PREP ROUNDUP : Tustin Pair Knock Out Competition to Win Title

Tustin’s 1-2 punch knocked out its competitors Saturday at Huntington Beach’s Central Park en route to the Golden West League boys’ cross-country title.

Daniel Smith and C.J. Marciales finished first and second to lift the Tillers (37 points) past defending champion Santa Ana (42) and third-place Saddleback (46).

Smith covered the three-mile course in 15 minutes 37 seconds, besting teammate Marciales (15:41) and Santa Ana senior Wenceslado Morales (15:42).

Smith and Morales led the race through the first mile in 4:56, but Smith sealed the individual title in the race’s second mile, running away from Morales on the downhill just past the two-mile mark.

“I just didn’t want him to break me,” Smith said.

“I knew if I stayed with him at the hill, I got him.”

Marciales used a blistering kick to outrun Morales to the line for runner-up honors.

“I thought we had a chance to go 1-2-3,” said Tiller Coach Tom Coffey, whose squad is ranked second in the Orange County sportswriters poll. “But I also thought we could have just as easily gone 5-6-7.”

Omar Cordero, who missed much of the season because of an eye injury sustained in a summer car accident, finished fourth as Saddleback’s leading runner. The senior ran 15:47, just ahead of Tustin senior Mike Gavar, who ran 15:49.

Roger Elias of Saddleback (15:49) and Santa Ana’s Raul Quinones and Juan Salgado (both 15:54) rounded out the race’s first eight finishers.

The girls’ race was marred by controversy, as the first 11 runners strayed off course after the mile mark. Lisa Ritter of Westminster was the eventual winner in 17:26.

After a meeting of the league coaches, the unanimous decision was to re-run the race on Thursday on the same course.