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 Orange Cross country News and Rankings
"People like to read polls and rankings about individuals and teams.  It's fun when somebody gives recognition to your hard work, talent, and desire.  But, as everybody knows, you still have to win the races to make it really count."

STATE TEAMS RANKING   DyeStatCal             Boys Division II   Pre-Season CIF Rankings

November 26, 2003
Compiled by a statewide committee of representatives from all 10 CIF sections. Committee panel is comprised of:: Brad Butler; Jim Deaver; Rich Gonzalez; Ray Hausler; Hank Lawson; Andy Leong; Tom Lux; Dave Ponas; Chris Puppione; Bruce Thomson; and Walt Van Zant. Please send any suggestions and/or feedback to: CIFXCRankings@aol.com

Predictions for November 15  (made November 11)
Remember predictions are fun but you still have to run the race to win.
 

DIVISION II BOYS
1. St. John Bosco, Bellflower – So far, clearly the heavy favorite.
2. Arroyo, El Monte – Superb at Clovis, but team rattled under pressure in ‘02.
3. Loyola, Los Angeles – Depth is taking shape, so could make breakthrough.
4. Brea-Olinda – Nothing will surprise us here; very good pieces present.
5. Sultana, Hesperia – After slow start, picking up major steam now.
6. Valencia, Placentia – Ran great at county without a key performer.
7 . West Torrance – Should have excellent upside from here on out.
8 . Orange – Hardest ranked team to read, but they are sure quality.
9. Hemet – Needs to shore up its depth, but still superb chance for Finals.
10. Mira Costa, Manhattan Beach – Not many results, but good so far.
11. Cypress – Needs to fine-tune its depth, or else vulnerable to upset.
12. Foothill – Signs of life were revealed at OC Championships.
13. Huntington Beach – Team’s acid test will come at Mt. SAC Invite.
14. Edison – Been making progress, figures to have good upside in the tank.
15. Antelope Valley – Are we misreading them, or are there struggles of late?
16. Sonora, La Habra – Loaded but hasn’t delivered the goods.
17. South Torrance – Has shown signs at times, but not at others.
18. Bosco Tech – We have a good view on them, and upside is there.
19. Katella – So far, no breakthrough traditionally found with this program.
20. El Modena – Had a true off day at Orange County. Should rebound.
21. King, Riverside (SS) – Needs a little work to do, but could surprise.

DyeStatCal  New!  CIF-SS Team Rankings  October 13, 2003

        Orange County Boys Team Rankings
October 15, 2003

1. Fountain Valley – Handily won showdown race with powerful Marina in Sunset League Preview Meet. Senior Josh Selley often gets the headlines, but the Barons’ depth appears endless, and that’s where they put the competition away.
(78:37 at Woodbridge; 78:17 at Dana Hills; 82:14 at Sunset)
2. Dana Hills – Came out of the gates slowly (which is nothing unusual for the usually late-peaking Dolphins), but the fine development of young talent has the crew quietly on the upswing.
(82:29 at Mt. Carmel; big 77:29 at Dana Hills)
3. Brea Olinda – With very good depth and pack running, the Wildcats recently welcomed back a key scorer absent during the season’s opening month. Opted for non-sweepstakes at Mt. SAC as well, so pointing for bigger goals down the road, no doubt.
(82:20 at Bronco; 85:52 at Brea)
4. Marina – Appeared to be the county team to beat early on, but was squarely humbled by rival Fountain Valley then at Clovis Invite recently. Even so, good depth keeps them strong. Van Nguyen is among the Southland’s fine lesser-known talents. Could still win on Saturday, but unlikely. If they click, finishing third is very likely.
(77:49 at Woodbridge; 79:13 at Bell-Jeff; 83:01 at Sunset; 83:40 at Clovis)
5. El Toro – Brandon Bethke is the stud workhorse up front, with the Chargers still seeking to add more firepower and solid experience in the weeks to come after major graduation losses a year ago.
(79:25 at Woodbridge; 83:42 at Clovis)
6. Sonora – On paper, this team was supposed to challenge for the County title. Has been sitting its runners out thus far. Some ran at Clovis, but the results were not promising. Confidence will not need to be built in a hurry.
(Loaded; ran badly while missing a few at Clovis)
6 . Orange – Looked surprisingly good at Hawaii’s Iolani Invitational in week #2 considering the abrupt return of Raul Lara to a very young group. Solid group, but might need more big-race experience under its belt to handle trying to shine in the end.
(89:43 on very slow/tough Hawaii 5k; edged Santa Ana, 27-30)
8. Santa Ana – Lost a nip-and-tuck nail biter to Orange in recent league action, with traditional balance and pack running once again setting the stage for a good season. Needs slightly more improvement to make CIF Finals, it seems.
9. Huntington Beach – A very spirited effort at the Sunset League Preview Meet caught some teams off guard, with the Oilers striking it rich overnight. Must keep its ranking, otherwise risks threats in tough Sunset League Finals.
(83:46 at Sunset Preview)
10. Cypress – Good 1-2 punch up front gets the ball rolling for the crew. Has been fairly well hidden against top competition thus far, but will be ready come postseason.
(84:35 at Charger Invite w/o #3)
11. Esperanza – A fairly young team, with many promising newcomers making an immediate impact. Many areas to work on, but the door is not closed.
(80:24 at Woodbridge; 80:22 at Dana Hills; 84:58 at Sunset Preview)
12. Edison – Slowed by loss of top runner in opening month; just beginning to gain momentum right now. Has intermittently shown signs of progress.
(84:58 at Charger Invite w/o #4)
13. Orange Lutheran – Jorge Jabaz could be a very dangerous threat up front on the local scene, with the coaching staff often breaking up its lineup on meet day, thus not showing all its cards.
(82:32 at Mt. Carmel - did not run some key guys at Stanford)
14. Valencia – Figured to be strong this year, with promising and excited group. Showed at Brea (a very slow course) it is well on its way to another CIF Finals berth.
(87:49 at Brea Invite)
15. El Modena – Curtis Aukshunas is the frontrunner here, with the group a formidable force within its division.
(83:56 at Bronco)
16. Mater Dei – Monarchs looked good at the Serra League cluster meet, claiming second. Will be interesting to see if any teams earn at-large bids from the league. It’s doubtful a Division II team will, but likely a Division III team will.
(81:58 at Woodbridge; ran a little off from that [conversion-wise] at both Stanford and Clovis)

