Eddy Paz Now Runs for Titles, Not Kicks

Success has a funny way of changing loyalties. Just ask Poway’s Eddy Paz.

Two years ago, as a soccer player, Paz ran cross-country for conditioning only. On Friday at Morley Field, he won the CIF San Diego Section 3-A cross-country championship and led the Titans to the team title.

“I guess this is my sport,” Paz said after covering the 3.02-mile course in 15:39.9. Paz, a senior, finished ahead of second-place Clay Biddle of Mt. Carmel, who won won the Palomar League championship . . . a race in which Paz finished sixth.

Entering this race, Poway Coach Dan Schaitel actually had Paz seventh in the Poway line-up.

“I think he was a little offended,” Schaitel said, “but that might have given him an edge.”

And Paz had no problem with his status.

“I don’t like the pressure (of being favored),” he said. “It’s better coming in as an underdog.”

But he didn’t run like an underdog. Paz ran well and took the lead at the 2-mile mark.

“He was due to have a big race,” Schaitel said. “If he runs hard at first, he can take any race. When he attacks the first mile, that’s when he does well. He went right up (on the leaders) and decided to break it open.”

“I didn’t go out as fast as coach wanted me too,” Paz said, “but when I passed Clay, I knew the race was mine.”

Mt. Carmel was second in the 3-A team standings.

In the girls’ 3-A race, Tara Burnhart of Poway won easily over Orange Glen’s Gretchen Schiebel but the team race was so close between Poway and Mt. Carmel--they tied in points at 47--that Poway won because its sixth - place runner finished higher than Mt. Carmel’s sixth - place runner.

Rancho Buena Vista’s Kira Jorgensen went about business as usual, breezing to a 29 - second victory in the girls’ 2-A race. She has won 3 consecutive Section titles, the first at Vista and the next two after RBV opened as the new school in the district.

The surprise came in the team finish. RBV defeated Helix by 4 points for its first title.

Jorgensen was a member of the 1985 and 1986 Vista section 3-A CIF championship teams, but this victory was special.

“(Vista was) supposed to win those two,” Jorgensen said. “But this is the best win. We were supposed to be down this year.”

San Pasqual narrowly defeated Castle Park (68-70) in the 2-A boys’ team race, which San Pasqual’s Francis O’Neill won.

Jeff Sanders, winner of the boys’ 1-A race, led El Camino to the team title.

Deanna Hadley of San Pasqual took the 1-A girls’ title, but La Jolla took the team 1-A team title (11-13) with second, third and sixth place finishes. San Pasqual took first, fourth and fifth.