Sunset in The Park
Central Park, Huntington Beach
2.8 miles - very warm conditions

All athletes compete unattached

Photo by Joe Carlson
A large group of girls -- with Long Beach Poly in the heart of the action -- is out quickly
at the start of their race at Thursday's Sunset in The Park 2.8-miler in Central Park.

All athletes compete unattached. School affiliations are listed for informational purposes only.

By Rich Gonzalez
Editor, DyeStatCal.com
HUNTINGTON BEACH (August 16, 2007) --  Having had too much fun these last few years, El Rancho's boys revamped varsity boys cross-country team is apparently planning to stick around for the postseason party in 2007. Perhaps the girls' team will enjoy part of the action as well.
    The Dons, who moved into the ranks of the Southern Section elite on the boys side in recent years, proved to be reloading nicely during a commanding group performance at the annual "Sunset In The Park" race at Central Park on Thursday.
    El Rancho, which missed last year's Division I state meet by a mere two points but was still a Southland ranked force all season long, dominated to sweep 9 of the first 13 places in the boys race to easily claim team honors at the popular Orange County-based event.
    Jason Zapien (15:58 at Mt. SAC at last year's CIF-SS D1 finals), the lone returnee from last year's fine Dons squad, won the 2.8-mile race in 14 minutes, 51 seconds. Teammate Alex Sanchez was next in 15:10. The scoring group (which also included potential varsity newcomers Daniel Herrera, Anthony Jiminez and Eddie Aguiles) enjoyed an impressive 51-second gap through its five scorers. Look for the group to be recognized among those to watch when the official CIF-SS rankings are released in two weeks.
    The girls' race was a tad more competitive up front but it was Pacifica's Megan Petkovic, who won one of the Gahr Summer Series 2-Miler races earlier this summer, eventually securing the six-second win over Loara's Andrea Guerra, 18:09-18:15.
    El Rancho was a team force in th girls' race as well, garnering 4 of the top 9 places and being led by Alice Perez's third-place finish in 18:27. Fifty-five seconds separated their lead quartet. Long Beach Poly and Rosary each also had three among the top 20 in the early results. (Full results not available as of 'press time'.)
    The course which includes a hilly portion on the back side of the park along the middle mile, was made even more challenging due to the warm temperatures blanketing the region this week.

High School Boys Race
1. Jason Zapien (El Rancho) 14:51
2. Alex Sanchez (El Rancho) 15:10
3. Sammy Sanchez (Don Lugo) 15:22
4. Daniel Herrera (El Rancho) 15:37
5. Anthony Jimenez (El Rancho) 15:38
6. Eddie Aguiles (El Rancho) 15:42
7. Carr (Pacifica) 15:57
8. Anonymous entry 16:04
9. Manuel Moreno (El Rancho) 16:10
10. Juan Rodriguez (El Rancho) 16:12
11. Pedro DeAlba (El Rancho) 16:14
12. Joshua Bolliger (Flash Brothers) 16:21
13. Jose Amador (El Rancho) 16:27
14. Emilio Chavez (Servite) 16:30
15. Russell Kelly (Sokons) 16:31
16. Ryan Chatman (Silverado) 16:40
17. Jon Montern (Don Lugo) 16:44
18. Victor Medel (Don Lugo) 16:44
19. Brian Gnerre (Torrance) 16:46
20. Chris Diaz (El Rancho) 16:47

High School Girls Race
1. Megan Petkovic (Pacifica) 18:09
2. Andrea Guerra (Loara) 18:15
3. Alice Perez (El Rancho) 18:27
4. Natalie Galvan (El Rancho) 18:48
5. Gabriela Ponce (Bolsa Grande) 19:00
6. Sandra Flores (El Rancho) 19:12
7. Jaasmin Pina (Long Beach Poly) 19:13
8. Aiko Araki (Pacifica) 19:21
9. Cassie Mejia (El Rancho) 19:22
10. Juliana Calabrese (Rosary) 19:25
11. Carley Lopez (Long Beach Poly) 19:28
12. Rosalinda Quinonez (Whittier) 19:31
13. Laura Hollander (?) 19:34
14. Erica Haggerty (Rosary) 19:35
15. Angela Gutierrez (XC Thugs) 19:38
16. Dynasty Gammage (Long Beach Poly) 19:48
17. Halex Kane (Loara) 19:51
18. Shelley Foerster (Pacifica) 19:56
19. Holly Ersek (Rosary) 19:57
20. Sara Taylor (Silverado) 20:08

 

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