High school cross country: CIF State Championship divisional preview

The 29th CIF State Cross Country Championships on the diversified 3.1-mile course Saturday at Woodward Park will carry a recurring theme: defending champions expected to repeat as titlists.

Among the boys, they are Arcadia’s Phillip Rocha (Division I) and Brea Olinda’s Austin Tamagno (D-III).

Among the girls, they are Davis’ Fiona O’Keeffe (D-I), Las Lomas-Walnut Creek’s Chloe Hansel (D-III) and Sonoma Academy-Santa Rosa’s Rylee Bowen (D-V).

Among the teams, Great Oak-Temecula, the nation’s most powerful high school distance-running program, will be favored to repeat a boys/girls sweep in D-I.

Also forecasted to successfully defend titles, as handicapped by PrepCalTrack and editor Rich Gonzalez, will be Brea Olinda (D-III) among boys and Saugus (D-II) and Flintridge Prep-La Cañada Flintridge (D-V) among girls.

The strongest Central Section representatives figure to be Madera South’s boys and Eduardo Herrera individually in D-I, and Clovis North’s Lauren Moffett (D-I) and Central Valley Christian’s Gabby Satterlee (D-IV).

Here is the division-by-division breakdown.

BOYS DIVISION I

Defending team champion: Great Oak-Temecula

Defending individual champion: Phillip Rocha, Arcadia, 14:58 (as a junior)

State-ranked teams (by PrepCalTrack.com): 1. Great Oak; 2. Dana Hills-Dana Point; 3. Madera South

State-ranked individuals by division (by PrepCalTrack.com): 1. Rocha; 2. Spencer Dodds, Great Oak; 3. Eduardo Herrera, Madera South

Best of Central Section: 1. Herrera; 2. Miguel Villar, Madera South; 3. Michael Ochoa, Madera South

BOYS DIVISION II

Defending team champion: Ventura

Reigning individual champion: Brian Zabilski, Saugus, 15:07 (as a senior)

State-ranked teams: 1. West Torrance-Torrance; 2. Canyon-Anaheim; 3. Mira Costa-Manhattan Beach

State-ranked individuals by division: 1. Dylan Scarsone, Canyon; 2. Cole Hoff, Agoura-Agoura Hills; 3. Chance Lamberth-Canyon

Best of Central Section: 1. Julian Irigoyen, Shafter; 2. Robert Sagasta, Liberty-Bakersfield; 3. Ruben Reyes, Reedley

BOYS DIVISION III

Defending team champion: Brea Olinda

Defending individual champion: Austin Tamagno, Brea Olinda, 15:09 (as a junior)

State-ranked teams: 1. Brea-Olinda; 2. Campolindo-Moraga; 3. Paso Robles

State-ranked individuals by division: 1. Tamagno; 2. Callum Bolger, San Luis Obispo; 3. Joshua Litwiller, La Costa Canyon-Carlsbad

Best of Central Section: 1. Anthony Moronez, Ridgeview; 2. Jonathan Matson, Corcoran; 3. Pedro Cruz-Penaloza, Arvin

BOYS DIVISION IV

Defending team champion: Bishop Amat-La Puente

Reigning individual champion: Caleb Webb, Big Bear-Big Bear Lake, 15:05 (as a senior)

State-ranked teams: 1. Sage Creek-Carlsbad; 2. Sir Francis Drake-San Anselmo; 3. Harvard Westlake-Studio City

State-ranked individuals by division: 1. Andrew Burkhardt, JSerra-San Juan Capistrano; 2. Moses Bojorquez, Foothill Tech-Ventura; 3. Roman Munoz, King City

Best of Central Section: 1. Jose Mosqueda, Kerman; 2. Mohammed Ali, Avenal; 3. Duncan Reid, Bishop

BOYS DIVISION V

Defending team champion: Xavier Prep-Palm Desert

Reigning individual champion: Trevor Reinhart, Marin Academy-San Rafael, 14:59 (as a senior)

