Titles in sight for FitzGerald, Barnett, Flintridge Prep
History, team titles, individual crowns and friendly rivalries highlight a potentially exciting final day of the season at Saturday’s CIF State Cross-Country Championships at Fresno’s Woodward Park.
The Crescenta Valley High boys have already claimed their share of history and will look for more in the Division I championship at 10:05 a.m.
The Falcons captured their first Pacific League championship since 2007, set the all-time Crescenta Valley Park course record and advanced to the state meet for the first time since 2013.
Crescenta Valley accomplished the last of those feats by overcoming injuries to finish seventh at Saturday’s CIF Southern Section Division I Finals in Riverside with 244 points.
“I’m really proud of the guys,” Crescenta Valley coach Mark Evans said. “We didn’t run our best. We had one guy with a [calf] issue, another injured. Some of the times were definitely off, but we made it. That’s something to celebrate.”
The Falcons nabbed the final qualifying spot thanks to the exploits of senior Colin FitzGerald.
For a second straight season, FitzGerald finished runner-up in Division I in a time of 14 minutes, 39.9 seconds. The senior was nipped by Loyola’s Shane Bissell (14:39.4) for the title.
If there was a bonus for FitzGerald, he topped rival Jagdeep Chahal of Burroughs, who also advanced to state after taking fifth in 14:46.8.
Chahal defeated FitzGerald at the Pacific League finals on Nov. 1.
“I think down the stretch I made a few tactical errors,” FitzGerald said of his Southern Section Division I race. “The good thing for me is that I have state to fix those errors and to go for it.”
And the Chahal-FitzGerald rivalry?
“He brings out the best in me,” FitzGerald said. “There’s no bad feelings. We’re both just looking to win.”
Saturday will mark FitzGerald’s third consecutive state berth after he finished 23rd (15:39.1) in Division I and 67th in California his sophomore year and 44th (16:04.7) and 158th in state in 2016.
There’s little denying that any team will have a bigger bulls-eye on its back in the Division V girls’ championship at 8:30 a.m. than Flintridge Prep.
The small-school colossus enters after having captured its fourth consecutive CIF Southern Section Division V title easily, 55-101, over St. Margaret’s in Riverside.
The only team that has had any postseason success versus the Rebels is Mayfield, which competes in Division IV.
Without the Cubs to stand in their way, the Rebels are attempting to win their fourth straight CIF state title.
“If the girls just go out and run their race, they’ll be fine,” Flintridge Prep coach Jill Henry said. “Obviously, [Southern Section finals] and state are the two big races that they’ve been prepping for all year. The stakes are higher, but every day we go out with the same mission to reach our goals.”
The Rebels boast three top-10 Southern Section racers in Sophie Gitlin (second, 17:59), Sasha Codiga (fourth, 18:06.5) and Haley Allen (eighth, 18:19.7).
It was almost perfection for Flintridge Prep on Saturday if not for a historic effort from Village Christian freshman Mia Barnett.
The La Crescenta resident came from behind to upend Gitlin and win the Division V title in 17:43.1, which was her school’s first individual Southern Section cross-country title.
“When you get this far, you just have to give everything you have,” Barnett said. “That’s all I’m going to do.”
Barnett will look to add a state title, while Flintridge Prep will attempt to stand in her way.
For the Flintridge Prep boys’ team, it didn’t seem possible that after the graduation of Jack Van Scoter – arguably the greatest runner in Flintridge Prep history – in 2016, the Rebels would be able to replace him.
Yet, that’s just what the team did when Evan Pattinelli stepped into the spotlight and led.
Pattinelli matched Van Scoter in Southern Section titles with two when he claimed the Division V championship in 14:51.9 in Riverside.
While Van Scoter has a 2015 CIF State title under his belt (the last state crown for Flintridge Prep), Pattinelli will have a chance to guide his team to an individual and team title in the Division V state championship at 9:35 a.m.
“I’m very happy with [two titles], but I’m also looking forward to what the team can do,” said Pattinelli, who finished second individually at state last season. “We have a great chance to win as a team and bring home a title.”
Flintridge Prep, which has won five state titles in program history, finished second a season ago with Lancaster Desert Christian claiming first. It was the 20th straight season in which Prep has finished in the top four.
The Rebels finished third with 122 points at Southern Section finals, but feel like they have an edge in Fresno.
“I think we really like the Fresno course better,” said Flintridge Prep coach Ingrid Herskind, when comparing Riverside’s flat, dusty trail to the hillier, greener Woodward Park course. “We’ve had a lot of great success on that course and the type of training we’ve had is definitely going to be supportive and helpful for that race.”
