Marina girls, Fountain Valley boys go undefeated in district dual meets
When youth sports guidance started to come out allowing for the resumption of high school athletics, cross-country was the first sport to return.
Cross-country did not come back in its usual form, however, and the Huntington Beach Union High School District made the decision that its schools would only compete against each other.
For the schools involved, it was a unique schedule that consisted of weekly dual meets, one that limited travel for teams, but it also ensured that each team would have a chance to face the others.
The Marina High School girls’ cross-country team beat visiting Fountain Valley 25-32 on Saturday, completing the sweep of the district dual meets.
Senior Marikay Schwab won the race in 17 minutes 25 seconds, and senior teammate Makena Castillo finished second in 17:33 to lead the Vikings.
“I’m so stoked,” Schwab said of her team going 5-0 in the district dual meets. “If you asked us that last year, I’m pretty sure we would have been like, ‘No, you’re joking.’ It’s amazing. It’s so fun. [Our teammates are] our best friends.”
Fountain Valley’s girls’ team also came into Saturday undefeated in district contests. The Barons were without multiple top-five runners in their lineup, including ace Kaho Cichon. With that being said, it was still exciting for Castillo to win the battle of unbeatens.
“We’ve never been the top team,” Castillo said. “We’re always the underdogs every single year, always like the lowest team that no one’s expecting, and we always come out.”
The scoring five for Marina also included Ella Murray (sixth, 18:47), Madelyn Fracassa (seventh, 19:14) and Jenna White (ninth, 19:44).
Marina girls’ cross-country coach Emily Taylor said that her team would have liked to run against a Fountain Valley team that was at full strength. She pointed to the leadership of Schwab and Castillo in helping to raise the level of the Vikings as a whole.
“I think Marikay and Makena just really stepped it up, and they just kind of built this team culture that redefines what the standards were on the team,” Taylor said. “They pushed the girls.”
Fountain Valley placed three runners in the top five in Leah Ferris (third, 18:17), Lauren Berg (fourth, 18:21) and Samantha Martinez (fifth, 18:33).
In the boys’ race, Fountain Valley bested Marina 20-36, as the Barons completed an undefeated run of their own through the district dual meets.
Dezi Hernandez cleared the field by 40 seconds in winning the race with a time of 15:07. Shane Hill finished second in 15:47, a lifetime-best time and the first race in which he has broken 16 minutes.
“I just wasn’t nervous,” Hill said. “I talked to [our] captain, Dezi. He’s a great guy to look up to. He’s an amazing captain, and he told me not to worry, and I just didn’t worry, and I just stayed in control that whole time.”
“Pain is ignorance to something greater than that,” Hill added after his breakout performance.
The Barons also had Ben Prado (fourth, 16:01), Diego Alonso (sixth, 16:10) and Jaden Nguyen (seventh, 16:16) among their scoring group.
The top performers in the race for Marina were Neel Dorawala (third, 15:55) and Vincent Beaumont (fifth, 16:04).
BOYS’ CROSS-COUNTRY
At Marina High School
3-mile course
Fountain Valley 20, Marina 36
1. Hernandez (FV) 15:07; 2. Hill (FV) 15:47; 3. Dorawala (M) 15:55; 4. Prado (FV) 16:01; 5. Beaumont (M) 16:04; 6. Alonso (FV) 16:10; 7. Nguyen (FV) 16:16; 8. Lantow-Salgado (M) 16:33; 9. Flores (M) 16:33; 10. D’Ambrosio (FV) 16:39
GIRLS’ CROSS-COUNTRY
At Marina High School
3-mile course
Marina 25, Fountain Valley 32
1. Schwab (M) 17:25; 2. Castillo (M) 17:33; 3. Ferris (FV) 18:17; 4. Berg (FV) 18:21; 5. Martinez (FV) 18:33; 6. Murray (M) 18:47; 7. Fracassa (M) 19:14; 8. To (FV) 19:34; 9. White (M) 19:44; 10. Chiu (M) 19:44
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