2014 King High Cross Country Yearbook - Volume 16 Coaches: Brad Peters, Dan Peirce, Leisha Clendenen, Jim Griesinger, Martin Stevens Athletic Director: Tony Masi. Principal: Darel Hansen Written, Layout and Design by Brad Peters 59 Athletes at Season’s End. www.kingcrosscountry.com
AN HONORABLE RUN
“Never suppose that in any possible situation or under any circumstance that it is best for you to do a dishonorable thing however slightly it may appeal to you ... Encourage all your virtuous characteristics and excercise them whenever an opportunity arrises” - Thomas Jefferson.
ability
school
the course parents teachers our past grades competition our season teammates
At its base, “honoring” is about giving away. It’s other-centered and it seeks the good in someone else before it seeks anything for oneself. That’s what we tried to do this season ... give ourselves away to others. We sought out what was good in others and pursued showing and talking about that on a weekly basis. It wasn’t easy, as giving away and taking nothing is never a simple task. But it was worth it. It was worth thinking beyond ourselves and going after the good in the people and the sport and the season that surrounded us. Thank you all for taking the journey. I hope that along the way you found that hidden in the selflessness of honoring others you found yourself emboldened to live a life that seeks the good of others before you seek the good for yourself. Tonight, we honor a few more!
CIF SOUTHERN SECTION & STATE D-1 FINALISTS
Tyler Janes, Mark Werley, Carlos Ramirez, Rolando Phalen, Seth Villanueva, Isaiah Quiambao, David Huff, Andrew Boebinger, Blake Simpson, Daniel Gonzalez
THE 2014 TEAMS
Matt Cleland, Jacob Myers, Andrew Boebinger, Austin Simpson, Austin Adams, Dalton Seckinger, Blake Simpson, David Huff, Tyler Janes, Brenton Havsgaard, Mark Werley Bailey Brown, Carlos Ramirez, Seth Villanueva, Evan Tinker, Alex Clifford, Austyn Wild, Rolando Phalen, Wyatt Smith, Austin Hoffman, Tyler Woods, Kyle Hoffman Christian Duenas, Austin Dai, Isaiah Curtner, Mario Machuca, Andrew Simpson, Michael Robinson, Justin Eckenrode, Connor Sharp, Isaiah Quiambao Daniel Gonzalez, Aman Rana, Brandon Villacres, Steven Parker, Daniel Mungia, Kyle Johnson, Andrew Wilde Jessica Ferguson, Julie Steklof, Hannah Johnson, Alex Huff, Skye Smith, Carissa Avila, Tayelee Holtrop, Kathryn Hammar, Dystanee Rush Hannah Boutwell, Emily Sanchez, Monica Cervantes, Andrea Canseco, Allison Janes, Joelle Ramos, Alyssa Haring, Rebekah Pendelton.
2011-2014 FOUR YEAR RUNNERS
the season
Seth, Kyle, Rolando, Hannah, Dalton, Carlos and Matt
academic
VARSITY LETTER EARNERS 4th Year
Dalton Seckinger
3rd Year
Alyssa Haring, Kyle Johnson, Rolando Phalen, Mark Werley
2nd Year
Hannah Johnson, Matt Cleland, Daniel Gonzalez, David Huff, Tyler Janes, Rebekah Pendleton, Carlos Ramirez, Emily Sanchez, Blake Simpson, Wyatt Smith, Seth Villanueva
1st Year
Andrew Boebinger, Andrea Canseco, Jessica Ferguson, Kathryn Hammar, Tayelee Holtrop, Isaiah Quiambao, Joelle Ramos, Skye Smith
Varsity All League First Team 3rd, Rolando Phalen 5th, Tyler Janes 6th, Carlos Ramirez 7th, Daniel Gonzalez Second Team 8th, Mark Werley 9th, Seth Villanueva Third Team 18th, David Huff First Team 2nd, Emily Sanchez 4th, Alyssa Haring Second Team 12th, Kathryn Hammar Third Team 19th, Rebekah Pendleton
ACADEMIC ALL-STARS 2014 SCHOLAR-ATHLETES 4.0 GPA AND ABOVE
Julie Steklof, Kathryn Hammar, Emily Sanchez, Christian Duenas, Kyle Johnson, Aman Rana
3.80 - 3.99 GPA
Carissa Avila, Andrew Simpson, Evan Tinker, Austyn Wild, Tyler Woods, Andrew Boebinger, Mark Werley
3.50-3.79 GPA
Alexandra Huff, Allison Janes, Hannah Johnson, Dalton Seckinger, Rebekah Pendleton, Joelle Ramos, Skylar Smith, Alvin Agatep, Matt Cleland, Mario Machuca, Jacob Myers, Blake Simpson, Seth Villanueva
2014: IN WORDS AND PICTURES
M MAMMOTH
Blue skies were a welcome sight in our annual week in Mammoth, especially after the 2013 edition was obscured by smoke from nearby forest fires. This year’s time in the Sierra’s was nothing short of spectacular, as we enjoyed clean air, nice temperatures, great food cooked by Coach Peirce and a willing attitude among the athletes in attendance to work hard with good spirit. In short, it was a good week of training and team bonding.
