Corona del Mar and Tustin Meet Again in Cross-Country Finals

On paper, the Corona del Mar-Tustin matchup in the Sea View League boys’ cross-country meet Friday at Irvine Park should be the most closely contested of the season.

Put the emphasis on should . Rematches are rarely as exciting as the first time around.

This much is certain--the teams can’t be any closer in the rankings. Corona del Mar is No. 4, and Tustin No. 5 in the county. The Tillers upset the Sea Kings Oct. 2 in a dual meet when Corona del Mar was the county’s No. 3 team. The score was 28-28, and Tustin won it on a sixth-man tiebreaker.

In the Southern Section 4-A division poll, Corona del Mar is fourth, Tustin seventh.

That match is one of 11 league finals which will take place the next three days around the county.

The Newport Harbor girls’ team (No. 2 in the county) is favored to win the Sea View title.

Another strong race will be in the South Coast League. The Dana Hills boys’ and girls’ teams are favored in today’s race at Irvine Park. The boys are top-ranked in the county and the girls are third. But look for Mission Viejo and Capistrano Valley to provide competition in the boys’ meet.

The Buena Park and La Habra boys’ teams meet for the top spot in the Freeway League today at Craig Park. La Habra is ranked third in the county, Buena Park seventh. In the Southern Section 3-A poll, La Habra is fourth and Buena Park fifth. The La Habra girls’ team is No. 4 in the Southern Section.

There won’t be much suspense today in the Garden Grove League girls’ final at Mile Square Park in Garden Grove. The La Quinta girls are No. 6 in the county, and the real race will be for individual honors. The three main contenders--Kristin Harkins, Kathy Cannon and Maryanne Mejia--all are from La Quinta. Mejia recently broke Harkins’ course record at Mile Square Park, and Cannon beat Harkins and Mejia at the county meet two weeks ago.

There are three other league finals Friday. The Angelus League meets at Thornton Park, the Olympic League is at Brethren High School and the Pacific Coast League is at Woodbridge. The Pacific Coast League boys’ race also should be closely contested. Laguna Hills is No. 7 in the county and Laguna Beach is No. 8.

League finals conclude with four Saturday--the Empire League at Katella, the Century League at Yorba Park, the Orange League at Anaheim and the Sunset League at Central Park.

The top three teams and top individuals in each league advance to Southern Section preliminary meets.