Another Major Win for Long Beach Poly

Long Beach Poly High won a third consecutive Division I boys’ title in the Southern Section cross-country championships at Mt. San Antonio College Saturday with two brothers named Durham again playing key roles.

Junior Aaron Durham placed eighth and freshman Bryan Durham finished 41st to help the Jackrabbits to a 72-89 victory over runner-up Santa Ana.

The win made Poly the second team since 1951 to win three consecutive major division boys’ titles.

Thousand Oaks won Division I titles from 1992-94.

“We pretty much ran as predicted,” 14th-year Coach George Wright said.

The top four teams in each race and the top five individuals not on a qualifying team advanced to the state championships at Woodward Park in Fresno next Saturday.

Long Beach Poly won the state Division I title last year, led by individual champion Chad Durham, a freshman at Brigham Young.

Aaron Durham was Poly’s No. 1 runner Saturday with a time of 15:28 over the three-mile course.

Junior Josh Spiker of Ventura won the individual title in 15:01 to defeat previously unbeaten senior Alfonso Leon of Santa Ana by four seconds.

Irvine upset Anaheim Esperanza, 92-108, in the Division I girls’ race.

Irvine didn’t have a runner among the top 19 finishers, but its five scoring runners finished between 20th and 32nd.

Esperanza’s third, fourth and fifth runners finished 35th, 40th and 45th.

Senior Lauren Fleshman of Canyon Country Canyon won the individual title in 17:24.

Fleshman and senior Allyson Marquand of Irvine University led through the first mile, but Fleshman broke away shortly thereafter and Marquand finished second in 17:55.

Rosemead Bosco Tech, Ojai Nordhoff and Sierra Madre Maranatha were repeat champions in their respective boys’ races.

Bosco Tech defeated West Covina South Hills, 62-88, in the Division III race and Nordhoff beat Costa Mesa Estancia, 74-105, in the Division IV event.

Maranatha beat La Canada Flintridge Prep, 92-93, in Division V.

Nordhoff’s win gave the Rangers seven section titles this decade at either the Division III or IV level.