The Amazing Race!
C
OW RUN AND FASTBACK CHALLENGE MAKE FOR GREAT START TO ‘14
The Wolves returned to the Cerritos “Cow Run” and were once again treated to a fine meet with solid competition and a flat course. Almost all of the athletes who competed there in 2013 ran faster here in 2014. A number were significantly faster, led by Jessica Ferguson who was almost 3:30 ahead of a year ago! Kathryn Hammar also PR’d by 2-plus minutes. Andrea Canseco was 3:38 ahead of last year, a time that is roughly a half mile in length! Austin Dai, Austyn Wild and Isaiah Curtner were over 2 minutes faster. The JV boys had the highest finish on the day, taking 4th overall.Wyatt Smith was a top five finisher there. The freshmen girls finished in the top 10, led by Joelle Ramos who ran a wonderful second-half of the race catching dozens. Mario Machuca showed his hard work is paying off with a leading effort in the soph race. Emily Sanchez was the top finisher for the varsity girls, with a huge, aggressive effort and PR for good measure. The Wolves top boys headed over to the Fastback Challenge at Mt.SAC. It’s a truncated course, finishing at 1.92 miles and minus the Reservoir hill. The guys raced really well with a commanding victory on the day over all rivals, the closest of which was 90 points behind. Led by Michael Robinson’s outstanding top King finish and fourth overall on the day, the boys packed well, with the top six King harriers just 21 seconds apart and the top 7 finishing within 29 seconds. A great showing!
Cool temperatures, a great, championship styled cross country course and outstanding competition from across the state and Arizona made this year’s running of the Mt. Carmel Invitational ripe for good efforts and times. It did not disappoint. The girls were led by Emily Sanchez who had a wonderful race in the senior girls contest, finishing 12th. Freshman Joelle Ramos ran really well for 13th in her race. Kathy Hammar and Rebekah Pendleton were side by side at the end to finish with course in the sophomore race, leading their group to a very nice second place team finish. Tayelee Holtrop, Dystanie Rush and Julie Steklof completed the scoring. Alyssa Haring had a top ten finish in the junior girls race. The junior boys won their race by a large margin over Loyola. It is this group’s third straight Mt.Carmel victory. Mark Werley led the way with a second place finish at 15:58, the number two King time on the course in our long history of running it. With his brother Lane holding the record there, two Werleys sit atop the all time list. Mike Robinson and Tyler Janes had strong efforts while AJ Boebinger sat on Blake Simpsons shadow and the two finished with their best races of the year. Carlos Ramirez and Rolando Phalen were the top finishers in the senior race, pacing that group to a sixth place team finish. Isaiah Quiambao continues to improve, finishing as King’s seventh runner. When the final merged results were made, the boys finished 3rd of the 99 schools who were in the meet. Mario Machuca was the top King finisher in the sophomore race and Andrew Simpson was the leading ninth grader
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UNIOR BOYS, SOPH GIRLS SCORE WELL AT MT.CARMEL
A
ONE AND TWOS AT BIG 8 NUMBER ONE The first race of the Big 8 season kicked off at Prado Park in Chino. King came away with a three second place finishes and a victory in the JV Boys race. Corona's boys are ranked 5th in the Southern Section, Division One, and so the 7th ranked Wolves knew they were up against a quality squad. The race was extremely competitive as Roosevelt's boys have improved over the last year and the three teams took up all of the top 20 places. In the end, Corona bested King by five points as they were able to put two runners in front of King's first, and two more between King's 3 and 4. While King had almost all seven in front of Corona's fifth, those small points of the Panthers helped to seal the deal and they took round one. Mark Werley was the top finisher for King. The girls were confronted by a very good Roosevelt squad, their best team by far in quite a few years. King's girls would finish second by 26 points, but just three ahead of Santiago. Emily Sanchez had another strong, aggressive effort to finish 4th overall. Notably, freshman Joelle Ramos made her first start at the varsity level and competed very well despite her inexperience. The JV girls also finished second, and were led by Skye Smith in 4th place. Dystanie Rush was right behind her and Alexandra Huff ran a super second-half of the race to catch up and finish in the top 10. Led by Daniel Gonzalez's individual win, the JV boys captured the only victory of the day for King, winning by 11 points over Corona. They earned the victory yesterday with a solid five finishers spread through the top 8 places.
