Race #1 @ 7:45 a.m.
***DIVISION II BOYS***
"Issuing a Brave new challenge!"
Mega-deep West Torrance and improved Loyola are squads applying
the pressure on defending champ St. John Bosco's Braves; Matusak's
private time goal is for our knowledge only--- but it's a doozy!

           It’s only fitting that today’s full slate of exciting action kicks off with perhaps the toughest race of all to forecast! Defending state champion St. John Bosco (with its senior-dominated lineup headlined by Randy Skillens and Kevin Urak) has been entrenched atop the divisional rankings for most of the season, although Bay League champion West Torrance has been closing the gap at an alarming rate in recent weeks as the Jonathan Yi-led Warriors have been turning heads with one outstanding stretch drive performance after another. Loyola, the state Division I champions two years ago, have All-American senior Mark Matusak (junior-class record 14:33 on this course) and fellow standout Matt Miller spearheading a Cubs attack recently fortified with a youthful band of improving depth, while traditional late-season force Valencia of Placentia (paced by junior gem Roman Pena) is flashing signs of yet another November rush! Westlake, led by sophomore star Cory Primm, and Edison, powered by the talented tandem of Joe Gatel and Jayson Hayes, are among other top programs entered, with only seven squads earning berths to Fresno for next weekend’s thrilling CIF-State Championships affair! The quest for individual honors figures to default to Matusak, with the UC Berkeley-signed favorite courting both the big-race credentials and career experience to be the hands-down pick. “The Tuz” has plotted a game plan to chase down the 14:28 course record -- and then some -- this morning, realizing he might need to undertake much or all of the pacing workload in order to make that goal a reality. It’s fairly wide open from there, with steady Damien senior Waleed Totari (a slew of invitational wins this fall), West Torrance’s Yi, Valencia’s Pena, Edison’s Gatel (4:13 and change for 1600m in track) and Hayes, and St. John Bosco’s Skillens and Urak all projecting to keep Matusak in their scopes. Although St. John Bosco and West Torrance are the race co-favorites, look for dangerous Loyola to fight its way into the mix. From there, it should be a 13-team melee in the frenzied rush for the final four berths to Fresno! – Rich Gonzalez, DyeStatCal.com Editor

2004 Best Mt. SAC Race Times              2004 Best Mt. SAC Team Times
Mark Matusak Loyola 14:43                        St. John Bosco 79:57
Randy Skillens St. John 15:16                       Loyola 80:08
Joe Gatel Edison 15:22                                 West Torrance 80:26
Waleed Totari Damien 15:27                        Edison 81:39
Kevin Urak St. John 15:40                            Valencia 81:43
Roman Pena Valencia 15:40                          Westlake 82:07
Stuart Patterson Sultana 15:42                       Chino Hills 82:11
Matt Miller Loyola 15:43                               Damien 82:43
Jonathan Yi W. Torr. 15:44                           Laguna Hills 82:52
Jayson Hayes Edison 15:46                           Hemet 83:11

Race #2 @ 8:05 a.m.
***DIVISION III BOYS***
"Will anyone crash the party??"
Recent improvements by Barstow puts the heat on top-ranked
Servite, with loaded Cabrillo and savvy Oak Park also very ready!

          Almost from the get-go, recent parochial school power Servite has been the uncatchable Division III force this fall, several fine team performances punctuated by the divisional championship showing at the mid-season Mt. SAC Invitational. All-West Region performer Nick Mosey has been the carburetor for the smooth-running Friars engine this fall, although Peter Robie and Nick Chavez have super-powered their lineup with impressive front-end depth. Cabrillo, forecast in preseason as the team to beat, hasn’t been as steady this season, althogh occasional stints of greatness alert their rivals as to what may be in store today. Cabrillo’s chances for the title hinge on a synchronized dominance of pre-season All-Western U.S. pick Michael Coe and Colin Hacker, with the crew also harboring the depth needed to reach the awards podium! Barstow, with perhaps the finest post-season tradition of any team in the field over the past two decades, has been making a run at the leaders in recent weeks, with Sam Melton helping orchestrate the charge for an Aztecs lineup that has rebuilt as quickly as any program in the section over the last 12 months! Oak Park (Division IV last year) and San Luis Obispo, a pair of defending CIF-SS defending championship squads, and other dangerous crews formulating plans for a massive upset, with the former led by veteran stars Jordan page and Ken Brooke and the latter’s team aspirations headed by Brian Medigovich. Mosey is considered the slight favorite, although Coe’s sensational end-of-year peak in 2003 tabs him as a logical championship threat as well. Hacker, Medogovich, Harvard-Westlake’s Jared Bell and Santa Margarita’s Scott Stromberg are additional top-end talents projecting to be among the leaders as they enter the finish chute. Barring any surprises, it should be three-team battle up front and courting different paths to the championship race, with Servite being the most battle-tested lineup throughout 2004 while Cabrillo and Barstow are a pair of programs instituting gradual performance rises during the stretch drive. – Rich Gonzalez, DyeStatCal.com Editor

