Corona del Mar Finds Winning Worth the Wait

The Corona del Mar boys’ team blossomed at the right time to capture the Division IV title at the state cross-country championships Saturday at Woodward Park.

Competing in the Sea View League, Corona del Mar took its lumps against larger Division I, II and III teams this season. But Saturday, packing five of its scoring runners within a 49-second gap, the Sea Kings edged Granada from the North Coast Section for a one-point victory, 122-123.

“The dilemma for a Division IV school competing in a Division I league like we do is that we have to peak later in the year, so we get beaten all year,” said Corona del Mar Coach Bill Sumner, who last won the boys’ title in 1988. “People say ‘Oh, you didn’t do anything all season,’ but we did, we trained for this day.”

Seniors Jason Rogers and Tyler Beardslee finished the 3.1-mile course in 21st place (16 minutes 25 seconds) and 23rd (16:27) to pace the Sea Kings.

Pacific Coast League champion Costa Mesa finished fifth. Senior Eric Solis ran 16:09 for 11th place.

The only Orange County individual to win a title was St. Margaret’s junior Ryan Downey, who unleashed a strong kick in the final half-mile to win the Division V championship.

Downey ran 15:55 to win his first state title, improving from a 13th-place finish a year ago in the Division IV race.

Significant progress was also made by Sea View League champion Santa Margarita, who finished second in the Division II race to Concord De La Salle, 84-119.

The Eagles avenged a one-point loss to Hemet in the Southern Section finals a week ago and edged Santa Ana by two points for second place.

“That’s a second place I can live with,” said senior Michael Murray, who was Santa Margarita’s top finisher in sixth place in 15:44.

Orange County individual champion Mark Gleason of Mission Viejo ran 15:36 for fourth in the Division II race. Santa Ana sophomore Alfonso Leon and Huntington Beach senior Tony Trueba were eighth and ninth. Both finished in 15:47.

Orange’s Nick Russell, the runner-up at the county championship, finished 24th in 16:06.

Katella saved its best race of the year for Saturday, finishing third in Division III behind only San Francisco St. Ignatius (79 points) and county champion Tustin (89).

Senior Lucas Neubauer led the Knights with an 11th-place finish in 16:04. Tustin was led by sophomore Leo Gordillo, who finished fifth in 15:54.

Irvine senior Justin Nyberg, the Sea View League individual champion and section Division I runner-up, finished eighth in the Division I race in 15:48.