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ANCER CLASSIC SENDS KING KIDS HOME WITH HARDWARE AND PR’S The fourth annual Lancer Classic was held at the Martha Maclean Anza Park and the 5K course gave spectators a great view of the action, the athletes a unique course to traverse and King an opportunity to collect some hardware. Sandwiched in the season schedule between the very large Mt. Carmel and Central Park Invitationals, this small meet actually brought out of the athletes some strong performances. The frosh-soph girls could not score as there were only four on the line, but those four - Skye Smith, Alex Huff, Dystanie Rush and Julie Steklof all finished in the top six, with Skye the runner up! The FS boys won handily, with a race win by Andrew Simpson, followed closely by Evan Tinker and Chris Barba. All three guys put down their best race of the season! Alyssa Haring had the fastest time of the day among all girls in all races to lead the varsity girls to a very strong win over Temecula Valley. Emily Sanchez, Rebekah Pendelton, Kathy Hammar and Joelle Ramos all scored for the Lady Wolves. The Varsity boys were led by AJ Boebinger and David Huff who exchanged positions several times in the race before AJ used his 800 speed to scamper across the line in third. It was a big team effort though as Blake Simpson, Dalton Seckinger and Matt Cleland all finished in the top 9. Saving the best for last, the JV boys swept their competition, finishing in the top five spots of the field, as Brenton Havsgaard captured his first-ever race win. He was followed by Bailey Brown, Isaiah Curtner, Daniel Mungia and Tyler Woods to score the perfecto 15 points. Austin Hoffman was right on their heels with a very fine race of his own.
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OPH GIRLS VICTORIOUS AT CENTRAL PARK INVITE
King returned to the Central Park invite in Huntington Beach after a year away. The popular meet proved to be a good experience for the teams as the athletes competed well and for the many of this year's squads who are very young in the sport, the experience gained was invaluable.
Joelle Ramos led a foursome of freshmen and ran an aggressive race tactic that was encouraging to see. Skye Smith was solid as well, finishing at 21:30 for the three mile course. The sophomore girls were the sole race winners of the day. Kathy Hammar who is having a nice breakout season led the way with a top five finish. Rebekah Pendleton, Tayelee Holtrop Dystanie Rush and Julie Steklof all had really good races to win by over 20 points. Emily Sanchez led the varsity girls race for King with a low 19:00s effort. She was closely followed by Alyssa Haring. Andrew Simpson and Chris Barba did what they did last week in the Lancer meet, running in tandem almost to the finish where only one second separated them. Christian Duenas had another strong outing and is improving by the week. Ryan Orr was the top finisher for King in the JV race and his time of 17:01 would prove to be the 4th fastest time for the Wolves on the day. Brenton Havsgaard was right behind him at 17:13. The varsity race saw King field it's "second team" as many of the teams top harriers were training. It's worth noting since this group finished fourth overall against many other teams varsity squads. It speaks to the depth of King. Daniel Gonzalez led the way for King, Kyle Johnson and Isaiah Quiambao were next in with Wyatt Smith and Matt Cleland wrapping up the scoring. So it was a good morning of racing. Each week proves another opportunity to honor the talent and effort each team member puts in, and on a mild morning in the OC the King kids took advantage of their opportunity.
