By Rich Gonzalez
Editor, DyeStatCal
      (Walnut, CA) -- Domination was the name of the game in the boys team battles in opening-day action of the 60th Annual Mt. SAC Cross-Country Invitational, where nearly 5,000 runners successfully attacked the famed 2.91-mile layout under very warm racing conditions.
      Barstow, McFarland and Woodcrest Christian -- the top-ranked teams in the state in their respective divisions -- affirmed their pre-meet billing with clear victories in the featured sweepstakes races.
      Individually, dominance was also the catch phrase as James Attarian of Dublin continued to rise within the Golden State's upper echelon with the day's lone sub-15-minute performance on the challenging three-hill layout. Attarian started quicker than planned, but still overtook Galena's Bryan Tibaduiza along Switchback Hill and gapped the Nevada star the rest of the way to win in 14:59, 19 seconds ahead of Tibaduiza in registering the two fastest times of the day.
      "This was great, another big win," said Attarian, who also claimed victory at the Stanford Invitational three weeks prior. "I actually came out a bit too hard, but the pace was fast for a lot of people and guys began to fall off."
      Attarian appeared tired at the "crossover point" leading toward Poop-Out Hill, but the high-mileage aerobic base he carved this summer along with the recent strength phase prepared him well as the gap continued to grow. By the descent of the final hill (Reservoir), Attarian seemed to have caught a 'second wind' flying quickly down the airstrip and heading for home. Even as much of the crowd was unaware of his pace, Attarian found the energy to battle right to the very finish, tucking in just under 15 minutes.
"It was a hot day and the pace was hard, so I was real pleased with the race," Attarian added.

  
Photos by Rich Gonzalez
Barstow's Anthnoy Solis and Isaac Chavez

      The team battle unfolding behind Attarian in the Division III Sweepstakes race turned into more of a Barstow showcase than anything else, with Anthony Solis (3rd in 15:25), Isaac Chavez (4th in 15:33) and Andre Romano (4th in 15:57) all bettering 16 minutes while donning their training shoes. The Aztecs did not fall off noticeably from there either, with 5 runners among the top 25 scorers in a commanding 56-point effort that saw it triumph by 54 points against Galena, the top team in Nevada. The one surprise in the division was another excellent showing by Palos Verdes of the Southern Section, which beat three state-ranked teams to now move into the podium picture for the state championships in five weeks. "Pee-Vee" enjoyed a tight 28-second scoring gap to fuel the upset.
       McFarland put on a clinic in pack running in the Division IV Sweepstakes affair, sending its top three runners across the mile mark at 4:50 to hold down the top three spots in the race overall, with the juggernaut program then sporting another pack of four crossing the mile at 5 minutes even. The pack grew more impressive as the race wore on, with the Central Section powerhouse boasting 7 of the top 14 at the 1.7-mile cross-over point, eventually settlnig for all seven among the top 15 at race's end. The 32 points was easily the most impressive sweepstakes score of the day, with Maranatha more than three minutes and over 50 points behind.
      Harvard/Westlake's Chris Okano took top individual honors in the race, scurrying home in 15:54 to win by more than 70 meters over a fine performance by San Lorenzo Valley senior Chris Proffitt. Jesus Gomez (16:09) and Eddie Garcia (16:21) were the next two placers, each representing McFarland. It should be noted that Notre Dame of Sherman Oaks senior Charles Maginness ran what appeared to be the fastest time in the division earlier in the day, unofficially running 15:47 in the non-sweepstakes Division IV heat. two watches had the Mission League talent in the upper 15:40s, but he was officially credited with a time nearly 30 seconds slower. Meet officials indicated they woudl review those race results further.
      The Division V Sweepstakes Race provided perhaps the fastest Mt. SAC performance at that level in state history as Woodcrest Christian of Riverside had three runners place in the top ten and separated by just 14 seconds. All scorers crossed the finish under 17 minutes, with the cumulative time effort of 81:50 a truly outstanding showing for small schools competition. The scorers for Coach Billy York's lineup included Jake Jeanson (4th in 16:03), Brennen McBride (fifth in 16:06), Myles Scarano (ninth in 16:17), Jesse Brooks (13th in 16:27) and David Showalter (25th in 16:57). Could it be that this team will run sub-81:00 (or maybe even eclipse 80:00) by season's end here? Wow!
      While Woodcrest Christian was chasing the record books and dominating the course, however, old rival Flintridge Prep easily enjoyed its best race of the season to place second -- only 19 points behind -- while clocking a very nifty 82:53. Flintridge Prep also topped Pasadena Poly (fourth here) in the race after twice losing to the Panthers in league action earlier this season.

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