Indians, Guards look to get beyond finals

BURBANK -- For one team, it is venturing into uncharted territory,

while another is trying to retrace a path last traveled 13 years ago.

Although the Burroughs High girls’ and Bellarmine-Jefferson High

boys’ cross-country teams bring different histories into today’s CIF

Southern Section finals at Mount San Antonio College in Walnut, both

have one goal in mind: to advance.

The Indians -- who finished third in the Foothill League -- find

themselves in the meet for the first time in school history. And

although they will run a Division II race packed with talented teams,

the athletes are confident.

Teams need to finish among the top seven in their division to

advance to the CIF-State Cross-Country Championship Nov. 27 at

Woodward Park in Fresno.

If an individual runner doesn’t qualify as part of a team, he or

she can still make the State Meet by being among the top five

finishers on non-qualifying teams finishing in the top 20.

“We think we can do it, and qualify,” said Burroughs senior Katie

Vahoviak, who won her prelim heat in 18 minutes 21 seconds. “We just

have to all go out there and give it our best.”

Vahoviak fronts a fine group of runners who all recorded

personal-best times Nov. 13 at the CIF Southern Section preliminaries

at Mount SAC.

Junior Adriana Powers, sophomores Michelle Martinez and Lilyana

Morejon and freshman Sadee Martinez give the Indians a talented

group. Brenda Santana and Kerry Hodgins provide the team with depth.

The Guards’ team is not trying to make history, but to repeat it.

Bell-Jeff is attempting to become the first team to make it to the

State Meet since 1991, when the boys’ squad finished second.

Led by twin brothers Leonard and Jose Diaz, the 1991 team also

included Mike Morgan, the school’s athletic director and acting

cross-country coach.

Pacing Bell-Jeff -- second in the Santa Fe League are seniors

Gerard Herkey and Jeff Pang, who are supported by junior Brian Lira,

sophomore Joshua Lepe and freshman Chris Ibrahim.

Herkey finished second in his Division IV prelim heat in 16:10 and

Pang was 10th in 16:50.

“Gerard finished behind one other runner in his heat, but I don’t

think he was running all out,” Morgan said. “[Today], he will be

running to win it.”

If the Guards aren’t able to advance as a team, Morgan said they

have a good chance at qualifying possibility two runners.

“It will be very difficult to qualify as a team in our division,”

he said. “But the chances are very good that Gerard and Jeff will be

able to go to state.”

Although the Burroughs girls’ earned a spot in the final, the

Indian boys’ team wasn’t as lucky. In the prelims, the Indians

finished eighth in their Division II race, and failed to advance.

The best Indian finisher was Daniel Anderson, who placed 12th in

16:25. He was followed by Morgan Walker (32nd; 17:11), Adrian

Harrison (43rd; 17:26), Kyle Hazlewood (54th; 17:43), Alex Sandoval

(62nd; 17:57), Kent Melendez (67th; 18:03) and Josh Betancourt (79th;

18:35).