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ANGING A HIGH FIVE AT FRESNO; BOYS SET TEAM TIME SCHOOL RECORD The Clovis invitational has become one of the premiere invitationals in the State and beckons those who want to be competitively challenged on a great course. Wanting to be counted in that group, King made its tenth trip north to Fresno hoping that the Big Stage would deliver results. It did. From the very beginning the boys varsity squad has been a team that, on paper, has had the credentials to be the fastest team in school history. Heretofore in 2014 by virtue of the schedule and a nod toward racing well in November, the opportunity to really roll hasn't presented itself. That moment came in Clovis and the group rose to the occasion. They were entered in the marquee race that was loaded with ranked teams from four states, including a powerhouse program from Texas. Tyler Janes led the group with a hard, aggressive effort, crossing the twomile mark in 12th place before settling for 22nd. Still it was a breakthrough for the talented junior who would run 15:37, the 2nd fastest time in school hisotry. A solid pack followed and brought the team across the line in 5th place out of some 26 schools. That pack of Carlos Ramirez, Mark Werley, Seth Villanueva and Rolando Phalen crossed the line from 16:00 to 16:11, all are in the top 9 all-time King marks on the course.. The team time for the group, (79:59) shattered the 5k school record by 63 seconds! No longer just on paper, this group is now the fastest squad King's ever fielded. The girls team is of a different makeup this year than the boys, with a preponderance of rookies, or first-year varsity runners making up the top seven. Their challenge has been to embrace higher levels of expectation and competition, and so the setting of Clovis couldn't have been better for the young squad. The only senior, Emily Sanchez who is in her first full season of varsity running,
ran in spectacular fashion, charging boldly into the race and notching the ninth fastest King time in our history. A nice pack of Alyssa Haring, Rebekah Pendleton and Kathryn Hammar held form to keep King in the mix and Tayelee Holtrop rounded out the scoring five. Together, they finished 5th in the large schools varsity race. The only crack in the King armor was a 1:15:00 gap from the 4th to the 5th scorer. Showing the depth of the King boys, the JV squad actually toed the line in a varsity race and performed well, finishing 8th overall against many other schools' top-seven! Mike Robinson ran very well to lead the group and was followed by David Huff who had his best race this season. Blake Simpson, Isaiah Quiambao and Kyle Johnson all rounded out the scoring. The JV girls also ran well and were led by Sky Smith who raced with great determination and poise.
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IG 8 MEET SETS UP BIG BATTLE
That the Big 8 is a competitive league goes without saying. Each and every contest provides excellent running and opponents that make all participants come ready to do battle or go home with diappointment. Thursday’s second cluster meet of 2014 was true to form and while King battled well, there was still a tinge of disppointment when it was all over.
The JV boys were the only victory for the Wolves. They were led by Isaiah Quiambao this time, who turned in his best performance of the year! He won the race by virtue of good pacing and a necessary kick to outrun his nearest opponent. Isaiah’s hard work and commitment has born fruit, last year at this time he was 37th in the JV race! The strong pack of Wolves supported that single point, with scoring efforts turned in from Blake Simpson and Kyle Johnson who both finished in the top 5. Dalton Seckinger and Wyatt Smith finished out the scoring, giving King a 27-42 advantage over Roosevelt. The JV girls unfortunately went off course enmasse and never turned around leading to a non-scoring effort. King’s varsity girls were outdone in the first Big 8 meet by 26 points by a very improved and talented group from Roosevelt. The goal was set then to “cut the gap” and improved. Did they ever in this second race! Led by Emily Sanchez and Alyssa Haring who both were at the front of the chase pack behind the eventual winner who ran the race solo, the two brought along a fast improving Kathryn Hammar who had an outstanding race! Finishing 7th overall, she dropped 10 places from where she finished the first race! Also stepping up big with improvement from the first outing was freshman Joelle Ramos who scored for the Wolves in 17th place, down from the 24th position she was at earlier in the season. While Roosevelt is still the strongest group in the league, the 20 point gap between them and King shows a wonderful improvement by our team! In round one of the league, only 8 points separated Corona, King and Roosevelt. With Corona’s top two harriers out of this race, the battle came down to King and Roosevelt. Sure enough, both squads sandwhiched all of their scorers into the top 13 spots of the race early on, with King taking the advantage by the mid-way mark. But Roosevelt battled hard and with 800 to go, the Mustangs were clearly in control. The King boys, hearing the news roared back and several made passionate kicks to snatch back a spot. While ultimately King had six in front of Roosevelt’s 5th, the Mustang’s 1-2 finish helped to seal the deal and they took the victory, 28-29. It was another great battle, which is what we’ve come to expect from the Big 8. Without question, the League Final will prove to be the final chapter in the story. For this year. Next year, it will resume again.