CIF-SS Team Rankings
October 13, 2003

October 7, 2003  Register-Eugene Fields


October 5, 2003

CIF-State Cross-Country Team Rankings
For release on October 1st, 2003
Compiled by a statewide committee of representatives from all 10 CIF sections. Committee panel is comprised of:: Brad Butler; Jim Deaver; Rich Gonzalez; Ray Hausler; Hank Lawson; Andy Leong; Tom Lux; Dave Ponas; Chris Puppione; Bruce Thomson; and Walt Van Zant. Please send any suggestions and/or feedback to: CIFXCRankings@aol.com

CIF-SS Team Rankings
For release on Monday, September 29, 2003

CIF-SS Team Rankings
For release on Monday, September 22, 2003
DIVISION II BOYS
1. St. John Bosco
2. Sonora
3. Brea-Olinda
4. Orange
5. West Torrance
6. Sultana
7. Valencia-Pl.
8. Loyola
9. Cypress
10. Antelope Valley

CIF-SS PRESEASON
CROSS-COUNTRY RANKINGS
***For release on Monday, September 8, 2003

1. Michael Haddan (Woodbridge) -- A very huge talent with All-American potential, the key will be staying healthy, an avoidance of over-racing, and just letting the speed come out!
2. Juan Escalante (Katella) -- Still among the lesser-known of the elite runners in the state, his absence during the track season should be discarded after a few quality runs in the coming months.
3. Raul Lara (Orange) -- Reports of his demise were greatly exaggerated by some, as Lara flourished during track season to send a message he's ready to close his prep career in high style.
4. Arturo Martinez (Sonora) -- The frontrunner for a very hot program of late, look for this guy to turn some heads and start getting the attention of college recruiters.
5. Francisco Flores (Katella) -- With Escalante in the mix, it's often easy to overlook the rest of the talent hosted by the Knights, but Flores is key to the team's chances come the acid tests.
6. Josh Selley (Fountain Valley) -- Was a key performer when the Barons won a dramatic league final two years ago; it's now 'his team' to mold into another winner on the county landscape.
7. Brandon Bethke (El Toro) -- A solid performer on the oval, look for Bethke - the latest individual talent on a team known more for depth - to be among Division I's best at the end.

Invitational-Format Team Rankings!
July 23, 2003
Rankings/research by Rich Gonzalez

Depth is rewarded in invitational-format rankings, where a team's solid fourth and fifth scorers can oftentimes offset the absence of a frontrunner. We project that 14 of the 16 teams below advance to CIF Finals. Which two will not? The two teams placing fourth and fifth in the Sunset League. Although those spots should be good, we don't project them receiving a Top 10 division ranking at season's end, which is among the at-large berth criteria! Yikes!

