Granada Hills, Taft Chart New Territory : Cross-country: Both schools could win first girls’ championships in City Section finals.

Granada Hills and Taft, two high schools with strong boys’ cross-country programs, will attempt to produce their first girls’ champions when the City Section finals are held today at Pierce College.

Granada Hills junior Brooke Page and Belmont senior Delfina Martinez are co-favorites for the individual title, with Palisades and Taft expected to battle for the team championship.

The top two teams in each race and the top five individuals not on a qualifying team will advance to the State Division I championships in Fresno next Saturday.

Page and her twin sister Brandi competed for North Hollywood High during the 1992-94 school years before transferring to Granada Hills in September.

Ironically, they almost enrolled at Taft before making their final decision.

“At one point, we thought they were coming here,” Taft Coach Mel Hein said. “We figured we had a pretty good chance at winning City if that had happened.”

When that scenario failed to materialize and top returning runner Noemi Sanchez was lost for the season with a lung infection, Hein figured Taft was a year away from contending for a City title.

But the Toreadors improved throughout the season and narrowly lost to Palisades, 41-42, in a qualifying heat in last week’s City preliminaries.

“I’m hoping that we can put it all together (today),” said Hein, who guided Taft to the 1989 City boys’ title.

“I think the girls are just beginning to feel like they are a strong team.”

Junior Michelle Klein, who has a personal best of 19 minutes 34 seconds over Pierce’s three-mile course, leads a Toreador squad that has no seniors.

“If we can get two or three runners in the high 19s and another two or three in the mid-20s, we should be in pretty good shape,” Hein said. “I don’t see two teams beating us if that happens.”

Page posted the fastest time (19:31) in the prelims, but Martinez (19:33), Chatsworth’s Melinda George (19:37) and Wilson’s Lizette Zermeno (19:38) also appear capable of winning.

George could be particularly dangerous if the race comes down to a kick as she has run 2:21.75 for 800 meters.

Page can give Granada Hills its first individual City cross-country title since Ian Alsen’s victory in 1987.

The Highlanders won the last of five boys’ team titles in 1976.

Palisades, led by Peter Gilmore, is tabbed to win its first boys’ title since 1977 in today’s meet.

Garfield appears to have the best chance of upsetting the Dolphins.

Gilmore is an overwhelming favorite after running 15:12 in the preliminaries.

The second-fastest time was posted by Richard Martinez of Garfield at 15:44.

Reseda’s Juan Cortes, who ran 15:54 in the preliminaries, and Birmingham’s Alejandro Tinajero, who timed 16:05, appear capable of finishing among the top five.

The meet starts at 8:30 a.m with the girls’ junior varsity race, followed by the boys’ junior varsity event at 9 and the boys’ frosh-soph competition at 9:30.

The girls’ varsity race begins at 10 with the boys’ varsity at 10:30.