Despite a bus that showed up 30 minutes late and had most of the team scrambling in the pre-dawn hour to find a car to get to MtSAC in, "scrambling" wouldn't have described the way the Wolves raced throughout the morning hours. Things got off very well as the JV boys, racing in the mythical "JV National Championship" put themselves right into the thick of things and pulled off an upset win over Great Oak, who had won that race the last three seasons.
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OYS LEAD WAY TO A GOOD DAY AT MT.SAC
The scoring five of Mike Robinson, David Huff, AJ Boebinger, Kyle Johnson and Blake Simpson all placed low and collectively their team time of 80:56 is now the 7th fastest time in school history. We knew we had depth, this result proves it. Wyatt Smith and Dalton Seckinger rounded out the seven who won by over 30 points. Tyler Janes led the varsity group in the "Sweepstakes" race, a division 1-2 combo race that collects many of the top ranked teams at the meet. Aiming to race with poise and purpose, the group did just that behind Janes' 22nd place finish and 2nd fastest time in school history at 15:27. A fine pack of Mark Werley, Rolando Phalen and Carlos Ramirez formed with Daniel Gonzalez, Seth Villanueva and Isaiah Quiambao filling out the 5-7 spots. The team time of 79:00 set a school record by one second and their 7th place finish (3rd of the division 1 teams) was a solid showing with a month to go till CIF Finals The girls varsity team was splintered a bit as the "younguns" ran at grade level. That didn't keep the five juniors and seniors from racing hard and led by Emily Sanchez's 4th place finish (and the 14th fastest time in our history) the squad of Alyssa Haring, Hannah Johnson, Andrea Canseco and Jessica Ferguson finished 3rd in their race. The sophomore girls saw terrific performances by Kathryn Hammar and Rebekah Pendleton in the top 10 and they led the team to a 2nd place finish. Tayelee Holtrop, Julie Steklof and Dystanie Rush did the scoring to bring the girls
across in second place with 75 points. The sophomore boys did not place well as the scorers were well back. Mario Machuca led the group in 36th place with a time of 17:50. The freshmen girls didn't have a scoring team but Joelle Ramos and Skye Smith both ran 21:15 and medaled in the top 15! The freshmen boys were scattered across the field, perhaps a result of the rising temps or the "chaos" of Mt.SAC's crowds Steven Parker had a good race to lead the crew, and Connor Sharp had a nice, individual effort. The day was a good one. Mt.SAC, with its overlapping races, large crowds and controled chaos, can be overwhelming, even if one's bus arrives on time. To come away with solid performances and a little hardware is always a win.
T M O R F S E G IMA
L A N O I T A T HE BIG INVI
K
ING PLAYS RUNNERS-UP TO ROOSEVELT AT THE BIG 8 FINALS
The boys' varsity race was as intense as a league race can be, but when the dust at Prado Park had settled, the difference between a Big 8 league title and second place came down to one point. One skinny point. Roosevelt, which had eaked out a one point victory in the second meet of the year three weeks ago, duplicated their output and took home the title. It wasn't by virtue of a poor race by King's varsity boys. On the contrary, the Wolves ran superbly and placed six runners in front of the Mustang's fourth, but in a race in which the top 11 finishers were wearing one of those two uniforms, the six-team race looked more like a dual meet and King couldn't quite counter the 1-2-4 finishing order of Roosevelt's top three. Rolando Phalen led the way for King, finishing third, and then came the pack of Tyler Janes, Carlos Ramirez, Daniel Gonzalez, Mark Werley and Seth Villanueva, all of whom were within 15 seconds of each other. It was an exciting race despite the narrow miss at the win. The girls varsity was the exact opposite, other than King's ladies finished second like the boys did. There was a 40 point margin there behind Roosevelt who dominated the event. Emily Sanchez moved up nicely through the race to finish second; she towed along Alyssa Haring who was 4th. Kathryn Hammar and Rebekah Pendleton were the next two scorers, followed by freshman Joelle Ramos who finished her first-ever Big 8 cross country season well. Debuting in her first varsity race this season was fellow freshman, Skye Smith. King's JV boys team is one of the best "B-squads" in the State and they proved that again with a big margin of victory; the only King win on the day. They were led by Isaiah Quaimbao who won the race and then was followed by AJ Boebinger, Blake Simpson, Kyle Johnson and Matt Cleland. Johnson and Cleland closed out their high school careers in fine fashion. Wyatt Smith, Dalton Seckinger, Mario Machuca, and Ryan Orr all medaled in positions within the top 21.
