High School Roundup: Laguna teams seek CIF Cross-Country honors
The Laguna Beach High boys’ and girls’ cross-country teams are at the point of the season to which both have tried to reach since each began summertime workouts: the CIF Southern Section Cross-Country Championships.
The 10 division finals races (five boys, five girls) are Saturday at Mt. San Antonio College in Walnut. Both Laguna teams are vying for championships in Division 4. Below are the teams to make each final, with starting times for each race listed:
Boys’ Division 4 (Race 5, 9:05 a.m.): Laguna Beach, Atascadero, Azusa, Big Bear, Bishop Amat, Lompoc Cabrillo, Los Angeles Cathedral, Covina, Foothill Technology, Harvard-Westlake, JSerra, Orange Lutheran, Sherman Oaks Notre Dame, Salesian, San Luis Obispo, Santa Ynez.
Girls’ Division 4 (Race 8, 10:05 a.m.): Laguna Beach, Atascadero, Bishop Amat, Covina, Foothill Technology, Harvard-Westlake, Immaculate Heart, JSerra, La Canada, La Reina, Morro Bay, Oaks Christian, Rosary, San Luis Obispo, St. Lucy’s, Templeton.
The Breakers qualified for the final section meet of the season by competing last Saturday at the CIF-SS prelims meet at Mt. SAC. Below are the team and individual finishes for Laguna:
Boys, team (Division 4, Heat 2): Laguna (1:23:57, fourth place).
Boys, individual (Division 4, Heat 2): 4. Cameron Zuziak, 15:45; 23. Mason Pitz, 16:55; 24. Grant Barton, 16:56; 31. Liam Corrigan, 17:03; 38. Drake Butler, 17:18; 55. Tim Andrews, 18:15; 56. Jake Mangos, 18:19.
Girls, team (Division 4, Heat 3): Laguna (1:39:27, third place).
Girls, individual (Division 4, Heat 3): 13. Natalie Kimball, 19:34; 16. Brenna Merchant, 19:42; 19. Kirsten Landsiedel, 19:50; 27. Janie Crawford, 20:10; 28. Grace LaMontagne, 20:11; 29. Taylor Alvarez, 20:14; 33. Lauren Alvarez, 20:23.
The top teams from Saturday’s CIF-SS division finals earn a spot in the Nov. 29 CIF State Cross-Country Championships at Woodward Park in Fresno.
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Girls’ Tennis
The Breakers received an invitation to play in the CIF United States Tennis Assn. Southern Regional Girls Tennis Championships. The tournament features 16 teams, and includes the top Division I schools from the CIF Southern and Central sections, Los Angeles City Section, and San Diego Section, as well as the top four teams in CIF-SS Division 2.
The Breakers, the No. 13-seed, won their tournament opener Tuesday, defeating Los Angeles City Section champion and tournament fourth-seed Palisades, 4-3. Four singles and three doubles matches made up the match, with two set wins needed to win each match.
The victory put the Breakers at 20-5 overall.
In singles, No.1 Summer Dvorak (6-2, 6-2) and No. 2 Kira Hamilton (6-0, 6-4) claimed victories, as did the Laguna doubles teams of No. 2 Bailey Jaeger/Kelly Keller (7-6, 6-4) and No. 3 Natasha Keces/Malia Helms (6-4, 6-4).
“It was a balanced win, as we won two singles and two doubles matches,” Laguna Coach Don Davis said. “Summer (Dvorak) controlled her match and beat a very strong player. Kira (Hamilton) played perhaps her best match of the season and beat a very strong player. Bailey (Jaeger) and Kelly (Keller), and Natasha (Keces) and Malia (Helms), were both down in both of their sets, but played exceptionally well and won.
“The girls who lost all played well, as well. So, with everyone playing as well as they did, we pulled off the upset of the fourth seed who just last week was crowned CIF champion of the Los Angeles City Section.”
