All-Area Boys’ Cross-Country Team
Artin Allahverdian, Senior, Crescenta Valley
Rounded into one of the Pacific League champion Falcons more reliable runners. After finishing seventh and eighth at the first two Pacific League meets, Allahverdian moved up into fifth place (14:50.5) at the league finals. Was his team’s No. 2 runner at the CIF Southern Section Division I finals and placed 36th (15:13.8). Was also No. 2 for Crescenta Valley and placed 17th at the CIF State Division I finals (15:34.7).
Jagdeep Chahal, Senior, Burroughs
For a second straight year, Chahal earned an All-Area nod after a wonderful season that’s pinnacle came on Nov. 1. That day, Chahal (14:39.56) nudged Crescenta Valley’s Colin FitzGerald (14:39.58) for the Pacific League title. Chahal advanced to the CIF Southern Section Division I championships on Nov. 18 where he finished fifth (14:46.8) and capped a brilliant year by placing 15th (14:46.8) at the CIF State Division I championships on Nov. 25.
Alexander Hirsch, Senior, Burroughs
The last active runner from the Indians’ 2014 CIF Southern Section Division I championship squad, Hirsch is an All-Area selection for a fourth consecutive season. Though he missed a good chunk of the season due to injuries, the senior still finished as Burroughs’ No. 2 runner. Hirsch took third (14:50.8) at the Riverside Invitational Division I race, third (14:.44.3) at the Pacific League finals and concluded his career by placing 27th (15:08.6) at the Southern Section Division I Championships.
Zach Johnson, Senior, Crescenta Valley
Posted three top-five and four top-10 efforts for the Falcons, including when he finished ninth (14:56) at the Mt. San Antonio College Division I and II Team Sweepstakes. After finishing second at the Pacific League’s first two meets, Johnson placed fourth (14:45) at the league finals in Arcadia. Johnson finished 41st (15:17.6) at the Southern Section Division I finals (15:16.4) and 26th (15:44.1) at the CIF State Division I Championships.
Evan Pattinelli, Senior, Flintridge Prep
No area runner was a bigger winner than Pattinelli, who was selected to his third consecutive All-Area team and deserves to be in the discussion as his school’s best-ever runner. Pattinelli picked up five victories and eight top-three finishes. He won the Clovis Invitational Small Schools title (15:31.3) on Oct. 7 and the Mt. SAC Division IV and V Sweepstakes (14:49) on Oct. 20. Maybe Pattinelli’s only real setback came when he was upset at the Prep League finals at Pierce College on Oct. 28 and placed second (14:54.3). Pattinelli responded to that by winning his second consecutive CIF Southern Section Division V Championships in 14:51.9. Pattinelli capped his prep career by winning only his school’s second state individual championship by capturing the Division V title in 15:38.7.
COACH OF THE YEAR
Mark Evans, Crescenta Valley
The veteran coach enjoyed one of his best seasons ever in 2017. The Falcons won all three Pacific League races, including a victory Oct. 12 in which Crescenta Valley set a new school course record at La Crescenta Park in a time of 1 hour, 18 minutes, while Colin FitzGerald set a new individual record of 15:10.3. The Falcons ended a decade-long drought by capturing the Pacific League title at Arcadia on Nov. 1 for the first time since 2007. The historic season continued for the Falcons, who finished seventh at the CIF Southern Section Division I finals on Nov. 8 to advance to the CIF State Meet for the first time since 2013. At the state meet, Crescenta Valley turned in its best effort again since 2007 by finishing fourth, while the program advanced its first individual runner, FitzGerald, to the Nike Cross Nationals.