Julie Steklof had a beautiful race -- her best yet -- in the JV girls race to finish fourth overall and first of the Ladies from King. Right behind her was the equally improved Andrea Canseco. Hannah Johnson came across the line next with a great finish to her four years of running at King. Tayelee Holtrop, Alex Huff and Allison Janes all medaled as well. Save the great racing by King's JV boys, it was in the end, a day for playing runners-up to Roosevelt.
C
HALLENGES MET AT CIF PRELIMS
The CIF Championship rounds are never predictable except in the sense that they are predicatably challenging. The hills of the Mt.SAC course coupled with an assembly of talented teams and "bubble teams" looking to have their biggest race and snag a spot into Finals create an atmosphere that takes a will and a resolve to navigate successfully. King had a mixed day of results, as the girls missed qualifying for Finals by one team place, but the boys advanced to the CIF Finals for the sixth time in our 16 year history! It wasn't without drama, however, as the Southern Section D1 5th ranked boys survived the challenge with a race that was for them, less than their best performance. They finished second behind the nation's top ranked team, Great Oak, but the appearance mid-race was that they would finish lower than that. By two miles, King had not one runner in the top 20 and several of the harriers looked off their mark. Seth Villanueva, who has been steadily racing in the 6th spot for most of the last month actually emerged as the team leader by two miles and skirted home in 13th place overall and notched one of King's top 15 times in our history at Mt.SAC. His stellar efforts over the last mile to gain ground rallied Rolando Phalen and Carlos Ramirez to finish well after the two ran side-by-side throughout the race. Daniel Gonzalez finished fourth for the Wolves and Mark Werley concluded the scoring set. Tyler Janes and Isaiah Quiambao were 6th and 7th respectively. The Pack was saved by their pack. It wasn't pretty, but prelim heats are not designed to be anything more than a qualifying race, and the guys managed to do just that. As Carlos Ramirez aptly stated after the dust had settled, "better to have our bad race today than next week." Indeed. The girls did not have a bad race at all, despite missing qualifying by 18 points. Seeded sixth going into the race, the group knew they needed a very good day to take the fifth and final spot for Finals. They certainly left it on the course, with each one racing tenaciously and with purpose. Their team time was almost 6 minutes faster than they ran last month at the Mt.SAC Invitational. Emily Sanchez was the team's top finisher in 13th place and a sub-19:00 mark. She was followed by Alyssa Haring who also went under 19:00. A gap of almost a minute formed between Alyssa and the remaining scorers, as Rebekah Pendleton, Kathryn Hammar and Joelle Ramos all camp across within 10 seconds of each other having run very solid races. Jessica Ferguson and Skye Smith were in the 6-7 spots but ran really nice PR's on the course in doing so.
The girls' team this year was young and inexperienced at the varsity level, so to see the poise and purpose that they exhibited in their biggest challenge of the season was gratifying. With all of them but Emily returning next year, this is a group that can see even more improvement in the year to come. Improvement and opportunity will be the operative words for the boys next week as they toe the line with 15 other schools, 7 of which will punch their tickets to the State meet.
LEGENDS OF THE FALL: KING’S BOYS TEAMS THAT HAVE QUALIFIED FOR CIF FINALS
1999 2000 2002 2010 2012 2014
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ONG ROAD LEADS TO FRESNO - BOYS ARE STATE BOUND!
Back in 2011 and then again in 2012, we knew the two successive classes of freshmen had enough talent and enough bodies to eventually do something special. It was just a matter of time ... and patience ... and maturity ... and training. All of those parts seemed to come together for the now Seniors and Juniors who bounced back after getting bounced from the CIF rounds last year in prelims. Today, not only did they race in the D1 Finals but they also punched their tickets to the State Championships in the process. It was a long time in coming, but it has finally arrived. The boys of King High are State bound! They knew it wasn't going to be easy despite their 5th ranked status in the Southerm Section Division 1 and the 8-spot in the State rankings. The Southern Section is a buzzsaw and you've got to be "on" to pass through its grinding teeth.
