Long-Playing Record Is Just Hernandez’s Speed

What was billed as a showdown between two of the top junior college runners in the state turned into a rout in the Western State Conference cross-country championships at Arroyo Verde Park on Tuesday.

Eleazar Hernandez of Moorpark and Ramon Serratos of Glendale entered the meet with a 3-3 record against each other this season. But Hernandez left Serratos and the rest of the field in the dust with a course-record time of 20 minutes 46 seconds over the four-mile distance. The previous course mark of 20:47.6 was set by Hancock’s Gerarmo Garcia in 1981.

The Vaqueros, paced by the 2-3-4 finish of Serratos (21:24), Eduardo Macias (21:26) and Jose Padilla (21:31), totaled 26 points to turn back Bakersfield (71) and Moorpark (97) for their second consecutive title and seventh in nine years. Still, Hernandez was the star of the day.

Known as a runner who performs best on rugged, hilly courses, Hernandez cemented that reputation by surging into the lead after the first mile and leaving his opponents behind.

Hernandez, fifth in last year’s Foot Locker national championships as a Camarillo High senior, had a four-second lead over Serratos and Bakersfield’s Rey Sanchez and Eduardo Verdejo after 1 1/4 miles, and an eight-second lead over Serratos a half-mile later.

Serratos, winner of the first two WSC meets, cut a second off his deficit in the next quarter-mile, but Hernandez pressed the issue in the hilly third mile, extending his lead to 40 seconds.

“Before the race, I thought he’d be with me for at least three miles,” Hernandez said. “But when we came down [out of the hills], there were a bunch of Glendale people around and they’re weren’t yelling his name.”

Although Hernandez’s victory, combined with his victory in the Johnie O Invitational on Oct. 28, enhanced his role as a favorite for the State championships in Fresno on Nov. 18, he will approach that race like any other.

“I just run, you know,” Hernandez said when asked whether he had any goals for the State meet. “I just want to run fast and run hard.”

Moorpark’s Bridget Roy used a similar strategy to win the women’s race and lead the Raiders to the team title.

The freshman from Thousand Oaks High shared the lead with defending WSC champion Josefina Sanchez of Ventura for the first half of the 5,000-meter race before opening a 10-yard gap on Sanchez at two miles.

Sanchez, who would finish third in 21:20, started to fade shortly thereafter, but College of the Canyons’ Jennifer Overlock closed well to finish second (21:12) behind Roy (21:07).

“I thought it was Josefina behind me because Jennifer hadn’t been up there in the previous meets,” Roy said. “I just knew that I had to get as big a lead as possible in the hills because I don’t have a good kick.”

Paced by Roy, Vickie Greene (seventh in 21:51) and Christine Wiegert (ninth in 22:02), Moorpark totaled 56 points. Bakersfield finished second with 69, followed by Mission with 91.