1. Dana Hills, Dana Point – Never ending depth appears to be the calling card thanks to lower-level excellence, with the only question mark being how well the newcomers adjust to championship-level challenges. Give the program's tradition, they'll be able to address that.
2. Sonora, La Habra – A program inching upward in recent years, look for the Raiders to be a measure of excellence this fall, with many Orange County powers residing in Division II and having the daunting task of trying to supplant them here. Arturo Martinez should come into his own.
3. Katella, Anaheim – We're going out on a bit of a limb, hoping the Knights have everyone squared away and eligible for the coming season, meaning the Juan Escalante-led unit should be ready to rock with the county's best both at the local championships and on a regional level.
4. Fountain Valley – We made an early mistake with the Barons in June, mistaking a graduate for a returnee. That said, FV is not as deep as we initially thought, but still remains a local superpower. Josh Selley leads the group and enters the Sunset League campaign as the title favorite.
5. Brea-Olinda – Very good depth and packing, which means their upside is greater than most teams. Since the group works together, a slight improvement here is multiplied nearly five-fold. Has been moving upward in recent years. Staying focused and working together, they're very solid.
6. Valencia, Placentia – Without the front running Juan Robles, this group might actually be better. All it scorers in the 16s on the Mt. SAC course, the group could be quite tough throughout, but will likely sacrifice some early racing in favor of another solid peak come championship time.
7. Edison, Huntington Beach – Maybe not on the radar of most county pundits, the Chargers sat at home furing last year's postseason, snake bit by a mid-race mishap that left them as the best team out of the playoffs. The talent is there and the attitude is right, so this should be their year.
8. Orange - Want us to choose the best long shot bet for the County Championships? Here ya go! Sensational depth, fine grouping, very motivated, and with solid front running, this group has all the tools to challenge to very best teams in the region, the division and possibly even the state!
9. Tustin – The Tillers boast a solid foursome up front, with not necessarily a stud needed to round out what it'd take for a quality team to emerge. Here's hoping this program -- with a rich tradition in its hey day way back when -- can find its way back into the local hierarchy.
10. Marina, Huntington Beach – Throw out the rough showing the Vikings endured at prelims last year. To get a better indication, look at what they did at last year's league final, its a fine youthful talent, and some encouraging signs during track. Has good upside, but also must prove itself well.
11. Huntington Beach – A good argument could be made that the Oilers are even better than Marina, but that's strictly based on singled-out performances from last year. In the end, the much-improved HB program will need to truly click on all cylinders at League Finals. If so, look out!
12. Esperanza, Anaheim – Truly the most dangerous team lurking at the bottom of these rankings. We are very, very high on Steve Murvin to bounce back this year, plus think the addition of a 'hyper' coach to an already well-coached programs will have the crew revved up for big meets!
13. Santa Margarita, Rancho SM – The Eagles might be staring a rebuilding stage square in the eye, but the crew figures to get the job done well. Talent is on board, but a true team concept will need to be rebuilt after some major graduation losses. Not much pressure, which is a plus.
14. Cypress – We hope to be underestimating the Centurions, a squad which really rocked during crunch time a year ago. Our best guess is that it'll take a bit of time to re-lay the foundation, but the crew should emerge as a solid force for the championship meets at season's end.
15. El Toro, Lake Forest – Sure, the fridge was raided by graduation. But guess what, the Chargers always have some prime-grade reinforcements aging well in the store room (JV/frosh-soph). They'll be in the year, end mix for sure, but having to follow some great teams in recent years.
16. Corona del Mar, Newport Beach – The Sea Kings get the slight edge over a bastion of challengers for the final spot in the 16-team poll (we believe 16 teams are invited to the sweepstakes division at county), courting good depth. It'd be nice to see a frontrunner here.

1. Katella, Anaheim –
2. Dana Hills, Dana Point –
3. Sonora, La Habra –
4. Fountain Valley –
5. Valencia, Placentia –
6. Brea-Olinda –
7. Edison, Huntington Beach – .
8. Orange –
9. Tustin –
10. Marina, Huntington Beach –
11. Huntington Beach –
12. Santa Margarita, Rancho SM  –
13. Esperanza, Anaheim –
14. El Toro, Lake Forest –
15. Corona del Mar, Newport Beach –
16. Servite, Anaheim –

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