Earlybird Invitational Gus Ibarra gives DyeStatCal readers the low-down! |
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2003 Earlybird
Cross Country Invitational Preview
Anticipation is running high as the 2003 cross country season kicks off
with the 9th Annual Earlybird Invitational hosted by North Monterey County
High School in Castroville, CA! This meet promises to be the best yet
as more than 50 teams and well over 1,000 athletes are expected to converge
on campus this Saturday, Sept. 6th. This just may be the most competitive
early-season meet in the state of California!! Highly ranked teams and
individuals will once again rip through the spectator friendly 3.0-mile
course. As cross country is a true team sport, we’ll start by highlighting
the top teams followed by the top individuals.
For the boys’ teams, races will be run in grade levels but
overall individual times will be combined to sort out the overall squads
for “bragging rights”. Madera returns to defend their Earlybird
“time title” and should do it in fine style if last week is
any indication. A bit off the rankings radar, Madera surprised many last
week at the Granite Bay Invite defeating Jesuit 45-86! Jesuit entered
that meet as the top California squad and 15th in the country! Madera
will fly on the coast come Saturday. Host North Monterey County will challenge
for the title coming off of last years runner-up finish to Madera. The
Condors return the bulk of a team that surprised many all year on way
to a 12th place State finish. They’ve had a great summer and should
see the fruits of their labors. They enter the season ranked 2nd in California
and 1st in CCS DIII! Serra will send the seniors of their top ranked squad
that comes in ranked 5th in state and 1st in CCS DI. Look for King City
to challenge for a top 3 finish as they enter ranked 3rd in state and
1st in CCS DIV. Other top contenders gunning for a top 5 finish include
Carlmont, #2 in CCS DII, Bellarmine, #2 in CCS DI, and St. Ignatius, #3
in CCS DIII. All in all, 15 of the top 25 ranked CCS teams will be on
hand!
The individual boys won’t disappoint with the
highest quality field ever assembled for this early-season meet!! The
seniors will be a “Shoot-out in the OK Corral”! It’s
loaded!! Alex Dunn (SLV) comes down from the hills to defend his top time
from 2002. He recently ran a great 14:57 5k on the track and should tour
the NMC course in just about the same amount of time. He went 15:44 last
year but look for that to be dismantled. Alex won the DIII state title
last year! Kyle Shackleton and twin Drew Shackleton (Carlmont) come from
the north and are capable of doing runner-up duties. Dominic Vogl (Serra)
leads a strong senior class for them. Look for locals Jacob Evans (Aptos)
and Darren Mattinson (Harbor) to mix it up with the leaders. Jacob brings
the fastest legs to town with his 1:52 (800) and 4:11 (1600) PR’s,
so you better break him early! Darren has made huge improvements from
last year and could be a sleeper. Michael Hannon (Mills) has a great 4:20
1600 PR. Daniel Jensen (Silver Creek), Danny Tapia (North Monterey County),
Jonnie Rivera (San Benito), Alex Guney (Bellarmine) and teammates Jorge
Oliveros & Marco Ayala (King City) are all top 10 contenders. Getting
a medal in this one will be tough! All in all, the CCS is well represented
here with 25 of the top 35 seniors for 2003!!! Coach Gustavo Ibarra
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