PREP CROSS-COUNTRY MARMONTE LEAGUE CHAMPIONSHIPS : Thousand Oaks Boys Coast Behind Del Campo in 4th

All systems appear to be go for the Thousand Oaks High boys’ cross-country team, which survived a scare earlier in the week but bounced back Friday with a vengeance to win the Marmonte League finals at Moorpark College.

The Lancers had won their first Ventura County boys’ title in six years Monday at Lake Casitas, but there was concern in the Thousand Oaks camp after junior Brandon Del Campo, the team’s top runner, dropped out of the race with an inflamed tendon in his left knee.

“We’re a good team without Brandon, but we’re not a great team,” Coach Jack Farrell said. “Every great team needs a big gun and Brandon is ours.”

Although Del Campo was not at full strength Friday, he was instrumental in a runaway victory for the Lancers, the top-ranked team in the state’s Division I.

Del Campo finished fourth as Thousand Oaks placed five runners among the top eight finishers to total 25 points.

Agoura, led by individual winner Ryan Wilson (15 minutes 8 seconds over the three-mile course), placed second with 52 points, followed by Camarillo (67), Newbury Park (109) and Channel Islands (122).

The top three teams, and the top three individuals among the top six finishers who are not on a qualifying team automatically advance to the Southern Section preliminaries at Mt. San Antonio College next Saturday.

“I think I’m over the worst of the injury,” Del Campo said after running 15:47. “The knee felt pretty good today. The rest of my body feels kind of (rotten) right now . . . but that will go away with training. . . . I’m really excited about the way Jeff (Fischer) ran today. Our team is starting to look like it did at the start of the season, just this tight little ball.”

Fischer, a sophomore, ran his best race of the season and finished second in 15:29.

Agoura sophomore John Greene placed third in 15:42, but he was followed by a green, black and white wave of Del Campo, sophomore Kevin Marsden (fifth in 15:48), senior Ryan Nugent (sixth in 15:50) and senior Ryan Glass (eighth in 16:00).

“Jeff ran a great race,” Farrell said. “If I had a team full of Jeff Fischers, I’d never have to worry. He’s the most consistent runner on our team. He’s there day in and day out.”

The same thing could be said of Agoura sophomore Amy Skieresz, who won the girls’ race in 17:34 and led the Chargers to their third consecutive league title.

Agoura, the two-time defending state Division I champion, placed five runners among the top nine to total 25 points.

The Chargers were followed by Channel Islands (62), Thousand Oaks (69), Newbury Park (102) and Simi Valley (120).

“This was our best race of the season since (the Woodbridge invitational),” Agoura Coach Bill Duley said. “This is the first time since then that we’ve had five runners under 20 minutes.”