Per its annual tradition, the race went out fast, but the King Seven found their positions mid-pack, knowing they didn't have a single-digit scorer in the bunch. Tyler Janes led the team to the top of the Switchback hill sitting in 24th place. A small gap formed, but the pack of four - Rolando Phalen, Carlos Ramirez, Mark Werley and Seth Villanueva -- were holding together just a few seconds back. It was "packing" that has gotten this team to this place, and the strategy was to not abandon what has worked. Janes held his position through the race and ultimately finished in 20th (team scoring) but with a half-mile to go the final four scorers had over 50 points sitting out there in front of them and with D1 being what it is -- exceptionally talented and full of quality teams -- it appeared that if they didn't get around to some urgent passing, the season would be done in about 800 meters. But the passing started and it would ultimately make the difference. Phalen, Werley and Villanueva ended up just six seconds apart, but a terrific kick by Daniel Gonzalez moved himself into that group with 400 to go and in so doing King placed all five scorers across the line 29 seconds apart with the final four separated by those slim six seconds! While the 1-5 gap of :29 seconds was predictable, no one had their "best" race or even a PR, so it left everyone in a vague unknown after the race as the scoring table verified the results for what seemed to be at least 10 minutes.
And then the announcement was made. 6th! On to State! The group was elated as were the many alums who came to watch and a throng of parents all of whom were in glad smiles and whoops of good cheer. It was quite a moment, earned through many miles of labor and several years of growing together, honing their skills and making the most of their opportunities. The score which everyone had been waiting anxiously for was actually quite telling. With only 7 spots available to qualify for State, it ended up being a bit of a traffic jam from 6th to 9th. King finished with 209 points. The defending D1 champs Warren of Downey, were next in 215, and then both Crescenta Valley and Arcadia were on the outside of qualifying, each by one point as both finished with 216! When it was all counted, only seven points separated the King team from moving on or going home. Those bolds moves the 2-5 spots made coming off Reservoir were the difference makers. In fact, as predicted, King's 6th and 7th runners played a role as well, as Carlos Ramirez and Andrew Boebinger were in front of Warren's 5th man, helping to pad the cushion just a bit more and help secure the berth. History was made on this day. For the first time since the program began in 1999, King will send a full squad of boys to the State meet in Fresno. In King's history, one male runner has toed the line at State, Lane Werley in 2009 and 2010. Only one Girls team has made it, the 2009 squad. It was a big day for the King. Fitting, it would take a pack of Wolves to make it happen.
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ING HIGH’S FIRST EVER BOYS TEAM TO QUALIFY FOR THE STATE MEET
“What it really comes down to is how much you want to hurt for each other. How willing are you to face that pain that you know is inevitable for the betterment of the team?” - Seth Villanueva.
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ISTORIC KING BOYS TEAM CLAIMS 8TH IN STATE
The 2014 boys team was challenged back in June of this year with the idea that State was in their future if they came together, trained hard, and made it their goal -- not just the coaches’ goal for them. After some nail-biting performances and results in the two rounds of the Southern Section over the previous two week, all of that was realized on Saturday as the 2014 squad became King’s first ever boys team to make the State Final. It came on the heals of a season of successes (and a few learning-moment low spots) in which they could officially back up their seasonlong State ranking with a spot on the starting line at Woodward Park in November. That line included 22 other teams from across California with all 10 sections in the CIF represented. The team had been ranked 8th in the state for most of the season but had been dropped from the top 10 in the final rankings after it appeared the team was fading -- or others were rising -- after last week’s Section Finals. So, it was with a sense of redemption that the team took to the race along with a desire to punctuate the season with a quality last outing. Given the dynamics of this group -- absent an ace and heavily dependent on a pack -- it was no surprise to see not one King harrier in the top 30 places after 2 miles. Carlos Ramirez and Tyler Janes ran in tandem through the 3200 meter mark and would finish in 45th
and 49th respectively, scoring King’s first points. Rolando Phalen was just a few places behind, and finishing within 32 seconds of Ramirez came Seth Villanueva and Mark Werley to conclude the “pack” that has been the team’s trademark all season. Daniel Gonzales and David Huff were 6th and 7th for the team. Collectively, the group scored 237 points. With 190-plus runners in the race, a couple-dozen nonscoring individuals, and a King team that lacks a low point front-man, it wasn’t easy to even guess what the final results would be. To many, it appeared as if a top 10 finish wasn’t in the cards. Even looking at King’s individual times -- almost all of which were off their course bests -- there was a collective sense of something a bit short of, “what just happened?” but also short of team-wide elation. So when the results came up that the team had finished 8th, with some distance between themselves and the land outside of top 10, a jubilant sigh of relief was felt across the King crowd as folks and runners alike realized perception hadn’t trumped reality. The first King team to compete at the state championships could easily have fallen prey to the tempting thought that simply getting to the meet was the goal, not actually racing well in it. So to finish 8th in the State, some 5 months after the goal was first verbalized, was quite an accomplishment. Out of one of the toughest divisions and sections, this team emerged to establish themselves as not just King’s first ever State team, but legitimately one of the best in all of California. In a season in which the team emphasized “An Honorable Run” as its theme, the run these boys ended today certainly met and exceeded that standard.