2004 Best Mt. SAC Race Times                        2004 Best Mt. SAC Team Times
Nick Mosey Servite 15:14                                      Servite 80:40
Colin Hacker Cabrillo 15:36                                    Oak Park 81:45
Peter Robie Servite 15:40                                       Cabrillo 82:36
David Smith Northv. 15:41                                      Barstow 83:00
Jordan Page Oak Park 15:43                                  Bonita 83:44
Ken Brooke Oak Park 15:44                                  Corona del Mar 83:48
Eduardo Ramos Lompoc 15:46                               San Luis Obispo 84:09
Nick Chavez Servite 15:47                                      Santa Margarita 84:16
Josh Castaneda Bonita 15:48                                  Estancia 84:32
Andrew Neal Bonita 15:52                                      Lompoc 84:39

Race #5 @ 9:05 a.m.
***DIVISION IV BOYS***
"Prime-Time Showdown!"
'Laguna Beach' faces 'The O.L.' as traditional late-season power Lagun Beach
aims to topple heavily favored and very loaded Orange Lutheran!

         Since the start of summer, the expected battle for the team crown figured to boil down to a two-team clash between favored Orange Lutheran and always-dangerous Laguna Beach. So far, the dope sheet has kept true to form, although a short cast of serious darkhorse threats remains in the mix! Lutheran, led by all-state candidates Eric Ricca and Jordan Schmidt was beaten by Paraclete in qualifying action last week, although the favored Lancers appeard to be running within themselves at the time. Laguna Beach, with junior ace Max Mullender confidently leading the dangerous crew down the stretch, is known for late-season team heroics in recent years, with the crew proving its worth when the chips are down. Paraclete (led by Brett Siddle in prelims action), quietly developing as a small-schools force this decade, is well capable of taking a stab at snaring the crown, with San Luis Obispo-area power Morro Bay (led by Matt Baiz) boasting its own fine cadre of post-season achievements over the years. The individual battle up front figures to be a showdown between Carpinteria senior Joaquin Gomez and Big Bear sophomore Chad Hall. These two have clashed twice before this season, with Hall claiming a divisional best 15:26 victory at the Mt. SAC Invitational last month and Gomez claiming a 15:48-to-16:16 decision in their prelims matchup last weekend. Prelims heat winner Baiz (16:13) and talented performers Mullender and Sean Fuszard of Laguna Beach (with the latter being being timed in 16:07 here this fall but apparently resting out last weekend) are joined by Santa Ynez’s Carlyle Eubank in headlining the decorated list of individual entries. Although Lutheran has been top-ranked all season, Laguna Beach has established a clear reputation for noteworthy late-season peaks in recent years, making for a tense battle for the top spot, with the rivalry no doubt expected to continue the week following in Fresno! – Rich Gonzalez, DyeStatCal.com Editor

2004 Best Mt. SAC Race Times                2004 Best Mt. SAC Team Times
Chad Hall Big Bear 15:26                              Laguna Beach 83:18
Joaquin Gomez Carp. 15:47                           St. Bonaventure 85:07
Sean Fuszard Lag Bch 16:07                         Morro Bay 85:25
Matt Baiz Morro B 16:13                              Big Bear 86:57
Max Mullender Lag Bch 16:16                       Orange Lutheran 87:06
Carlyle Eubank Snta Yn. 16:20                       Salesian 87:26
Danny Avitia Excels. 16:24                             Paraclete 87:34
David Sanchez Beaum. 16:24                         Oaks Christian 88:32
Jeremy Eaton Lag Bch 16:28                          Carpinteria 88:58
Blake Lengle Vill. Chr 16:32                           Fillmore 89:14

Race #7 @ 9:45 a.m.
***DIVISION I BOYS***
"Royal Flush? Dana's Delight? or...."
Royal's depth is clearly the best in Golden State history, but Dana Hills,
Don Lugo and Rancho Cucamonga all are rising to meet the challenge!