State-ranked teams: 1. Flintridge Prep-La Cañada Flintridge; 2. Desert Christian-Lancaster; 3. Martin Academy-San Rafael

State-ranked individuals by division: 1. tie, Jack Van Scoter, Flintridge Prep; Cooper Teare, St. Joseph Notre Dame-Alameda; 3. Isaiah Lozano, St. Bonaventure-Ventura

Best of Central Section: 1. Luke Dykstra, Central Valley Christian; 2. Pedro Lopez, Wonderful-Delano; 3. Marcial Nunez, Wonderful

GIRLS DIVSION I

Defending team champion: Great Oak-Temecula

Defending individual champion: Fiona O’Keeffe, Davis, 16:57 (as a junior)

State-ranked teams: 1. Great Oak; 2. Davis; 3. Clovis North

State-ranked individuals by division: 1. O’Keefe; 2. Brooke Starn, Monte Visita-Danville; 3. Chloe Arriaga, Walnut

Best of Central Section: 1. Lauren Moffett, Clovis North; 2. Meagen Lowe, Buchanan; 3. Blayney Dolan, Clovis North

GIRLS DIVISION II

Defending team champion: Saugus-Santa Clarita

Reigning individual champion: Amber Gore, Redondo Union, 17:22 (as a senior)

State-ranked teams: 1. Saugus; 2. Serrano-Phelan; 3. Bella Vista-Fair Oaks

State-ranked individuals by division: 1. tie, Gillian Meeks, Gunn-Palo Alto; Amanda Gehrich, Tesoro-Las Flores; 3. Claire Graves, Tesoro

Best of Central Section: 1. Devianna Salcedo, McFarland; 2. Jasmine Gonzalez, Madera; 3. Sarah Hartshorn, Frontier

GIRLS DIVISION III

Defending team champion: Palos Verdes-Palos Verdes Estates

Defending individual champion: Chloe Hansel, Las Lomas-Walnut Creek, 17:35 (as a junior)

State-ranked teams: 1. La Costa Canyon-Carlsbad; 2. Esperanza-Anaheim; 3. tie, Palos Verdes-Palos Verdes Estates; Aptos

State-ranked individuals by division: 1. Stefani Gaskell, Sultana-Hesperia; 2. Jacquelyn Smith, Palos Verdes-Palos Verdes Estates; 3. Michelle Magnani, Moorpark

Best of Central Section: 1. Cagnei Duncan, Liberty-Bakersfield; 2. Paradise Pelzer, North; 3. Lydia Scott, Selma

GIRLS DIVISION IV

Defending team champion: Central Valley Christian

Reigning individual champion: Caroline Pietrzk, Malibu, 17:35 (as a senior)

State-ranked teams: 1. Mayfield-Pasadena; 2. Bishop Amat-La Puente; 3. Santa Cruz

State-ranked individuals by division: 1. Cate Ratliff, Santa Cruz; 2. Morgin Coonfield, McKinleyville; 3. Gabby Satterlee, Central Valley Christian

Best of Central Section: 1. Satterlee; 2. Shani Slabber, Central Valley Christian; 3. Jenna Wilson, Central Valley Christian

GIRLS DIVISION V

Defending team champion: Flintridge Prep-La Canada

Defending individual champion: Rylee Bowen, Sonoma Academy, 18:36 (as a freshman)

State-ranked teams: 1. Flintridge Prep; 2. St. Joseph Notre Dame-Alameda; 3. Francis Parker-San Diego

State-ranked individuals by division: 1. Bowen; 2. Kiera Marshall, St. Joseph Notre Dame; 3. Mazzi Genovese, Rolling Hills Prep-San Pedro

Best of Central Section: 1. Gabriella Lugo, Bakersfield; 2. Nancy Gomez, Caruthers; 3. Genesis Rodriguez, Bakersfield Christian

This story was originally published November 27, 2015 at 5:21 PM with the headline "High school cross country: CIF State Championship divisional preview."