Laguna, which reached the semifinals of the CIF-SS Division 2 tournament last week, advances to face Corona del Mar in a noon quarterfinal match Friday at The Claremont Club in Claremont.
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Girls’ Volleyball
The season came to an end Nov. 13 for the Breakers who dropped a tough five-game match at Esperanza in the second round of the CIF-SS Division 2AA playoffs.
The Aztecs, the No. 2 team from the North Hills League, claimed a 28-26, 26-24, 12-25, 16-25, 15-13 victory.
Esperanza reached the division semifinals but was eliminated in five games Tuesday by second-seeded South Torrance (Pioneer League champion).
South Torrance will battle top-seeded Sun Valley Village Christian on Saturday for the division title.
“I thought we played well but we couldn’t close out the first or second set, and we led in both and outscored them, overall, in the match,” Laguna Coach Raul Papaleo said. “But I was proud of the way our girls fought back, yet we were disappointed to not get past the second round again.”
Junior opposite Jamie Robbins had 18 kills and 10 digs, senior outside hitter Sabrina Stillwell 17 kills and 24 digs, junior outside hitter Sage Patchell 14 kills and five digs, junior Aspen Rocha nine kills, 20 digs and 24 assists, senior setter Briana Boyd 14 digs and 24 assists, freshman middle blocker Lexi McKeown seven kills and 10 digs, and senior libero Francie Holte had 21 digs and seven assists.
Orange Coast League champion Laguna, which was eliminated in the second round of the playoffs last year by San Juan Hills, finished its season 17-12.
The Breakers were the No. 3 seed in the tournament.
“We had some up-and-down moments early in the year, but overall it was a good season,” Papaleo said. “We learned some things as the season went along. We went 10-0 in league again, and I thought we played better in league this year than last year.
“We graduate some key players but I think we will have a very strong team next year.”
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Surfing
The Breakers dominated the first event of the Scholastic Surf Series Orange County High School League Saturday with a strong performance at Golden West Street in Huntington Beach. The competition included teams from Laguna, St. Margaret’s, JSerra, Santa Margarita and El Toro.
Laguna first went head-to-head with St. Margaret’s and the Breakers took first place in each heat with each Breaker advancing to the individuals competition.
The competition was held with surf in the three-foot range but with uneven sand bars, making rides tough, but the Breakers still came up big.
Freshman Spencer Davis won the first final, the Bodyboard division, for his first win of the season. Cayla Henderson got her first big win with a first-place finish in the Girls’ Longboard with teammate Coco Putnam placing second.
In Boys’ Longboard, Ryan Meisberger took second, Tobie Grierson was fourth, and Wesley Eagleton placed fifth. In Girls’ Shortboard, Grace Wellsfry was second and Putnam third.
In the Boys’ Shortboard final, five of the six finalists were from Laguna. In a tight battle, Grierson and Willy Hogan both had great rides and Grierson took first and Hogan was second. Jake Levine was fourth, Dylan Davis fifth, and Zach Levine was sixth. Noah North just missed making the final and finished seventh.
In a previous competition, the Laguna boys’ shortboard team, led by Levine who won his heat, defeated Dana Hills, 43-41. Hogan, North and Mike Chapman each took second place in their respective heats. In other boys’ heat finishes, Dylan Davis took third and Connor Brashier, Shane Chapman, Jeremy Shutts and Dante Madrigal all placed fourth, Spencer Davis was third in Boys’ Bodyboard, and Meisberger was fourth in Boys’ Longboard.
In Girls’ Shortboard, Anika Pitz was third and Page Vitolo fourth. In Girls’ Longboard, Megan Mathews placed third.
The Breakers competed Wednesday and Thursday at league finals at T-Street in San Clemente. Results weren’t available at press time. The next Scholastic Surf Series Event will be Dec. 20 at the south side of the Huntington Beach Pier.
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Twitter: @MikeSciacca