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Central Section Finals
First State Qualifying affair Thursday November 12th
Woodward Park, Fresno CA
Central Section Championships
Thursday, November 12th, 2009
Woodward Park, Fresno - 5000 Meters
 
Doug Speck's photo album of the top finishers in each division!
Video Interviews: Macy Bricks | Justin Vilhauer
Thanks to ProRaceGroup.com for the results
McFarland and Buchanan Go Streeeeeeeeeeaking!!!!!!!
by Mike Kennedy
Things just keep getting better and better for Buchanan. The Bears, running in a steady rain and 60-degree
temperatures, needed just 39 points to win the Girls Division I title and run their win streak to ten consecutive
section team titles. Not only that but their team time of 93:08 is also a Central Section all-time best and ranks
equal 18th all-time on the Woodward Park course. Leading the way for the Bears, who are top ranked in the
section and seventh ranked in the State, was junior Macy Bricks, who won with a personal best of 17:35.
Freshman Magen Reedy was fifth at 18:16 followed by senior Chelsea Janzen in sixth at 18:28, junior Dana
Schmalzell in 13th at 19:18 and junior Julianne Jacques in 14th at 19:31. Clovis, ranked No. 2, was second
with 55 points, and also advanced to State. Defending champ Saylah Barserian of Clovis was second in 17:52.
Last year Barserian ran 18:27 and Bricks ran 18:35. Bricks’ previous best was 17:52 set earlier this year.
McFarland just keeps rolling along. The Cougars, ranked No. 2 in the State behind Laguna Beach,
dominated the Boys Division IV race with just 25 points to win their 19th straight section team title. For
coach Amador Ayon it was his fourth straight title after taking over from long-time coach Jim White.
Freshman Erik Garcia led a pack of five McFarland runners through the mile in 5:00, By two miles,
passed in 10:21, the pack had broken up but the Cougars still placed five runners in the top seven
with Garcia winning in 16:17. McFarland’s team time was 82:56. It is doubtful that McFarland’s streak
will come to an end next year as the Cougars return their top four runners. Parlier, the No. 2 ranked
team in the section, just edged Exeter, 80-81. Both team will advance to State. Avenal, the No. 6 ranked
team in the State, was fourth with 85 points and did not advance..
McFarland’s Boys and Buchanan’s Girls were hardly the only outstanding performances.
Senior Heath Reedy of top ranked Buchanan ran 15:15 for the fastest time of the day as the Bears
went 1-2-3 to easily win Boys Division I with 25 points. Clovis was second with 67 points and Clovis
West was third with 69 points. Reedy and sophomore C.J. Albertson passed the mile together at 4:39
before Reedy pulled away. Albertson was timed in 15:42.
Junior Justin Vilhauer of Redwood was out in 4:55 for the mile and then blitzed the last mile to finish
in 15:20 and led the No. 8 ranked team to the Boys Division II championship with 74 points. Top ranked
Highland had just a 47 second gap between its first and fifth runner and edged No. 2 ranked Tulare for
the final state qualifying spot, 90-93. Germay Tesfal of Hoover, ran with Vilhauer for the first mile and
finished second in 15:59.
Junior Isaiah Lorenzo of Madera South won the Boys Division III race in 15:27 for the closest Boys’
race of the day. Johnny Sanchez of Roosevelt was second for the second straight year running 15:31.
Alex Garcia of Ridgeview was third at 15:48. Top ranked Madera South was an easy team winner with
43 points followed by No. 2 ranked Ridgeview with 92 points. Both teams qualified for State. Roosevelt,
ranked No. 3, was third with 99 points.
Just like Girls Division V race, the Boys came down to top ranked Central Valley Christian vs. No. 2
Mission College Prep and like the girls, the Mission College Prep prevailed 32-39. Tyler Vander Schurr
of Central Valley Christian was the individual winner in 16:43 but was able to place five runners before
Central Valley Christian’s No. three runner and that proved to be decisive. Senior Niels Smidth of Mission
College Prep’s No. 1 runner finishing third at 17:48.
Clovis North, the top ranked Girls team in Division II, got come through performances from Jennifer
Nakamura, Sharessa Archie and Sarah Ahgazeynali, to easily win the team title with 39 points. Ridgeview,
the No. 2 ranked, also qualified for State with 65 points. Individually, it was a repeat of last years results
with Senior Alisha Brown of Madera South winning in 18:32 and Katie Fry of Exeter finishing second in
18:56. Last year the two were timed in 18:57 and 19:12, respectively.
