2000 Prep Cross Country Opener

Barons, Devils put best foot forward in cross country meet

By Phillip Brents

Prior to last Friday’s fifth annual Baron Invitational cross country meet at Rohr Park, Sweetwater High boys coach Tim Latham was heaping praises on his team’s two major challengers for this year’s restructured Mesa League dual meet championship title: Bonita Vista and Chula Vista. After the meet, Bonita Vista’s Barons, at least, had to be looking over their shoulders at Latham’s Red Devils.

"I was real pleased. The kids were kind of relieved. They weren’t sure how they would do," explained Latham, whose team recorded a third-place finish in the boys blue varsity division with 77 points ahead of the ninth-place Barons (170 points).

Senior Mark Dionella keyed the Red Devils’ fortunes with an eighth-place individual finish among the race’s 63 finishers. He completed the 3.1-mile course in 16 minutes, 44 seconds — nine seconds behind Bonita Vista senior Dustin Whitson in seventh place. But it was the spread of the SuHi pack that made Latham smile. The Devils placed all seven of their runners ahead of the Barons’ No. 2 man, junior Nick Raue, who finished 37th in 18:05.

"A good pack — that’s what we’re working on," Latham said.

Sweetwater finished in a tightly-bunched team pack behind race winner Granite Hills with 70 points and runner-up Valley Center with 75 points. Indio, with 79 points, finished in fourth place. The third-place finish matched the Devils’ best performance in the invitational, which this year drew a record entry field of more than 700 competitors.

Junior Eddie Sanchez (17:01) and senior Abdi Abdirizak (17:06) both recorded top 15 individual finishes, 14th and 15th, respectively, while senior Abdul Mukhtar (19th, 17:11) and junior Jose Guardado (21st, 17:20) rounded out the Devils’ top five scorers in the race. SuHi’s sixth and seventh men, junior Cesar Torres (17:27) and sophomore Hector Arreola (17:30), crossed the finish line in 23rd and 24th places, respectively.

The spread of the five Devil scorers was 36 seconds. On the contrary, Bonita Vista’s five scorers (1:49 spread) were strung farther back along the course. Following Raue were junior Sven Mesa (40th, 18:14), freshman James Serratos (42nd, 18:21) and senior Austin Neudecker (44th, 18:24). Andrew Fowers (49th, 18:31) and sophomore Nick Amalfitano (56th, 19:00) brought up the team’s rear guard in non-scoring positions.

But the Barons could sport a different look come time for the teams’ scheduled Sept. 29 dual. Daniel Valdez (12:10 for 2.2 miles) won the boys junior varsity blue division race and could earn promotion to the varsity lineup before the season is over. That prospect had Latham recalculating his team’s advantages — or disadvantages.

Meanwhile, the Bonita Vista girls varsity team recorded a prestigious third place finish in its division, trailing race winner Helix and runner-up West Hills. Junior Kate Branson led the Barons with a sixth-place individual finish on the 2.2-mile course in 13:51. She was followed by senior Dulce Alvarez (15th, 14:07), sophomore Kristen Gonzalez (17th, 14:12), senior Trinity Amalfitano (19th, 14:21), sophomore Kiersten Dolby (34th, 14:56), senior Heather Romero (36th, 15:07) and sophomore Marissa Loya (40th, 15:20).

While team intrigue dominated the first preseason get-together of Metro Conference squads, the conference’s top individual was not left in doubt. Hilltop senior Desiree Davila — with second-, fourth- and fifth-place finishes at the state championship meet and three successive individual division titles to her credit — posted the top time among all female varsity runners at 12:46. She finished more than a minute (1:07) ahead of the varsity gold division’s runner-up finisher, La Jolla’s Desiree Leek.