2005 Central Section Championship Preview
By: Dustin Beauchamp

D1 Boys (2 State Meet Entries): After loosing 6 of 7 runners from last year’s championship team, Madera has reloaded this year with another crop of amazing young runners. They have competed very well all across the state all year and have dominated all other D1 opponents in the section. The race for the second State Meet berth will be a great one. Three Clovis teams will battle it out for the chance to run as a team on November 26th. All three are extremely young teams with many freshmen and sophomores setting the pace.
The individual race could be the best of the day with as many as many as 10 runners looking for the win. Madera will be led by Javier Sanchez, Isai Orea, and Julio Moreno. Clovis East’s Russell Pfaff has had a breakout year and will be a major challenger. Clovis West will send Sophomores Andrew Campbell and Eric Battles to seek the title.

Predictions:
1. Madera
2. Buchanan
3. Clovis West
4. Clovis East
5. Centennial

1. Russell Pfaff
2. Andrew Campbell
3. Javier Sanchez
4. Isai Orea
5. Julio Moreno

D1 Girls (3 State Meet Entries): The Buchanan girls have proven themselves to be the best team ever in the Central Section and one of the bests ever in the state. The most amazing thing is that they will all be back next year. Clovis East has been the number two team here with Madera looking to peak at exactly the right time. Centennial and Stockdale could both challenge Clovis East and Madera for the final State Meet spot.
Lauren Saylor is a minute faster than anybody else in the race and can cruise to victory for the first time in three years. Look for a sea of red to follow her in the battle to be the second best runner in the division. More than likely, Taylor Votaw from Bullard and Tiffany Hannah from Edison will split up the Buchanan pack at some point.

Predictions:
1. Buchanan
2. Clovis East
3. Madera
4. Centennial
5. Stockdale

1. Lauren Saylor
2. Tiffany Hannah
3. Sue Choi
4. Cathryn Saylor
5. Taylor Votaw

D2 Boys (2 State Meet Entries): The Clovis High boys might be the best team in the section and they are definitely the best team in this division. Look for a very low score from them. There has been some fierce competition all year for the #2 spot in this division. Tulare Western seems to have the upper hand right now, but many teams are challenging. The big question mark might be the Reedley team who has a tremendous top 3 runners and a good 4th runner, but have struggled with their #5 runner. If they can find a 5th runner to run close to their 4th, then they may be the other team to go to the State Meet.
Individually, it will be a battle between two of the top three runners in the section, who also happen to be teammates. Mikel Thomas is the headliner, but Jonathan Peterson will try his best to run with him. Eayoall Atsbeha of Ridgeview will also run strong here looking to surprise.

Predictions:
1. Clovis High
2. Reedley
3. Tulare Western
4. Foothill (Bakersfield)
5. Highland

1. Mikel Thomas
2. Jonathan Peterson
3. Eayoall Atsbeha
4. Spencer Rotan
5. Max Hernandez

D2 Girls (2 State Meet Entries): Should be another Clovis High victory here. They are the second best team in the section this year. A strong group of freshmen have solidified the team this year, who are without 2 of their top 5 from last year. North Bakersfield boasts a great 1-2 punch here, but falls off at their 4th and 5th runners. They should still be good enough to make the State Meet. Foothill, Golden West, and Tulare Western will challenge North for the #2 spot.
Another great individual battle is shaping up here. Amanda Johnson of Clovis High has done very well at the D1 level for the last 3 years and will look to end her high school career on a big high. She will be challenged Tawnie Kroll and Vicky Jenkins also from Clovis High. North Bakersfield will also send two studs to the line to challenge. Amanda Montgomery and Candace Carlson may very well go 1-2 in this division.

Predictions:
1. Clovis High
2. North Bakersfield
3. Golden West
4. Tulare Western
5. Foothill

Candace Carlson
Tawnie Kroll
Amanda Johnson
Amanda Montgomery
Vicky Jenkins

D3 Boys (2 State Meet Entries): This team race should be the best of the day on the boy’s side. Mt. Whitney and Golden Valley have had great years. Golden Valley rolled through divisional competition early in the year and Mt. Whitney has come on strong of late. Tulare could also surprise here with a big effort to make the State Meet.
Levi Reynaga of Granite Hills is the top returnee in this division and will be looking for the win here against some stiff competition. His main challengers should be Sheldon Stanton of El Diamonte, Carlos Marquez of Mt. Whitney, Cesar Mireles of Golden Valley, Matt Ford of Cesar Chavez, John Northrup of Washington Union, and Jesus Parra of Dinuba. Any one of these, or another runner could contend for the title here.