Legends of the Fall Nike Nationals 2009, 2010 Lane Werley
State Finals 2014 – Andrew Boebinger, Daniel Gonzalez, David Huff, Tyler Janes, Rolando Phalen, Isaiah Quiambao, Carlos Ramirez, Blake Simpson, Seth Villanueva, Mark Werley 2010 - Lane Werley, Hanna Peterson 2009 - Lane Werley, Kelsi Tippets, Aubrey Bowman, Emma Jaramillo, Raelyn Werley, Rebecca Asplund, Hanna Peterson, Katrina Graham, Carrie Soholt, Kasey Tippets 2007 - Kelsi Tippets 2006 - Carissa Bowman CIF Finals 2014 Andrew Boebinger, Daniel Gonzalez, David Huff, Rolando Phalen, Isaiah Quiambao, Carlos Ramirez, Blake Simpson, Seth Villanueva, Mark Werley 2013 Brianna Jacklin, Aimee Martinez, Lauren Boydd, Alyssa Haring, Hannah Johnson, Rachel Rosales, Ruth Wiggins 2012 Brandon Berz, Nathan Torres, Perry Elerts, Joe Casco, Robert Sanchez, Trevor Berney, Rolando Phalen, Seth Villanueva, Dalton Seckinger 2011 Raelyn Werley 2010 Priscilla Carrasco, Hannah Peterson, Katy Fatten, Lisa Garside, Carrie Soholt, Kasey Tippets, Raelyn Werley, Daniel Balcazar, Devin Becerra, Chris Miller, Nick Rini, Adam Schupp, Lane Werley 2009 Lane Werley, Kelsi Tippets, Aubrey Bowman, Emma Jaramillo, Raelyn Werley, Rebecca Asplund, Hanna Peterson, Katrina Graham, Carrie Soholt, Kasey Tippets 2008 Rebecca Asplund, Aubrey Bowman, Katrina Graham, Hanna Peterson, Carrie Soholt, Kasey Tippets, Kelsi Tippets 2007 Rebecca Asplund, Aubrey Bowman, Carissa Bowman, Danielle Fillmore, Carrie Soholt, Kasey Tippets, Kelsi Tippets 2006 Carissa Bowman, Rebecca Asplund, Larissa Davis, Danielle Fillmore, Brandi Rosenau, Kelsi Tippets, Kaitlyn Traver 2005 Carissa Bowman, Larissa Davis, Bridget Gonzalez, Mary Griesinger, Amber Mooney, Addy Odekirk, Carly Sjogren 2004 Carissa Bowman, Larissa Davis, Mary Griesinger, Jodi Mettler, Kristina Moore, Carly Sjogren, Morgan Sjogren 2003 Megan Fairley, Stephanie Fematt, Erin Fitzgerald, Jodi Mettler, Kristina Moore, Carly Sjogren, Morgan Sjogren 2002 Garrett Allen, Daniel Beld, Brian Brierly, Grant Carter, David Lee, Jon McLaughlin, Steven Vance, Megan Fairley, Stephanie Fematt, Bridgett Gonzalez, Kristin McHugh, Tawny Odekirk, Carly Sjogren, Morgan Sjogren 2000 Garrett Allen, Brian Brierly, Steven Griesinger, Donald Hartness, Shamari LaCour, Jon McLaughlin, Steven Vance, Tawny Odekirk, Angella Nanyonyi, Laura Fairley, Katie Chouinard, Megan Fairley, Lauren Wilson, Samantha Johnson 1999 Shawn Lawrence, Regis Riley, Eric Stevens, Shamari LaCour, Donald Hartness, Jon McLaughlin, David Lee
an honorable run. www.kingcrosscountry.com