Boys’ Cross-Country Preview: Pattinelli, Flintridge Prep preparing for big things
Improvement is the key goal for the Flintridge Prep, La Cañada High and St. Francis cross-country teams as the season is about to get underway.
Perhaps Flintridge Prep should be graded on a different scale as compared to most area teams.
There was some disappointment after a year in which the Rebels captured their 24th Prep League title in 25 years, took third at the CIF Southern Section Division V championships and placed second at state in Division V.
While the team may not have hit its championships expectations, that didn’t stop junior Evan Pattinelli from flourishing.
Pattinelli took his spot among recent program giants Jack Van Scoter and Alan Yoho by winning a Prep League crown, capturing a Southern Section Division V title and finishing runner-up in state to national powerhouse Cooper Teare, who’s at Oregon.
“Evan progressed exactly how we would have liked him to last season and he’s on track for another amazing season,” Flintridge Prep coach Ingrid Herskind said. “He already shattered his Mammoth time by 30 seconds and beat Jack’s time by 10 seconds. He’s going to have a big year.”
Flintridge Prep is more than just Pattinelli, though, as the senior will be flanked by talented juniors Carson Hasbrouck and Sebastian Evans.
Herskind will also look to junior Ethan Moutes, who is returning from a stress fracture last year, along with senior Sunay Poole, freshman Bennett Oakes and sophomore Daniel Kotlyar.
La Cañada enjoyed a breakthrough season in 2016 under Nick LaCapria, the All-Area Coach of the Year.
The Spartans finished second in the Rio Hondo League, a best in the LaCapria four-year era, while the team advanced to the CIF Southern Section Division IV finals for the first time since 2009.
This season, LaCapria will share the head coaching duties with one of the greatest runners in school history, Andy DiConti.
They will inherit a tight squad.
“We have so many boys who are so close to each other,” LaCapria said. “It’s not a team of superstars, like with the girls, but it’s more of a pack mentality. There’s not much of a gap, so it comes down to how well the boys will push off each other.”
Senior Ryan Van Slooten is back after finishing fourth in league and is part of a foursome that will compete for the team’s top spot, which includes senior Ethan Crane, junior Owen Serricchio and sophomore Sheldon Watanabe.
Last season was a trying time for St. Francis, which finished sixth in the Mission League and showed growing pains as a young squad.
The Golden Knights are again green this season, but do have some sound returners, headlined by sophomore Stuart Serventi.
The then-freshman finished 15th at the league finals and is his team’s clear-cut best runner.
Serventi is part of a Golden Knights youth movement and will join fellow sophomores Jason Suh and Nico Siranna in front of the St. Francis pack.
St. Francis coach Pat Donovan was also excited about a few freshmen that entered the program and will likely take up scoring spots on the team.
“A really young team can be difficult to manage with a lack of experience and filled with peaks and valleys, but I’m looking forward to seeing how these guys do,” Donovan said.
“Based on the summer we had, we’re really, really looking to building this year and grow the program over the next couple of years and hopefully get back to the postseason.”
