BOYS ANALYSIS

Notes regarding CIF-SS rankings and such included herein are very tentative, based upon other meet results still trickling in.

ORDER BELOW BASED ON TODAY'S COMBINED-RACE TEAM SCORES:
1. Dana Hills -- Yes sirree, the Dolphins are indeed back again! Looked good despite having two kids come in banged up. Answered the call like a champion. Will leapfrog a few teams and likely into top five or six in state rankings for Division I

2. Fountain Valley -- Another strong effort for a team that might have a tougher schedule than any other in the county. Frontrunner Josh Selley is a stud (who else can claim to letter in three varsity sports -- cross-country, baseball, and basketball -- as a freshmen?) who ran well again. Solid depth gives them the edge for Sunset League title.

3. Marina -- Looked very good early and mid-race, but seemed to struggle in the closing stages. Depth was still quite solid and team performed well overall. Might fall out of state top 10, but we will see. Only six finishers. Any idea why?

4. Brea-Olinda -- We pretty much pegged this one right on. Had them ranked third, but figured Marina would top them here. Very nice season this far, but truly think their best is yet to come. Best quality upside of any team in the Sweepstakes race come CIF, we think. With Loyola having mild depth problems right now, look for Brea to move past them in the poll.

5. El Toro -- Can now lay claim to best back-end depth in the county, for the time being, thanks to having seven superb runners cross the stripe magnificently. Bethke is truly developing into a regional talent, with smart racing, a true hunger, and physical talent. And he's only a junior! Any college coaches out there listening? Still a bit away from the CIF-SS Top 10 as a team, however.

6. Valencia -- Although unranked in Division II (they were ranked the week before), ran quite well here. The surprise here was that they did it without a top runner, who missed the race due to a hernia condition. Will likely move from 11th to about 6th in the new CIF-SS poll, but rankings mean absolutely nothing here, as teams #3 to #17 are separated by roughly only 70 seconds!

7. Santa Ana -- You'd need to look in the lower levels to find their full results, as two of their top kids ran in non-sweepstakes rcaes, not to mention another sitting out due to injury. Good grouping. Should make CIF-SS D1 Finals.

8. Orange Lutheran -- Some people quietly snickered when Orange Lutheran was put in the Sweepstakes Race. Heck, even their own coach emailed us a few days ago to say we had them over-ranked. Don't think so, buck-o! Our charts had you pegged. Oak Park still the huge favorite, but OL can still get a plaque, and maybe even pull an upset!

9. Esperanza -- Despite running fine young talent at lower levels, still looked promising on the varsity here. Good grouping after its frontrunner, Steven Murvin. Not ranked in the Top 20 in Division I heading into the week (and likely still just off the fringe), will need to step up from here.

10. Cypress -- Another fine showing by its lead duo, but had problems with depth otherwise. Will need to take a closer look on its individual performers before deciding if they fall out of the Division II poll.

11. Foothill -- We actually expected them to show these signs earlier in the year, as the group had a nice underclass showing last year. Good to see they are coming around indeed. Outside chance of a finals berth in Division II.

12. Huntington Beach -- Was not quite as sharp as at the Sunset Preview meet, with no frontunners but a good group otherwise. Based on head-to-head matchup, might very well fall out of Top 10 poll.

13. Mission Viejo -- We underestimated them by a few spots, which is shame on us. The Diablos are always solid locally and showed to hold their own here. Not ranked in Top 30 in Division I, however.

14. Sonora -- Did not impress for the second week in a row. Entered the season with very talented crew, but a risky approach to rest from racing and train through. Now the pressure mounts. Should fare way better than this, even when training through.

15. Servite -- Had Nick Mosey run another excellent race to stamp himself among the state's best juniors, with the Friars having a good second and a nice third runner. Depth is an issue, however. With no depth of solid teams in Division III, they will likely keep their ranking for another week. Serra League foes Bishop Amat and Santa Margarita are closing the gap, however, and chances are there will be no at-large from this league.

16. Katella -- With Juan Escalante still ineligible, the Knights are off by one very big cylinder. Should he return, the crew would have a decent chance at making state.

ALSO: The teams of Orange (competing at San Diego's Southern California Invitational) and Edison (resting to recuperate from sickness) did not run here, and both were ranked by DyeStatCal among the top 12 in the county. If they hold anywhere true to form, bump Mission Viejo and all the teams placing after it another two spots down.

GIRLS ANALYSIS

1. Esperanza -- Anyone questioning Esperanza's dominance was given a front-row seat to its superiority, with the crew sticking all five scorers in the Top 25. Is opting to skip Mt. SAC to gear up for postseason. Their outlook for November is the best it has been in years.

2. Cypress -- The recent dismissal of its coach let many team members with emotional motivation. Although its ex-coach was concerned by that fact as a potential inhibiting distraction, the Centurions sharpened their focus even further, executing on race day much like their coach had taught them!

3. Woodbridge -- Let's face it -- the Warriors more than any other program improve from the County meet to postseason, so any showing here should not be weighted greatly. Given their third-place overall showing, it bodes well for the future!

4. Santa Margarita -- Just when it seemed the Eagles might be tiring from a long haul in the opening month of the season, they rebound here to scale new heights. Division III is still loaded in the Southern Section, so no title is engraved yet!

5. Fountain Valley -- Was truly a surprise to see much a strong team encounter problems here. A high-mileage program that often battles injuries, there are alredy some skeptics questioning if the Barons crossed the red line last week.

6. Dana Hills -- Weren't some sticking a fork in the Dolphins? Those people can start eating crow! Dana Hills began to turn the corner at county, aiming on a very tough postseason ahead. Top runner still sidelined by injury.

7. Brea Olinda -- Has had a few setbacks here and there, only to also have the occasional bright spot also emerge. The Wildcats are expected to be in the mex at the end. Youth still a hurdle, but Brea has been known to clear hurdles before!

8. Sunny Hills -- Reports of their demise were greatly exaggerated. Much like last year, their depth is beginning to take shape. Super frontrunning gives them a chance at t state berth!

9. El Toro -- The Chargers continue to reload with impressive regularity. This time out, the low-key crew came out charging hard to remain among the best in South County.

10. Costa Mesa -- Already known to have a very solid lead trio, the group really took a huge step toward year-end success with the recent development of a fourth scorer.  Now in the hunt for a state-meet berth.

11. Corona del Mar -- Might have finished in the top 10 in the sweeps race, but not overall. Anotehr sign that the emergence of some programs such as Fountain Valley, Cypress, Marina, and Sunny Hills in recent years has the county getting incredibly tough!

12. El Modena -- Veteran coach admits to rookie mistake, letting excited team members vote their way into sweeps race. Usually, the crew takes smart incremental steps on way to postseason success. No need for worry. The quality is there.

13. Orange Lutheran -- Was only invited into sweepstakes race when another good team opted to give up its spot. Would have been a mistake to keep Orange Lutheran out, which has shown well while running split squads thus far.

14. Capistrano Valley -- As healthy as it has been for the first time since we can remmber (really!), the Falcons have also moved to Division II. Strong showing here nets them the a ranking and puts foot in door for a possible at-large berth!

15. Marina -- Competing in the talent-stacked Sunset League, the Vikings will need to keep the opposition at bay if it is to gain a spot into postseason!

16. Bolsa Grande -- A program on the rise, the kids up front are running well. Since in Division III, postseason outlook is good, but needs a bit more depth for a chance at state.

Your feedback/inside information is welcomed.

Rich Gonzalez
DyeStatCal