Don Lugo’s Tesfa Is Leader of This Pack

To be a member of one of the state’s best boys’ cross-country teams, one must adhere to Chino Don Lugo Coach Don Salyers’ formula of pack running, or staying together as a group as long as possible to maximize point potential.

It often means sacrificing individual honors to meet the team’s goal. “Ninety percent of the time,” Salyers says, “the team that has the individual champion doesn’t win the team championship.”

Senior Fitsum Tesfa, however, is usually the leader of the pack. Since he took up running as a freshman, Don Lugo’s top runner has been out to win every race.

With victories in three invitational meets this season, Tesfa will lead his teammates into the prestigious Mt. San Antonio College Invitational beginning today in Walnut. The Conquistadores, defending state Division I champions, will run in the team sweepstakes race Saturday.

“It means a lot to me,” Tesfa said of the meet. “That’s a championship course. That’s when the real season starts.”

Tesfa caught people’s attention last year, when he won the Bronco Invitational in Chino and the Inland Empire Challenge in Ontario. He finished fourth overall in the team sweepstakes race at Mt. SAC with a time of 15 minutes 11 seconds. In the spring, he took fourth in the 3,200 meters at the state track and field finals.

However, he didn’t believe his breakout year was a total success.

“Last year, I didn’t finish the season too well,” Tesfa said. “Hopefully, that will change this year. My goal is to win the state finals and get our team another championship.”

He began this season with a mark of 14:13 -- a course record for a high school competitor -- at the 2.8-mile, all-comers Sunset in the Park race in August at Huntington Beach Central Park. He followed with a victory at the Colton Invitational and a defense of his Inland Empire title.

Tesfa earned his most notable victory last month at the Stanford Invitational. His time of 15:10 beat Oceanside El Camino junior A.J. Acosta (15:13) and Lake Forest El Toro senior Brandon Bethke (15:14).

Tesfa won’t compete against Acosta or Bethke on Saturday as they will run in the individual sweepstakes race; however, they all figure to meet up again next month at the state meet in Fresno.

Despite his team-first philosophy, Salyers isn’t about to hold back his latest star.

“We happen to have a good group of guys that can run with him,” he said. “I think we can win the individual and the team titles at state.”

One of those talented teammates, junior Alfred Gonzales, called Tesfa a fierce competitor despite his reserved demeanor.

“He’s focused on what he’s going to do,” said Gonzales, who finished seventh at Stanford. “He doesn’t want anything to be in his way in the race.”

Tesfa’s strategy involves taking a lead near the race’s midpoint, then extending it.

Salyers said that won’t work against top-shelf high school and college competition, but the longtime coach said Tesfa is always willing to adapt.

“He pays attention to everything you say and then he goes out and does it,” Salyers said. “He knows that when he has to make a surge, he has to make it count.”

Tesfa started running competitively when he entered high school, thanks to the urging of next-door neighbor Erick Maldonado, who, as a freshman was a teammate of Fitsum’s brother, Tesfamariam, on the Don Lugo team that won its first state title. Maldonado also was the state Division I champion in 2001.

“He kept asking me, ‘Try out, try out,’ ” Tesfa said. “Finally, I gave it a shot. My first race was the Inland Empire meet. I almost came in dead last, but that was after only a couple of days of training.”

The youngest of nine children, Tesfa is running so he can attend college on an athletic scholarship. He is drawing interest from Southland Division I schools.

“I like to win,” he said. “I enjoy the hard work. I’m trying to be one of the best.”

*

Mt. SAC Invitational

* When: Today and Saturday.

* Where: Mt. San Antonio College, Walnut.

* Schedule of events: Today -- Races begin at 1 p.m. and run continuously until 5:40 p.m. Saturday -- Races begin at 7:15 a.m. and run until 3:08 p.m.

* Elite races: Today -- Division III sweepstakes, boys’ race 4:15 p.m., girls’ race 4:32 p.m.; Division IV sweepstakes, boys’ race 4:49 p.m.; girls’ race 5:06 p.m.; Division V sweepstakes, boys’ race 5:23 p.m., girls’ race 5:40 p.m. Saturday -- Boys’ individual sweepstakes 9:05 a.m., boys’ team sweepstakes 9:35 a.m.; Girls’ team sweepstakes 10 a.m.; girls’ individual sweepstakes, 10:30 a.m.