Runners Are Heading to Championships

Cross-country runners start the stretch run at the Orange Empire Conference championships Saturday at Laguna Niguel Regional Park.

The women’s race is at 9 a.m. and the men run at 10 a.m.

Orange Coast won the women’s title and Santa Ana won the men’s when the conference teams met in late September on the same course in a preview run. Orange Coast took five of the first six sports in the women’s race. OCC’s Donna Harris was first in 19 minutes 16 seconds and teammate Christine Riel (19:24) took second.

The winning teams at the conference race qualify for the state meet, but the others must do so Oct. 8 at the Southern California race at Irvine Regional Park.

The top 14 teams from Southern and Northern California meet Nov. 22 at Woodward Park in Fresno.

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Football poll: Fullerton and Santa Ana, both rebounding from poor starts, make their first appearances in the Southland Poll this week.

Santa Ana (3-3), which has won three in a row, including a 52-28 victory over Saddleback Saturday, is at No. 9.

Fullerton (4-2) has won four in a row, including a 65-48 victory over Palomar Saturday, and took over the 10th spot.

Bakersfield (6-0) is at No. 1 with Long Beach (7-0) second, Mt. San Antonio (7-0) third, Cerritos (6-1) fourth, San Bernardino Valley (5-1) fifth, El Camino (4-2) sixth, West Los Angeles (5-1) seventh and Los Angeles Valley (4-2) eighth.