Canyon Trio Sets the Pace at Seaside

The top trio of boys’ cross-country runners in the state might be the best in the nation as well.

That became clear Friday when Jameson Mora, Luke Llamas and Ryan Morgan of Canyon Country Canyon High scorched the flat three-mile course in the season-opening Seaside Park Invitational in Ventura.

Running in breezy conditions under overcast skies, Mora, Llamas and Morgan finished in 14 minutes 43 seconds, 14:53 and 14:53, respectively, to lead Canyon to a convincing victory over McFarland, the ninth-ranked team in the nation by Harrier magazine.

“We were pretty excited about racing them,” said Mora, who had a 10-second margin of victory over Llamas in the senior race.

The cumulative time of 16th-ranked Canyon’s top five runners was 76:18, 1:21 faster than defending state Division IV champion McFarland and the second fastest in meet history.

In 1993, Thousand Oaks, regarded as the best team in California since the early 1970s, had a team time of 75:37.

Phillip Reid of Oxnard Rio Mesa ran the second-fastest time of the meet to win the junior race in 14:50.

Reid’s sophomore track season ended in disappointment in May when he failed to advance to the final of the 3,200 meters in the Southern Section Division II championships, but he surged past Morgan with less than a half-mile left on Friday.

Canyon also won the girls’ meet as the Cowboys’ team time of 95:37 gave them a 1:09 advantage over runner-up Simi Valley Royal.

Canyon, the 24th-ranked team in the nation, was paced by Alysia Johnson, who won the sophomore girls’ race in 18:27. Cassie Ramirez of Palmdale Highland won the senior girls’ race in 18:20.

John Ortega

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BOYS’ WATER POLO

Anaheim Esperanza 7, Laguna Beach 5--Jameson Burmeister and James Low scored two goals each for the unranked Aztecs (2-0) in a nonleague victory at Laguna Beach, the Times’ eighth-ranked team in the Southland.

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GIRLS’ TENNIS

Palm Desert 12, Dana Point Dana Hills 6--Robyn Baker, ranked fifth in the Southern California Tennis Assn.’s girls’ 16s division, swept, 6-0, 6-2, 6-0 to lead Palm Desert, ranked third in the Southland.

North Hollywood Campbell Hall 12, Woodland Hills Louisville 6--Alli Krasnapolsky swept at No. 2 singles, 6-0, 6-0, 6-0, for Campbell Hall (2-0) in a nonleague victory at Los Angeles Valley College.

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GIRLS’ VOLLEYBALL

El Toro d. Esperanza 16-14, 15-13, 6-15, 15-12--Middle blocker Heather Quinn had 22 kills and six blocks and setter Jennifer Hampton had 63 asists for No. 8 El Toro in a win over No. 6 Esperanza.