San Diego Section Cross-Country : Valhalla’s Dani Peaks to Win Boys’ 2-A : In Girls’ Meet, Arreola Repeats in 3-A; Chapel Holds On in 2-A

Mark Dani seemed as relaxed after winning the CIF San Diego Section 2-A cross-country title Wednesday as he had been the week leading up to the race.

“I ran this morning,” Dani said. “I ran 13 miles yesterday, 13 the day before that and intervals on Sunday. I worked right through the week. I don’t get nervous that way. When I taper, I worry too much.”

Dani, a Valhalla High School senior, had relinquished the role as race favorite to San Diego High’s Marc Davis, who beat Dani by two seconds at Mt. SAC and four seconds at the CIF preliminaries, although the two ran in separate heats in the latter.

But Dani chose the CIF finals to run his best race of the season. He outdueled Davis, a junior, over the 5,000-meter course at Morley Field to win in 14 minutes, 44 seconds, the top time of the day. Davis, who led the race for two miles, finished second in 15:03. Grossmont’s Darcy Arreola had the girls’ top time. She won the 3-A title in 14:39 over the girls’ 2.6-mile course.

While other runners were cutting back on training, Dani ran 86 miles the week of the preliminaries, holding back his peak. He performed similarly during the track season last spring, emerging from an even field to win the 1,600-meter run in the Section CIF finals.

Dani’s strategy Wednesday was to stay with Davis early and use his strength to wear him down over the final mile. At Mt. SAC, Davis opened up a big lead early and held Dani off.

Dani stayed with Davis through one- and two-mile splits of 4:38 and 9:30. But Dani passed Davis and pulled away unchallenged over the final three-quarters of a mile.

Monte Vista’s Rob Lopes, a junior who finished second to Dani in the Grossmont League finals, won the 3-A title easily in 15:39. Lopes, who said he would have given up the 3-A title to race with the other two, will get his wish in the Kinney Western Regional Cross-Country Championships Dec. 7 in Fresno.

Arreola, who won the 3-A title last season as a junior, had to battle with Vista freshman Kari Jorgensen for two miles before pulling away to win. Jorgensen, who took a brief lead on the second mile, finished second in 14:46.

University City’s Laura Chapel, a senior, won the 2-A title in 14:57. Chapel, who had the best overall time in the preliminaries (15:18), nearly finished second in her conference Wednesday.

After opening a 20-yard lead in the first mile, Chapel was caught and passed by Torrey Pines’ Nicole Nugent, a junior, on the hill on the second mile. Chapel battled back in the final 800 yards to win. Nugent finished second in 15:28.