State Meet Shows Its Limitations

The state high school cross-country championships will be held today at Woodward Park, but some of the state’s top-10 ranked teams will not be in attendance.

The Southern Section, which is allowed four team entries--the most of any of the 10 California Interscholastic Federation sections--in each of the four divisions, also has the most ranked teams--18--not competing in the state meet.

Seven of the state’s top 10 Division I boys’ teams--ranked by California Track & Running News magazine--are from the Southern Section and only four are represented in the state meet.

Arroyo Grande (ranked fourth), Santa Ana Valley (ninth) and Hoover (10th) did not qualify because they failed to finish among the top four in the Southern Section Division I meet last weekend.

Eight Southern Section Division I girls’ teams also are ranked among the top 10 and four--Buena (sixth), Channel Islands (seventh), Upland (eighth) and Hart (10th)--will miss the state meet.

Agoura’s and Palos Verdes’ girls’ teams, placed in Division II and III, respectively, under the new divisional setup, successfully petitioned the Southern Section for placement in Division I--effectively bumping Buena out of the state meet picture. The Bulldogs, sixth on the sectional level, would have finished a state-qualifying fourth had Agoura and Palos Verdes remained in their original divisions.

Other ranked regional boys’ teams that will miss the meet include Nordhoff (ninth) and Bell-Jeff (10th), both of Division IV. Newbury Park, ranked ninth in Division III, missed the Southern Section preliminaries by virtue of a fifth-place finish in the tough Marmonte League.

Five Marmonte teams--three boys’ and two girls’--will contend for state titles. Fifth-ranked Channel Islands will compete in Division I with top-ranked Madera (Central Section). Third-ranked Camarillo and fourth-ranked Agoura will meet in the Division II final.

The top-ranked Agoura girls’ team will attempt to dethrone three-time champion Palos Verdes after finishing second the past three years. Second-ranked Westlake will contend with top-ranked Escondido San Pasqual for the girls’ Division II title.

Second-ranked Hart will attempt to upset top-ranked Madera in the Division I boys’ final.