lugo - 21:12;  49. Alex Gonzalez - 21:57;  73. Kelsey McCauley - 22:50;  76. Casey Gielen - 22:54;  94. McKenna Lynch - 23:40;  100. Sara Garcia - 23:55;  106. Tabitha Ary - 24:09;  111. Amy Metzgar - 24:22;  120. Christiana Rodriguez - 24:56;  124. Vannessa Jackson - 25:10;  129. Kayla Bello - 25:22;  148. Brianna Cannon - 26:42;  166. Cheyenne Wiscovitch - 28:01;  175. Mercedes Tovar - 29:26;  176. Cortney Cunningham - 29:50 

STRETCHING BEFORE RUNNING...NOT SO GOOD...WHERE HAVE I HEARD THIS BEFORE?

Interesting article that you need to read...

http://www.nytimes.com/2008/11/02/sports/playmagazine/112pewarm.html

(link may not work...copy and paste it)