HIGH SCHOOL ROUNDUP : Thousand Oaks Ends Agoura Girls’ Run

The reign has ended for the Agoura High girls’ cross-country team.

After being the region’s dominant team--and one of the state’s best--for the past seven years, the Chargers lost to Thousand Oaks in a Marmonte League double-dual meet at Agoura on Thursday.

Thousand Oaks (4-0, 4-0 in league matches) defeated Agoura, 20-41, and Channel Islands, 15-50. Agoura defeated Channel Islands, 15-40.

The loss was the first for Agoura (2-1, 2-1) in league competition since 1986, when the Chargers dropped a Frontier League meet to Nordhoff.

“Believe it or not, I thought we could run pretty competitively with them,” Agoura Coach Bill Duley said. “But they were definitely stronger than I anticipated.”

Charger senior Amy Skieresz remained undefeated with a course-record time of 17 minutes 57 seconds over the three-mile distance, but Thousand Oaks showed why it is the No. 1-ranked team in the state by sweeping the next six places.

Lancer juniors Kim Mortensen and Tara Marsden were second and third in 18:46 and 18:48, and they were followed by senior Bridget Roy (19:16), junior Katie Scherrei (19:47), junior Alison Feinstein (19:49) and freshman Erin Sorensen (19:55).

“We got some monster races out of a couple of girls today,” Thousand Oaks Coach Jack Farrell said. “Tara Marsden might have run the best race of her career and Erin Sorensen also ran great. With (Erin), our girls team now (has six top runners), just like our boys.”

In the boys’ meet, Thousand Oaks, the No. 2-ranked team in the country by The Harrier magazine, defeated Agoura, 19-30, and Channel Islands, 18-31. Agoura defeated Channel Islands, 21-36.

Lancer senior Keith O’Doherty won his third consecutive race with a course-record time of 15:09, breaking the previous best of 15:38 set by Agoura’s John Greene last year.

Greene was second in 15:29, followed by Thousand Oaks’ Jeff Fischer (15:37) and Channel Islands’ Francisco Sandoval (15:48).

Todd Disney (15:59), Josh Carolan (16:09) and Kevin Marsden (16:29) placed fifth, sixth and seventh for the Lancers (4-0, 4-0), the defending State Division I champions.