Chris Lynch

School: Laguna Hills High

Sport: Cross-country

Class: Senior

Because of a stress fracture in his leg, Lynch wasn’t able to run as much he would have liked last summer, but his training in the swimming pool and on his bike appears to have been sufficient. “He came back a lot faster than I expected him to,” Laguna Hills Coach Kevin Dempsey said. Lynch won his races at the Laguna Hills, Dana Hills, and Manhattan (N.Y.) invitationals and Saturday won the seeded race of the Orange County Championships, leading his team to a narrow victory over top-ranked Santa Ana Valley. In past races, Lynch had thought he started too quickly, so he eased up early in Saturday’s race, staying with the top pack. But at the bottom of a hill with about three-fourths of a mile to go, he took off and finished the three miles in 15 minutes 16 seconds, five seconds ahead of Katella’s Mike Love. “He’s very cerebral,” Dempsey said. “He really thinks things out. . . . His race went exactly as he planned it.”

Other top performers:

Danny Flanagan, who caught 20 passes for 201 yards in Cypress’ 39-26 loss to Katella.

Marcus Jenkins, who rushed for 122 yards and two touchdowns and intercepted two passes in Dana Hills’ 27-23 victory over Irvine.

Tim Osborn, who caught eight passes for 230 yards and a touchdown in Brethren Christian’s 20-14 victory over Orange Lutheran.

Alan Perlas, who rushed for 253 yards and five touchdowns in Capistrano Valley’s 47-27 victory over El Toro.