           The most anticipated boys’ team battle of the day will play out here, with nationally ranked powers Royal and Dana Hills finally squaring off in determining the deepest and strongest squad in the Golden State for 2004! Careful, fellas, extremely potent lineups from Don Lugo and Rancho Cucamonga also have cranked it up a few notches in recent weeks, meaning this 16-team blockbuster could create a wave of revisions to the all-time lists once the dust settles! Royal, flaunting perhaps the deepest lineup since the famed record-setting Thousand Oaks squads of the early 1990s, has senior star Dylan Jaedtke pacing the Mt. SAC Team Sweepstakes, Woodbridge, Stanford, Ventura County and Marmointe League champions. Hudson Andrews and Michael Cybulski have developing into arguably the finest sophomore 1-2 punch in the entire nation this fall and seemingly the fastest 10th-grade tandem in Southern Section history! Dana Hills, with the most impressive team-wise post-season ledger in the Southland over the last quarter century, has senior Scott Smith and rising talent Darron Grimes heading a very deep crew that captured the prestigious South Coast League crown. Don Lugo, with one of the finest quartets in the entire nation, is the defending champion here and projects to follow the lead of super frontrunner Fitsum Tesfa, an All-American candidate who clocked a blistering 14:43 here last month. Alfred “Stomps” Gonzales and siblings Alex and Cesar Mercado are additional headlining names showcased by the Conquistadores. Rancho Cucamonga, which has nearly matched Dana Hills with its impressive improvement antics in recent weeks, has Stephen Trupiano, Hector Mendez and Kenny Foreman as a first-rate trio keying its attack. Inland Empire powerhouse Murrieta Valley (with super-improved junior Patrick Milloy), Orange County Championships winner El Toro (led by speedburner deluxe Brandon Bethke) and extremely dangerous Riverside-area force La Sierra (boasting Adam Sidoti and the clutch-performing Knight Twins – Spencer and Dylan) stack the deck even further, with darkhorse mega-threats Marina, Thousands Oaks and Ayala also checking in with fine credentials. El Toro’s Bethke, who recently signed to attend national collegiate powerhouse Wisconsin in the fall, clocked 14:30 here last month to come within two ticks of the course record and looms as the favorite, although Stanford Invitational winner Tesfa, Ventura County champ Jaedtke, Milloy, Trupiano, Gonzales, Antelope Valley’s Jose Melena, Temecula Valley’s Brett Campfield and West Covina’s Diego Mercado (14:59 here to top qualifying action last weekend) helping formulate the deepest individuals field in sectional postseason history! – Rich Gonzalez, DyeStatCal.com Editor

2004 Best Mt. SAC Race Times                 2004 Best Mt. SAC Team Times
Brandon Bethke El Toro 14:30                        Royal 78:04
Fitsum Tesfa Don Lug 14:43                            Don Lugo 78:07
Brett Campfield Tem Val 14:55                        Dana Hills 78:33
Scott Harris Los Os. 14:55                              Rancho Cuca 79:01
Patrick Milloy Murr Va 14:57                          Murrieta Val 79:03
Diego Mercado W. Cov. 14:59                        El Toro 79:26
Alfred Gonzales Don Lug 15:04                        La Sierra 79:49
Stephen Trupiano R.Cuca 15:10                       Marina 80:17
Dylan Jaedtke Royal 15:13                               Thous. Oaks 80:30
Scott Smith Dana Hil 15:15                              El Rancho 80:32
Daniel Cuevas Rialto 15:15

Race #9 @ 10:25 a.m.
***DIVISION V BOYS***
"A desert surprise, or a Valley showdown?"
Woodcrest Christian of Riverside turned heads in upset win at Mt. SAC last month, but San Gabriel Valley rivals Flintridge Prep and Maranatha are re-born each November!

          Clear the decks! Man the battle stations! Flintridge Prep and Maranatha are set to clash yet again – with familiar foes Santa Clara and Woodcrest Christian now working themselves into the mix as well! In what is sizing up as the deepest and most exciting Division V championship run in quite some time, the small-schools programs have torqued up the performances this season, with Mt. SAC Invitational upset winner Woodcrest Christian (led by sophomore Kody Peterson) having awoken the divisional giants for this weekend’s rematch! Flintridge Prep, the slight favorite after finishing a close second at th Mt. SAC affair in October, has superb veteran Tom McLean leading its show, with the Rebels highly motivated to avenge its bittersweet statewide runner-up showing from 2003. Maranatha, courting the finest post-season small-schools credentials among all section programs in he last 20 years, features Tony Hilling and J.J. Timphony among the special talents filling outs deep roster. Santa Clara, a statewide force at this level in recent years, has Miguel Cisneros and veteran Manuel Urban leading a solid quartet, with several other programs looking to race their way into podium position as well. Flintridge Prep’s McLean is the individual favorite, although Prep League Greg Burris of Webb, Bell-Jeff leader Gerald Herkey, Brentwood’s Ryan Gordon, Chadwick’s Peter Bartlett and Desert Christian of Lancaster frosh Jeremy Acosta all check in with very respectable credentials. Perhaps the toughest division to handicap for a variety of reasons, the fresnzied pursuit of team placings for both the podium spots as well as those treasured berths to Fresno will have the action rockin’! – Rich Gonzalez, DyeStatCal.com Editor

2004 Best Mt. SAC Race Times           2004 Best Mt. SAC Team Times
Greg Burris Webb 15:43                           Woodcrest Chr. 83:40
Tom McLean Flint Pr 15:53                      Flintridge Prep 83:56
Ryan Gordon Brentw 15:59                      Maranatha 84:04
Tim Burdett Woodc 16:03                         Santa Clara 84:12
Miguel Cisneros Santa Cl 16:06                Webb 84:54
Tony Hilling Maranat 16:08                        Brentwood 86:44
Gerald Herkey Bell-Jeff 16:10                   Buckley 86:51
Kody Peterson Woodcr. 16:27                 Chadwick 87:34
Diego Ceniceroz Santa Cl 16:32                Desert Chr. 87:41
JJ Timphony Maranat 16:36                        St. Margaret’s 88:47