Chasing a Crown : Palos Verdes Girl Harriers to Go All Out Saturday

The Palos Verdes High girls cross-country team did not run its fastest times of the year at last week’s sweltering CIF Southern Section qualifying meet at Mt. San Antonio College. But, as Coach Joe Kelly will tell you, the Sea Kings had their burners set on low.

“We were just running to qualify,” Kelly said. “Our girls will run considerably faster on Saturday.”

Palos Verdes still ran the fastest team time at the preliminaries. Saturday morning, led by sophomores Tami Wilcox and Maya Muneno, the Sea Kings will try to win their fifth consecutive 4-A Division championship at Mt. SAC in Walnut. No other school has ever won more than three in a row.

“These kids work their tail off, they deserve the credit,” said Kelly, whose girls team has also won two consecutive State Division I championships.

The Southern Section and L.A. City finals, Saturday at Pierce College, will determine representatives for the state championships Nov. 25 in Fresno.

The top five teams from each Southern Section division and the top five individuals from teams that do not place will qualify for the state meet. The top two City Section teams and top five individuals not on those teams will go to Fresno.

The only team regarded as a threat to the Palos Verdes girls is Buena of Ventura .

“I would have to consider ourselves the favorite,” Kelly said. “To beat us, (Buena) would have to run very well, and we’d have to be a little off.”

The Torrance boys qualified for the 4-A final, led by Israel Pose, who covered the hilly three-mile course in 15 minutes, 41 seconds last week, tops in his heat. Pose should place in the top five individual finishers.

The Palos Verdes boys have also qualified for the final. Kelly hopes the team can place sixth or higher.

In the boys 3-A Division, West Torrance ran the third-fastest qualifying time. If the Warriors run well, they could challenge Hart and San Gabriel.

The Miraleste girls team qualified for the 1-A final.

Carson’s Steven Gonzales and Banning’s Roman Rendon will once again duel for top spot among South Bay runners at the City finals.

Gonzales and Rendon each ran 15:32 over three miles to qualify for the final on Pierce’s flat course.

Carson Coach Bill Mocnik said Gonzales could challenge for the City individual championship if he can stay close to the leaders and catch them at the end. The Colts’ Richard Raya, who placed fifth in last year’s City final, could also crack the top 10.

Joel Mayorga of San Pedro and Ryan Winn of Narbonne ran well in qualifying heats.