Romp by Lucas Placed Her in New Area Code

This is the first time since 1983 that no area runners have qualified for the Foot Locker national cross-country championships, but if Melissa Lucas’ family had not moved to Oregon, she might be representing a local school in Saturday’s race at Morley Field in San Diego.

Lucas, a Beaverton Jesuit High junior who romped to victory in Saturday’s West regionals in Fresno, attended Villanova Prep in Ojai as a freshman. However, she ran on the boys’ team because the school had no girls’ program.

“I didn’t really know what I was doing,” Lucas said about her Villanova days. “But it was fun. I had a good time.”

After moving to Portland, Ore., in the summer of 1992, Lucas blossomed.

She placed third in the 1-A/2-A Division race in the Oregon state cross-country championships as a sophomore at Catlin-Gabel High. After transferring to Beaverton Jesuit last summer, she won the 4-A Division title in last month’s state meet before winning the West regional by a whopping 41 seconds.

Lucas clocked 17 minutes 8.9 seconds over the 5,000-meter course, narrowly missing the Woodward Park record of 17:07 set by Marnie Mason of Klamath Falls, Ore., in 1984 and equaled by Deena Drossin of Agoura in 1990.

“I didn’t know exactly what to expect, but I didn’t expect to win by this much,” said a surprised Lucas. “I kept expecting them to come back on me.”

MARMONTE LEAGUE

‘94 Will Be Miller’s Year

Westlake junior receiver Billy Miller admires Newbury Park senior receiver Leodes Van Buren, the state’s all-time leader in receptions and receiving yards.

He also can’t wait until Van Buren’s high school career is over.

“You can learn a lot watching Leodes,” Miller said. “He is an incredible athlete. But I’m looking forward to him being gone next year so maybe my name will be first in the receiving stats.”

Van Buren leads the state with 96 receptions for 1,597 and 19 touchdowns. Miller finished with 82 catches for 1,451 yards and 13 touchdowns.

In head-to-head competition, Van Buren caught three passes for 41 yards and scored three touchdowns (two receiving, one rushing) in Newbury Park’s 42-21 victory over Westlake on Nov. 10. Miller also had a big game with eight catches for 109 yards and one touchdown.

NORTH VALLEY LEAGUE

Crowell Left His Tag

San Fernando Coach Dick Crowell left the Monroe gymnasium with more than a squeaker of a victory Wednesday. He left his mark--in blue ink. Crowell drew a play with a blue marker ink pen on the Monroe gym floor in front of the San Fernando bench in the final minutes.

Apparently, the Tigers got the picture. San Fernando beat Monroe, 74-73.

Around the Leagues. . . .

* If Saturday’s Foot Locker West regional cross-country championships are any indication, several of the region’s top runners could qualify for the national championships next year. Jeff Fischer of Thousand Oaks (17th in 15:28), Eleazar Hernandez of Camarillo (18th in 15:28) and Antonio Arce of Palmdale (23rd in 15:35)--all juniors--had the fourth-, fifth- and seventh-fastest performances by non-seniors in the boys’ race, and Kim Mortensen of Thousand Oaks (10th in 18:21) was the highest-finishing sophomore in the girls’ race.

* A bronchial infection that had hampered Kay Nekota of Agoura for the past two weeks evidently took its toll on the Charger senior in the West regionals. She finished 25th in 18:44. Nekota had placed second in the state Division I championships the previous week with a time of 18:12 over the same 5,000-meter course at Woodward Park.

An identical time in the regionals would have tied her for seventh in the race and qualified her for the national championships.

* In Campbell Hall’s 114-70 nonleague basketball win over Templeton on Saturday, the Vikings shot an astounding 81% from the field, making 51 of 63 shots. Campbell Hall was 48 of 58 on two-point attempts and three of five on three-pointers.

Staff writers Paige A. Leech, John Ortega and Jason H. Reid contributed to this notebook.