Predictions:
Golden Valley
Mt. Whitney
Tulare
Cesar Chavez
Washington Union (Easton)

Levi Reynaga
Jesus Parra
Cesar Mireles
John Northrup
Sheldon Stanton

D3 Girls (2 State Meet Entries): The Shafter girls have really improved this year to be a strong favorite here. They will not be able to relax, though, as Mt.Whitney should give them a run for their money. If Mt. Whitney or Shafter relax they could find themselves at home on November 26th, because Yosemite, Golden Valley, Tulare, and Granite Hills will all be hungry.
This should be another very good individual race with quite a few girls having a legitimate shot at winning. Yesenia Esparza from Shafter leads the best team in the division. Julianne Warmerdam of Yosemite has been running great this year in some very competitive races. Challenging them will be a ton of other good runners including Elizabeth Wittenberg from Shafter, Katelyn England of Washington Union, Alesa Wubeye from Mt. Whitney, and Christina Hackett of Granite Hills.

Predictions:
Shafter
Mt.Whitney
Yosemite
Granite Hills
Tulare

Yesenia Esparza
Corey Honeycutt
Julianna Warmerdam
Alesa Wubeye
Katelyn England

D4 Boys (3 State Meet Entries): The McFarland boys will continue their storied tradition here with yet another section championship. They are one of the top 3 teams in the section and will be battling it out for another state championship on November 26th. If Parlier doesn’t field a team, then McFarland should be looking at a 15 point romp here. After McFarland this is a very deep division and there will be a great race for the last 2 spots at State. Avenal looks to be a lock for 2nd, but anything can happen. Woodlake did great at the beginning of the year and looks to finish the year strong as well. They will be challenged very closely by San Jouquin Memorial, Garces, Templeton, Exeter, Kerman, and Corcoran.
Erick Garcia has been having an amazing year while challenging the best runners in the state. With a win here, he should have the confidence to go for the D4 championship at the State Meet as well, where he should be a co-favorite. Octavio Ruiz has distanced himself from his McFarland teammates and will try to challenge Garcia.

Predictions:
McFarland
Avenal
Woodlake
San Jouquin Memorial
Templeton

Erick Garcia
Octavio Ruiz
Tony Rojas
Juan Serna
Tony Fernandez

D4 Girls (2 State Meet Entries): There should be a great team battle here between Templeton and Exeter. Will it be a repeat of last year’s race which was won by Templeton with a slim 8 point margin? No other team will be able to match talents with these two teams for a State Meet berth, but San Jouquin Memorial and Garces should battle it out for the 3rd place plaque.
Also like last year, there should be a runaway winner, although it doesn’t appear it will be the same winner from last year. Allison Gonzales of Exeter has improved tremendously over the last year and has distanced herself from other competitors here. Returning champion Ali Simpson of Templeton will have a hard time getting back into the top 3 unless she can return to last year’s form. Erin Orme of San Jouquin Memorial and Marry Hallissey of Sierra look to have the advantage so far for the #2 spot individually. Abbey Cochran of Exeter will also try to repeat her 2nd place finish from last year.

Predictions:
Exeter
Templeton
San Jouquin Memorial
Garces
Farmersville

Allison Gonzales
Ali Simpson
Abbey Cochran
Erin Orme
Marry Hallissey

D5 Boys (2 State Meet Entries): Mission College Prep is the strong favorite to repeat here. They have been very consistent in their races all year and don’t seem to be in any danger of dropping off at the section meet. Liberty Madera Ranchos is the new team on the scene. They have looked strong of late and will battle with Central Valley Christian for the last spot at the State Meet.
Last year’s top two runners are back this year and may very well be battling it out again. Marshall Ford of Mission College Prep is the returning champion and Lucas Wilgenburg was the runner up. Ford has done very well this year and could make this a runaway. Vastly improved Ben Siquerios of Mission College Prep and teammate Jeremy Riforgiate should also challenge Wilgenburg for the #2 spot along with Mike Evans from Coast Union..

Predictions:
Mission College Prep
Liberty Madera Ranchos
Central Valley Christian

Marshall Ford
Mike Evans
Ben Siquerios

D5 Girls (3 State Meet Entries): A sweep for Mission College Prep is all but guaranteed here. They won by 17 points in a dual meet at last year’s championship and this year they add Jordan Hasay. They are one of the best teams in the entire section and will look to do some damage at the State Meet. Central Valley Christian is at the top of the contenders list that includes Bakersfield Christian, and Coast Union.
Jordan Hasay of Mission College Prep will be able to relax here, as she does in many races, and continue focusing on national level events coming up. Chelsey Wilgenburg has improved a lot since her 4th place showing last year. She will be challenged by last year’s winner Katie Mooney of Mission College Prep for the #2 spot in the division. Mission College Prep teammates Sarah Whitaker, Allison Fields, Paige Czarnecki, and Becky Stewart should take the next four spots and also challenge for a top 3 finish individually.

Predictions:
Mission College Prep
Central Valley Christian
Bakersfield Christian

Jordan Hasay
Katie Mooney
Chelsey Wilgenburg