El Camino women, East LA men victorious at South

Coast Conference finals - Kirby Lee

Gerardo Rabelo (East LA) and Heather Rosas (El Camino) - K Lee

So much for the home course advantage.
Cerritos College served as host for the South Coast Conference cross country championships at El Dorado Park on Saturday but the Falcons didn't gain much of an edge with familiarity of their "home" course.
"I was just following the leaders," Cerritos freshman Eli Rodriguez said. "I kind of looked at the map so I wouldn't make a wrong turn. But today was really the first time seeing the course."
Nevertheless, the Cerritos finished second to defending state champion East Los Angeles College, 36-54, behind the third-place finish of Rodriguez in 21 minutes, 7 seconds and Jesse Mirola in 10th in 21:49 over the 4-mile course. Long Beach was sixth, led by Michael Jackson in seventh in 21:31.
Janessa Botello and Lynette Thompson were fourth in 18:53 and seventh in 19:21 over the 5,000-meter course, respectively, for the Cerritos women, who were fourth with 78 points despite the absence of No. 3 runner Ana Oropeza, who did not run because of shin splints.
El Camino beat Mt. San Antonio College, 34-52, led by San Pedro graduate Heather Rosas, who clocked 18:17 to win by 27 seconds over runner-up Christina Lara of Mt. SAC. LBCC was sixth with 177 points.
Saturday's competition was the first race for any of the schools on the women's 5,000-meter and the men's 4-mile layouts designed by Cerritos coach John Goldman. Overnight rains didn't help traction on the zigzagging grass course with numerous gopher holes.
"I wanted to make it like true European cross country course," Goldman said. "I don't have to host the meet for another eight or nine years now. Whether someone else will use this course, I don't know. They are more than welcome to''
The Falcons didn't get a chance to train on the course over the past week because of poor air quality from Southern California wildfires. Nor would they want to.
"I hated the grass. There were guys tripping all over the place," Mirola said.
A workout at the park might not have done much good without the 600 miniature flags that Goldman purchased from a local home improvement story and placed on the course Friday afternoon.
Even so the women's field took a wrong turn and ran one of the loops in the wrong direction despite Goldman leading the field on a bicycle. Goldman improvised and got the runners back on course after a 150-yard detour.
"It was pretty well marked. There were flags every five feet but I am sure that from an onlooker's view, it looked like there were flags going everywhere," Thompson said.[ep
Cerritos appears on the way up among the state's junior college elite under first-year coach Goldman.
The Falcons will take the next step in the Southern California finals next Saturday at Mt. SAC. A top 10 finish will land Cerritos a berth in the state meet at Woodward Park in Fresno on Nov. 22.
"All our guys are improving. We're getting better that's all that matters," Rodriguez said. "We're peaking at the right time.''

Junior College Cross Country

South Coast Conference Championships

Men

4 miles at El Dorado Park

Team: 1. East Los Angeles 36; 2. Cerritos 54; 3. Mt. San Antonio 58; 4. El Camino 106; 5. Long Beach 112.

Ind: 1. Rabelo (East LA) 20:55; 2. Valadez (East LA) 21:07; 3. Rodriguez (Cerritos) 21:07; 4. Vincente-Martinez (Mt. SAC) 21:14; 5. Cobian (Pasadena) 21:17; 6. Bautista (ECC) 21:24; 7. Jackson (LBCC) 21:31; 8. Miano (Mt. SAC) 21:34; 9. Mendoza (East LA) 21:42; 10. Mirola (Cerritos) 21:49.

Women

5,000 meters at El Dorado Park

Team: 1. El Camino 34; 2. Mt. San Antonio 52; 3. East Los Angeles 74; 4. Cerritos 78; 5. Pasadena 125; 6. Long Beach 177; 7. Trade Tech 219.

Ind: 1. Rosas (ECC) 18:17; 2. Lara (Mt. SAC) 18:44; 3. Cardenas (Mt. SAC) 18:45; 4. Botello (Cerritos) 18:53; 5. Cherry (ECC) 19:11; 6. Lopez (East LA) 19:17; 7. Thompson (Cerritos) 19:21; 8. Lopez (ECC) 19:32; 9. Morrison (ECC) 19:40; 10. Gamboa (Mt. SAC) 19:46.