In Girls Division IV, Firebaugh, ranked No.1 in the section, had three runners in the top six at the mile,
passed in 6:24, but could not hold off the late charge of No. 2 ranked McFarland, which eked out a 45-46
win. The key proved to be the number five finisher, with McFarland in 18th and Firebaugh in 24th. Both teams
advance to State. Senior Regan Thompson of Taft was the individual winner in 20:07 after finishing second
in 2008. Defending champion Linda Ramos of Firebaugh was second at 20:11.
At Mission College Prep, it is now Mooney time, as in Annie Mooney. After understudying four-time section
and State champion Jordan Hasay, who has moved on to Oregon, Mooney, second last year at the Section
and State meet, dominated the Girls Division V race with a easy 18:53 win. As easy as the individual race
was, top ranked Central Valley Christian had its hands full with No. 2 ranked Mission College Prep. The race
turned out to be a dual meet between the schools. At the mile, passed in 5:54, the team winner appeared to
be in doubt. Mission College Prep was able to gain a small advantage over the final two miles and finished
1-4-5-6-8 for 24 points while Central Valley Christian, led by Lizzy Vannetta at 20:440, placed 2-3-7-9-10 to
score 31. Tranquility was third with 100. All three teams qualified for State.
| Results | DIVISIONAL BRIEF SUMMARY - by Mike Kennedy
| Division IV Boys - 11:00 a.m.
| McFarland, the No. 2 ranked team in the State, continued its amazing winning streak scoring just 23 points to win its 19th consecutive section title. Parlier just edged Exeter, 80-81 for second as both teams advanced to State. Freshman Erik Garcia of McFarland was the individual winner in 16:17.
| Division V Girls - 11:30 a.m.
| Junior Annie Mooney of Mission College Prep, after understudying Jordan Hasay for two years was a dominant winner in 18:56. With just five teams entered, Mission College Prep and Central Valley Christian engaged in a dual meet with Mission College Prep prevailing, 24-31.
| Division IV Girls - 12:00 p.m.
| It could not get much closer with McFarland just edging Firebaugh, 45-46, with the difference coming from the fifth and final scorer, where McFarland placed 18th and Firebaugh 24th. Megan Thompson of Taft was the Individual winner in 20:07.
| Division V Boys - 12:30 p.m.
| Tyler Vander Schurr of Central Valley Christian was the individual winner in 16:43 but it was not enough to overcome Mission College Prep, which put five runners in front of CVS’s No. 3, to win 32-39. Both teams advance to State. | Reserve Race - 1:00 p.m.
| | Division III Girls - 1:30 p.m.
| Top ranked Clovis North, with a strong 3-4-5, prevailed over No. 2 Ridgeview, 38-65, as both teams advanced to State. Senior Alicia Brown of Madera South was too much for junior Katie Fry (Exeter), 18:32 to 18:56.
| Division II Boys - 2:00 p.m.
| Junior Justin Vilhauer of Redwood finished full of run and was an easy winner in 15:17 to lead his team, ranked just eighth locally, to win the championship with 74 points. Top ranked Highland was able to gap just 47 seconds for its top five and just edge No. 2 Tulare for the final qualify spot 90-93.
| Division I Girls - 2:30 p.m.
| Buchanan, the No. 7 ranked team in the State, won its tenth consecutive section title with 39 points. No. 2 Clovis was second with 55 points and also advanced to State. Macy Bricks led the Bears with a winning time of 17:35 with a dominating run that lowered her 17:52 best.
| Division III Boys - 3:00 p.m.
| Top ranked Madera South, with three runners in the top 8, easily defeated No. 2 Ridgeview, 43-92. Both team advanced to State. Junior Isaiah Lorenzo of Madera South was the individual winner at `15:27. Johnny Sanchez of Hoover ran 15:31 to finish second as in 2008.
| Division II Girls - 3:30 p.m.
| Tulare, ranked just third in the section, was an easy winner with 81 points followed by No. 2 ranked Visalia, which scored 151 points. Top ranked Tulare was third with 156. All three teams qualified for State. Senior Jeannette Rodriguez of Highland was the individual winner in 19:39.
| Division I Boys - 4:00 p.m.
| Tulare, ranked just third in the section, was an easy winner with 81 points followed by No. 2 ranked Visalia, which scored 151 points. Top ranked Tulare was third with 156. All three teams qualified for State. Senior Jeannette Rodriguez of Highland was the individual winner in 19:39.
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