BOYS’ CROSS-COUNTRY PREVIEW : Agoura Joins Fast Company in Marmonte

During the past decade, the Marmonte League has solidified its standing as one of the most powerful cross-country leagues in the Southern Section, if not the state.

Camarillo, Simi Valley and Thousand Oaks highs have accounted for five Southern Section 4-A Division championships in the 1980s.

Camarillo capped the decade by winning the state Division I title, the league’s first state title. The league looks even more formidable in the ‘90s with the addition of Agoura, a former Frontier League power and the nation’s top-ranked team, according to The Harrier cross-country magazine.

Although the Chargers have competed at the 2-A level for the past 10 years, their accomplishments make them a worthy addition to the league. Last year’s credentials include:

* A third-place finish in the state Division I final.

* A 55-point victory in the Southern Section 2-A final.

* A fourth consecutive Frontier League championship.

“I’m looking forward to it because I have to restructure our program (for the tougher competition),” said Agoura Coach Bill Duley, whose team is ranked first in the Southern Section Division II.

Agoura was competitive in 1978 and ’79 as one of the Marmonte’s smaller schools, finishing third and second, respectively, in the league standings and third in the 4-A final in ’78. After a two-year stay, Agoura returned to the Frontier League in 1980.

Although Duley looks forward to membership in the Marmonte, he anticipates that Agoura soon will lose its No. 1 national ranking.

“I think we could be represented in the Top 10, but we’ve got some work to do,” he said.

In addition, this year’s team has started the season with injury problems and the loss of its top returnee.

Ryan Golds and Scott Borden are out because of muscle pulls in their legs, and Justin Koppell has tendinitis in his knee. Senior Quentin Bauer, No. 2 last year behind the graduated Bryan Dameworth, chose to pursue other interests, Duley said.

“They’ll be the class of the league when they’re healthy,” Camarillo Coach Mike Smith said of Agoura. “I feel we’ll be competitive with them at the end of the season, but we’re not in much of a position to do much damage now.”

Also ranked are Channel Islands (ninth in Division I) and Camarillo (second in Division II). Simi Valley and Westlake, both unranked, have some aces in the hole, but only three teams from the eight-team league will advance to the Southern Section preliminaries.

“There’s going to be a lot of hard racing this year to make it out of league,” Westlake Coach Roger Patrick said. “For just overall depth, almost every team has about five guys down in the low 16 minutes.”

And most teams have at least one standout.

Westlake senior Chris Miller already has run 15 minutes 27 seconds for three miles and Jeff Wilson of Newbury Park has posted a 15:28 time. Senior Mike Cherman (15:08) and sophomore Ryan Wilson (15:36), both of Agoura, also are contenders for the league’s individual title along with Stewart Ellington (15:12) and Fernando Mendoza (15:14), both of Channel Islands.

“I think overall the Marmonte League is probably one of the most competitive in the Southern Section,” Newbury Park Coach Ed Linglebach said.

Other teams to watch:

* Camarillo: The Scorpions lost their top four runners to graduation, leaving their fifth, sixth and seventh runners to defend their state title. Seniors Josh Gerry, Shannon Brusca and Scott Stringer return from last year’s league and Southern Section 4-A Division championship team.

Gerry and Brusca, however, are questionable because of tendinitis (Gerry in both Achilles’ tendons and Brusca in his right knee) that resulted from high-mileage training regimens during the summer, said Smith, who is entering his ninth season at the school.

Junior Bodie Minster, Camarillo’s No. 7 runner in the state meet last year, and sophomore Scott Byrd will be strong in the Nos. 4 and 5 positions.

* Channel Islands: Fourth-year Coach Tom Kiddie has made steady progress with the Raiders in the past three seasons.

Channel Islands finished last in the Marmonte League in 1987 and fifth in ’88. But after losing only one scorer to graduation from last year’s fourth-place team, the Raiders could compete for their first berth in the Southern Section preliminaries since 1967, when they won the 1-A championship.

Mendoza, a junior, and sophomore Patrick Blunt have stepped up to the varsity after winning Ventura County titles last year at the sophomore and freshman levels. Ellington, a junior, also rates as one of the Raiders’ top runners.

* Hart: Under the Southern Section realignment for cross-country playoffs, Division I is for schools with more than 2,021 students, and Hart has 2,028. But Hart has the runners to be competitive.

The Indians, 3-A champions last year and winners of seven consecutive Foothill League titles, boast five returnees. Billy Dixon, seventh in the 3-A meet as a junior, will miss the early races because of academic ineligibility.

Seniors Hector Chavez, Keith Grossman and Mike Schick provide for a solid four-man group. Senior Paul De La Cerda and freshman Gavin Klinger might crack the top five.

* Fillmore: The Frontier League remains strong even with the departure of Agoura. Fillmore, the top-ranked team in Division IV, moves over from the Tri-Valley League after a fifth-place finish in the 1-A meet last year.

George Barajas leads the Flashes with a 15:12 mark in the Seaside Invitational on Sept. 8. Junior Genaro Barajas and senior Hector Hernandez also are solid.

Four of Fillmore’s five scorers return from 1989. Ruben Lopez and junior Ramon Gonzales are strong in the fourth and fifth positions.

* Taft: The defending City Section champion lost only David Rodriguez to graduation and gained his brother Cesar, a sophomore with equal ability, according to Coach Mel Hein.

Seniors Brian Godsey and Kipp Ortenburger, the fifth- and 13th-place finishers in the City final last year, have personal bests of 15:24 and 15:31, respectively, on the Pierce College course.

Torino Carr, who spent the spring semester at University, has returned as the Toreadors’ No. 3 runner. Junior Mike Krentzin missed the state meet in November because of a broken bone in his foot but had a strong sophomore track season.

Taft also will be aided by veteran Chip English and Jim Gough, a transfer from Ontario, Canada, who has timed 4:18 for 1,500 meters.