The California Interscholastic Federation Southern Section prelims, which was held last weekend at Mt. San Antonio College, was a positive weekend for many Santa Clarita Valley crosscountry teams as four schools from the region will be represented at this Saturday’s finals.
The prelims, which had races scheduled all throughout the rainy weekend from Friday into Saturday, presented a challenge for many teams but had Hart, Saugus, West Ranch and Trinity advance.
And although Canyon High School didn’t compete, Canyon’s Owen Souther qualified as an individual to the competition and took home the Division 2 third heat race win with a 14:52.3.
In that same race, Hart boys took the overall team win with five runners in the top 15.
“We were the top-ranked team in the race, so our goal was to just pack run and conserve energy for next week’s finals,” Hart coach Darren James said. “We executed well and got the job done.”
Josiah Himsl led all Hart runners with a 15:04.1, placed third in the race and has been the leading runner for the Hawks all season long and was described as the difference maker by his coach.
“He has been our front runner for much of the season,” James said. “He’s gritty and has great natural racing instincts. His lower scores will make a big difference as we move through the finals next week and ultimately state.”
The Hart girls placed third in the Division 2 heat third heat race and joined the boys’ side in the championship with Sasha Berry leading all runners with a 18:43.0 in 11th.
For Saugus, history was made as the girls’ team advanced to its 21st consecutive finals appearance, an accomplishment that can’t be overstated by coach Kevin Berns.
“It’s a big deal, just because of legacy,” he said. “The legacy has been set forth in Saugus by the previous runners. So, for us, it’s a big deal.”
The girls’ side will be joined by the boys as both teams had four runners in the top 10 in their respective Division 2 races.
After the competition, Berns spoke on the challenges of the rain and how his teams navigated the course.
“To be honest, you prepare all year for all different types of conditions,” he said. “You prep for the heat, you prep for the rain, you prep for the wind, you try to prep for as much as you can. Obviously, being in Southern California, it doesn’t rain much. So that’s the hardest part to prepare for. And so, the preparation for that is running in the rain when it rains. I mean really, that’swhat it is.”
As for West Ranch, the boys’ side advanced to the finals as the Wildcats won the Division 3 second heat race with Braulio Castillo winning the overall race with a 14:49.6.
For Trinity Classical Academy, the boys’ cross-country team competed in the Division 5 third heat race and placed second in the competition.
“I couldn’t be more proud of their performance,” coach Jarod Ebenhack said in a written statement to The Signal. “Today, the focus was self-control. Next week, we plan to begin the same way, race with love for one another and for God in the second mile and finish the third mile with power.”
James Selby led all Trinity runners with a 16:45.09 time and placed 14th in the race.
In the Division 1 category, Valencia had its boys and girls compete, but both teams failed to qualify in their respective races with the boys’ side missing out on advancing by one point behind San Juan Hills, which placed fourth.
For the rest of the teams that qualified, the first race in the finals on Saturday begins at 7:45 a.m. at Mt. San Antonio College, and the top seven teams from Divisions 1-4 and top six from Division 5 will automatically qualify for the state championships in Fresno on Nov. 29.
