BOYS’ CROSS-COUNTRY PREVIEW : National Title Is There for Taking

It’s difficult these days for Jack Farrell to hide his excitement.

When asked about his team’s goals for the 1994 cross-country season, the Thousand Oaks High coach says he merely wants his team to run well. But in the next breath, he eagerly discusses the Oct. 1 showdown between Kingwood (Tex.) and Thousand Oaks. The teams are ranked first and second in the country by The Harrier magazine.

Such is life when you coach a team that has five of its top seven runners returning from a squad that was undefeated and ranked third nationally last year.

The Lancers were so dominant in the Southern Section Division I and State championships--winning those meets by 50 and 65 points, respectively--that some experts called Thousand Oaks the best high school team in California in more than 20 years.

The Lancers could be better this year, providing their top five runners have injury-free seasons.

Seniors Jeff Fischer (third in last year’s State championships), Kevin Marsden (fifth) and Keith O’Doherty (18th), and juniors Todd Disney (30th) and Josh Carolan (58th) are coming off track seasons in which they lowered their personal bests by substantial margins.

Fischer was the Marmonte League champion at 1,600 and 3,200 meters, running 4 minutes 16.69 seconds in the former, 9:10.42 in the latter.

Marsden ran 4:17.67 to place second in the 1,600 in the Southern Section Division I championships.

O’Doherty, Disney and Carolan timed 9:30.25, 9:37.42 and 10:03, respectively, in the 3,200. And O’Doherty improved so much over the summer that he could be the Lancers’ top finisher in the season-opening Seaside Invitational on Saturday.

“He’s actually the guy leading the pack in workouts with Fischer and Marsden close behind,” said Farrell, who begins his 18th season at Thousand Oaks.

A lack of depth--at least by Thousand Oaks standards--could be the team’s Achilles’ heel. With the transfers of Billy Paules to Westlake and Steve Riggs to Agoura, seniors Todd Larson and Tony Smith must perform well if there are injuries.

“We’ll have to be lucky (in regard to injuries) as well as good to run well this season,” Farrell said.

Despite those concerns, one can hear the excitement in Farrell’s voice when he talks about meeting Kingwood in the Southwestern University Invitational in Georgetown, Tex., next month.

A victory would give Thousand Oaks a big boost toward the mythical national championship.

“If they beat us, it’s no big deal,” Farrell said. “We’ll come back home and concentrate on running well (in the Mt. San Antonio College Invitational) and in the Southern Section and State championships. But if we win, it would put us in a good position to win the national title.”

Other teams to watch:

Palmdale--After finishing sixth in the State Division I championships last year, the Falcons start the season as the Southern Section’s top-ranked Division II team.

Palmdale, ranked 18th nationally, was moved to Division II because of a drop in enrollment. Team members have bemoaned the change, but it could mean a higher finish at both the section and state levels.

Senior Antonio Arce is favored to win the division title. He placed eighth in last year’s Division I championships and he ran a personal best 9:03.19 in the 3,200 to finish second in the State track and field championships in June.

Senior Roy Johnston and junior Mario Arce--Antonio’s brother--are expected to battle for the No. 2 spot. They finished 53rd and 67th in last year’s Division I finals.

Junior Andy Fondacaro, who has improved dramatically, should be the Falcons’ No. 4 runner. Senior Angel Gonzalez and junior Luis Ortega are contending for the No. 5 position.

Agoura--The Chargers have placed seventh or better in five consecutive State championships, and the streak should hit six. Five of their top seven runners--including senior John Greene--return.

Add a talented transfer to the mix and Coach Bill Duley has a squad that could finish among the top five in the State Division II finals for the third year in a row.

Greene finished sixth in last year’s State meet and ran 9:20.1 in the 3,200 during track season before he was ruled academically ineligible.

Seniors Chris Lyon (55th), Sevan Pulurian (57th) and Mark Cherman (103rd) and junior Brien Sullivan (96th) also return from last year’s team that finished fifth in the State championships.

Steve Riggs, runner-up for Thousand Oaks in the sophomore race of last year’s Ventura County championships, could contend for a top-five position.

