SD Prep Sports

SD Prep Sports: Cross Country

Barons sweep to undefeated Mesa League dual campaign

Bonita Vista-Chula Vista-Mar Vista dual meet photo album

By Phillip Brents

CHULA VISTA, Oct. 25, 2001 -- The Bonita Vista High cross country team may not have been riding on brooms in its climactic pre-Halloween showdown against Mesa League power Chula Vista Oct. 25 at Rohr Park but the Barons pulled them out in producing an impressive sweep of all three races to finish the season undefeated in league dual meet competition. It wasn’t necessarily magic but talent combined with heart that defined perhaps the team’s finest hour this season.

After the boys varsity team scored a 27-28 victory against the Spartans, who were picked by many coaches in the preseason to win this year’s title — and Chula Vista still has that opportunity with a strong showing at the conference championship meet Nov. 9 at Rohr Park — the Bonita Vista girls team continued its strong push toward the postseason by controlling the field from start to finish in scoring a decisive 19-38 victory. The Barons’ boys junior varsity team capped the afternoon by placing the top seven runners in nothing short of a dominating performance.

The focus was easily on the boys varsity contest, however. Both teams entered the matchup having scored narrow wins against fellow league power Sweetwater, with steadily-improving Bonita Vista no longer the underdogs they were at the beginning of the year. Fittingly, the outcome between the teams wasn’ t decided until the final sprint on the 3.1-mile course as Ryan Becijos out-kicked Chula Vista’s second runner, Ysmael Miranda, in the final few yards and Baron teammates Sven Meza and Nick Amalfitano finished ahead of the Spartans’ third runner, Danny Medrano, and BV’s Mike Berdeski placed ahead of yet another Spartan, Apollo Mariscal, at the finish line. The Barons’ fifth man, Julian Zamora, also beat his counterpart, Jesus Mariscal.

Chula Vista’s Andres Padilla was the medalist in the team’s head-to-head engagement, finishing in 16:29. Becijos timed 16:38, finishing two seconds in front of Miranda, while Meza (16:45) and Amalfitano (16:46) both followed in tandem. The spread of the Barons’ five scorers was 30 seconds compared to Chula Vista’s 1:02.

"Ryan or Sven needed to beat their second guy. Obviously, Ryan has great leg speed," Bonita Vista coach Ian Cumming said.

There was considerably less drama in the ensuing two races.

Three Barons took the lead ahead of All-San Diego Section Division I runner Sophia Marquez of Chula Vista and never relinquished it in the varsity girls field. Tiffany Caddell (13:04), Kate Branson (13:19) and Kristen Gonzalez (13:23) all placed in front of Marquez (13:30). Bonita Vista totaled four of the top five finishers and five of the top eight individuals as Morgane Sigaud (fifth, 13:34), Kayleigh Knudson (eighth, 14:01) and Kiersten Dolby (10th, 14:04) all recorded top 10 finishes.

Bonita Vista entered the week ranked second among the section’s Division I teams. "We’ve worked very hard all season. We believe in ourselves and we’re seeing the benefits of that now," Branson said.

The boys JV race looked like a sea of yellow as freshman Abe Alvarez strode from the front pack of BV runners to lead a procession of teammates across the finish line. Alvarez was followed by Nick Raue, Justin Hillery, Ryan Groth, Phillip Zubkis, Jared Purkey and Chris Wymer. With Mike Kirkwood following Chula Vista’s top placer, Victor Mariscal, the Barons secured eight of the top nine finishing positions in the race and 11 of the top 13 overall.

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