Thursday, Sept. 25, 2008 | midnight
The junior-heavy Green Valley High boys cross country team certainly has the depth to make a run at the Sunrise Regional championship this year.
Gators coach Blaine Thompson has a roster of 25 boys with six juniors standouts looking to form a tight five-man pack that will propel the Gators through the regular season and beyond.
"The boys are very competitive and there's still room for more improvement," Thompson said. "We've got a lot of good, strong runners behind him that really push and challenge each other."
Thompson said junior Julius Kim could potentially win the region, while juniors Jason Ferraro, Matt Campa-Moreno, Cagen Combs and Ed Bellini give the Gators a leg up. Also, senior Stephen Harris and junior transfer D.J. Montello from Arizona give Green Valley good depth.
At the Woodbridge Invitational in Irvine, Calif., on Sept. 20, Kim took second out of a pool of 279 runners by finishing the three-mile run in 15 minutes, 40 seconds. Kim's pace of 5:13 minutes per mile puts him near the top of all Southern Nevada runners, Thompson said.
The Gators also have 35 runners on a girls roster headlined by senior Shannon Ritter, junior Morgan Oswald and sophomore Chelsea Giacobbe.
Thompson said the difference between a good season and a great season for both teams will be their ability to find their limits before they head into the postseason.
"They can't be afraid to run fast," Thompson said.
Liberty tennis looks for strong finish
The Liberty boys and girls tennis teams both dropped matches to Coronado Sept. 18 with the girls falling 12-6 and the boys losing 17-1.
The setbacks put the girls at 2-1 while the boys fell to 1-2 on the season.
Girls coach Kih Gourrier said his team has looked good and he expects a strong finish.
"We've done very well in our conference and I think things look pretty even in (the Southeast Division) right now," Gourrier said. "This is the first year where the majority of the team is upperclassmen so I feel like I can really invest my time in the beginners and let the leaders lead."
Gourrier is counting on standouts Sarah Lucas, a junior, and Danae Ingwaldson, a sophomore, to stay consistent as the Patriots make their way through league play.
Boys coach Xavier Antheaume said his team is lop-sided in favor of youth and inexperience this season. Sophomore Rap Sopat and freshman Chrys Castro are the Patriots top players, the coach said.
Antheaume said he knows it will be a struggle but he's hoping for his senior doubles team of Cyrus Wong Hui and Marcelo Rico to help the Patriots sneak into the postseason.
Silverado cross country in rebuilding year
After years of domination at the regional level, the Silverado boys cross country team is in a rebuilding year.
Silverado coach Brian Whitaker said the Skyhawks have 22 runners, but only one senior with significant experience — senior Ryan Cross.
"Ryan is our captain and has been a four-year guy," Whitaker said. "He was here with a lot of the top runners we've had and he can show the younger kids how it's done. We have 11 freshmen and they look real good."
Girls coach Barry Whitaker, Brian's brother, said the girls team is in a similar situation.
Whitaker is counting on seniors Kerissa Anaya and Brittany Spalding, junior Jenna Deering and freshman Syrina Lopez to lead the way.
In their recent dual meet with Eldorado and Desert Oasis at Shadow Ridge, the 'Hawks boys were paced by junior Jered Heter who edged teammates Cross and Dante Carter to take third, fourth and fifth place, respectively.
For the girls, Anaya led the way placing sixth in 18:42 while Lopez took 10th.
Jared Harmon can be reached at 990-8922 or [email protected].
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