Camarillo--Injuries limited the Scorpions to fifth place--one shy of advancing to the State championships--in last year’s Division II finals. But they are capable of advancing to the State meet this season, even though Camarillo has moved to Division I.

Senior Eleazar Hernandez, third in last year’s Division II finals, appears capable of a top-five finish. He ran a personal best of 9:10.96 in the 3,200 to finish seventh in the State track championships.

Senior Jeremy Park ran only one race last season because of injuries, but Coach Mike Smith says “he’s in the best shape he’s ever been in.” Park ran 9:43.33 in the 3,200 as a sophomore.

Seniors Mario Hernandez--no relation to Eleazar--and Alberto Carmona are expected to vie for the Scorpions’ No. 3 spot.

Junior twins Neil and Wade Malesich and sophomore Brendan Purdy will contend for the No. 5 position.

Hart--Senior Brett Strahan is one of the favorites for the State Division I title, but his teammates must perform well for the Indians to make their fifth trip to the State championships in six years.

Hart won three consecutive State Division I titles from 1990 to 1992, but a lack of depth limited the Indians to a fifth-place finish in last year’s Southern Section championships.

At the State meet, Strahan placed 21st because of a sinus infection. He bounced back strongly in track, however, lowering his personal best to 4:09.71 in the 1,600 and finishing fourth in the State championships.

“Brett is right where he needs to be,” Hart Coach Larry David said. “He looked good in our training camp (at Flagstaff, Ariz.).”

Senior Joel Givens is expected to be the Indians’ No. 2 runner, and senior Jim Cosley and sophomore Jeff Stewart are fighting for the No. 3 spot.

Junior John Duarte and senior Mike Stewart--Jeff’s brother--will probably be Hart’s No. 5 and No. 6 runners.

Nordhoff--The Rangers hail from a small school, yet they proved that they could run with the big boys last year by finishing second in the Ventura County championships.

Four weeks later, they capped the season by winning the State Division III title. It was their second title--the first came at the Division IV level--in three years.

Senior Javier Ramirez, who finished third in last year’s State meet, is favored to win this season after running 4:20.91 in the 1,600 and 9:32.38 in the 3,200 in track.

He’ll be followed by juniors Omar Vega and Will Bernaldo, who placed 28th and 31st in the State meet last fall.

Injuries limited Mason Moore to a 130th-place finish in the State meet, but the junior has improved dramatically since, Nordhoff Coach Ken Reeves said.

Senior Max Pineda, junior Jessie Davis and freshman Victor Ochoa will vie for the No. 5 spot.

Hoover--The Tornadoes appear to be a year away from reaching their peak, but they are favored to win their second Pacific League title in four years.

Hoover’s top six runners--led by sophomore David Lopez--are expected to be non-seniors.

Lopez was an upset winner in last year’s league finals and has run 9:57.9 in the 3,200.

Juniors Felipe Montoro, Wilson Aquino and Stephen Sotomayor are expected to fill the Nos. 2-4 spots. Junior Bobby Sagory and freshman Isabel Casillas are battling for the No. 5 position.

Casillas is the younger brother of Margarito Casillas, the 1992 State Division I cross-country champion for Hoover.

Crescenta Valley--Coach Keith Gilliland admits that Hoover should be favored to win the Pacific League title, but Falcon senior Phil Gonzalez deserves the role of individual favorite.

Gonzalez, who transferred from Saugus, midway through his junior year, has run 9:33.06 in the 3,200 and placed sixth in the Southern Section Division I track championships.

Junior Brian Walsh and seniors Sean Rea and Albert Oganesyan were members of last year’s team that finished ninth in the Southern Section Division II meet.

Juniors Doug Boulware and Chris Simonds--last year’s frosh-soph league champion--and sophomore Chris Evans could contend for top-five spots.

Individuals to watch:

Francisco Sandoval (Channel Islands)--The Raider senior placed ninth in the 1993 Southern Section Division I cross-country championships and 22nd in the State meet.

Kevin Koeper (St. Francis)--Although he placed a disappointing 29th in last year’s State Division III championships as a sophomore, Koeper preceded that race with a runner-up finish in the Southern Section finals.