57th Orange County Championships: Friday and Saturday Non-Sweepstakes Recap
From the impactful return of Huntington Beach sophomore Sydney Rubio, to a big rebound performance by Anaheim Katella’s Jose Escobedo, to Corona del Mar’s Emilie Steinman regaining strength after being slowed recently by illness, there were plenty of significant storylines showcased outside of sweepstakes competition during the two-day schedule at the 57th Orange County Championships.
And that didn’t even include the most thrilling conclusion of the meet at Oak Canyon Park in Silverado, with the boys varsity small school 3-mile race decided Friday by a well-timed lean at the finish from Garden Grove Pacifica junior Tyler Yesenosky.
A late surge by Yesenosky helped him hold off Ocean View junior Maury Young by a 15:28.7 to 15:28.9 margin during a chaotic sequence that saw both competitors overlapping with female athletes from an earlier race near the finish line.
Isaac Chikami, a Garden Grove Pacifica senior, took third in 15:37.7, with Brea-Olinda benefiting from junior teammates Taj Aragon (15:40.1) and Marius Nielson (15:40.7) placing fourth and fifth, respectively, to contribute to a team victory with 74 points.
Ocean View was runner-up with 96 points and Garden Grove Pacifica took third at 105 points.
Escobedo rallied in the final mile Saturday to prevail in the boys varsity medium school race in 15:40.5, edging Garden Grove Santiago senior Nathan Nguyen (15:42.5), who helped the Cavaliers capture the team title with 84 points.
Huntington Beach Edison finished second at 124 points and Capistrano Valley grabbed third following a sixth-runner tiebreaker with Santa Margarita after both lineups accumulated 178 points.
Escobedo improved from running 17:46.1 in the boys varsity small school field last season at Orange County Championships, earning his third victory in four races during the past month, in addition to taking runner-up in the other competition.
Mater Dei senior Max Guillen was third in the medium school race in 15:47.6, Fountain Valley junior Ulysses Rios placed fourth in 15:48.4 and early leader Santiago Gonzalez of Segerstrom achieved fifth in 15:48.7.
Steinman, a sophomore, gained a timely confidence boost with a victory in the girls varsity medium school race in 18:27.4, concluding a week that carried a lot of uncertainty as a result of illness following a return trip from competing Oct. 12 in Fresno at the 45th ASICS Clovis Invitational at Woodward Park.
Steinman placed in the top 25 of the girls sweepstakes as a freshman in 17:41.1, but she battled challenging winds Saturday to overcome a 10-second deficit entering the final mile and emerge victorious for the first time this season.
Huntington Beach relied on the tandem of junior Emma Siok (18:36.9) and senior Casey McConn (18:49.8) finishing second and third, respectively, to produce a 72-107 victory against El Dorado, which was led by a fourth-place effort from Anneliese Watrous (19:07.1).
Aliso Niguel took third in the girls varsity medium school competition with 131 points.
Esperanza sophomore Lesley Ledesma triumphed in the girls varsity small school race Friday in 18:14.5, with Garden Grove Pacifica senior Lucy Hendriks securing second in 18:24.0 and sophomore sister Evelyn Hendriks placing fourth in 18:50.4.
The outcome of the team matchup was reversed, with the Mariners winning by a 56-80 margin against Esperanza and Crean Lutheran taking third at 107 points.
Monserrat Santillan of Anaheim Century finished third in between the Hendriks siblings in 18:36.0.
Rubio, who finished ninth in the sweepstakes race last season in 16:50.8 at Orange County Championships on her way to qualifying for Nike Cross Nationals in Oregon as a freshman, made her season debut Saturday for Huntington Beach and won by more than a minute in the girls medium school sophomore race in 18:25.5.
Rubio, who has been recovering from recent soreness in her left knee after devoting the majority of her fall schedule to competing for the Oilers’ flag football team, looks to regain her rhythm with the CIF-Southern Section cross country postseason schedule one month away.
Official Results:
By Erik Boal