Lynch’s Final Race Caps Great Season : Cross-country: He finished fifth in State Division III meet to help Laguna Hills earn team championship.

LAGUNA HILLS —  The State Division III cross-country race was history, and the Laguna Hills High boys’ team passed the time anxiously awaiting the final results.

Some fidgeted, perhaps shivering from a chilly day in Fresno’s Woodward Park. Others perhaps were simply nervous. Others stared at the stage where, if all had gone as Coach Kevin Dempsey figured, they would gather in a few moments to accept the championship plaque.

A few paces away, Chris Lynch stood in front of a cable TV camera and explained how the race unfolded to teammate Jeff Zettel, who was acting as reporter.

Lynch seemed to be the calmest of all the Hawks, Dempsey included.

The worst was over for Lynch. No matter what was announced in the next few minutes, Lynch had done his part. He had delivered a solid, front-running performance, finishing first for Laguna Hills and fifth overall in 15 minutes 46 seconds.

Dempsey had said before the meet that if Lynch ran a smart race and finished strongly, the rest would fall into place.

And so it did. Laguna Hills defeated San Marino, 91-97, to take the Division III team title.

It was a sweet race for Lynch in particular, capping a near-perfect season that included victories at the Orange County championships and the Pacific Coast League finals. Those first-place finishes earned Lynch The Times’ county boys’ cross-country runner of the year honors.

Over his career, Lynch, a senior, learned the hard way how to be a team leader.

He always had the talent, but a boundless energy seemed to throw him for a loop when his emotions occasionally got the best of him.

Often, he ran with his heart and not his head. Twice at the Southern Section meet, Lynch sprinted to stay with the lead pack early in the race only to fade badly in the final mile.

“I was really scared,” Lynch said. “I didn’t know what was going to happen. I was scared for me and the team. (Section finals) is all anybody remembers, and I had fallen apart two years in a row.”

This season, he slowed down and wound up running faster.

He stayed off the pace at the Mt. San Antonio College Invitational and finished strongly in 15:47 despite temperatures in the 90s. He backed off at the Orange County championships and won easily in 15:16. He cruised at the section finals at Mt. SAC and Laguna Hills won the III-AA title. He slowed even further at the State meet, and the Hawks walked away champions.

Now, Lynch will turn his attention to track, which he likes better than cross-country.

He will concentrate on the 3,200 meters, hoping to lower his personal best of 9:32, set at section finals last spring.

“My goal is 9:10,” he said. “I’m sure they (the coaches) will expect more from me this year.”

He also hopes to avoid overtraining, which he said limited him to the 9:32 mark last spring and caused a stress fracture in his right foot.

The injury forced Lynch to miss most of the summer, but in hindsight it might have worked out for the best. He couldn’t overextend himself, and he learned to take it slow and easy.

“I got a good three weeks of training in before cross-country season started,” he said. “I didn’t think I’d have to worry about peaking too soon.”

No, for his senior season, Lynch had it pegged almost perfectly.

All-County Boys’ Cross-Country

FIRST TEAM

Dave Burnette Laguna Hills Sr. Shawn Frack Esperanza Jr. Mike Love Katella Jr. Chris Lynch Laguna Hills Sr. Jeff Lynn Mission Viejo Sr. Mike Moreno Katella Jr. Ryan Wilkinson Santa Margarita Fr.

Dave Burnette Top-20 finish helped team to State Division III title. Shawn Frack Led team to fifth in Southern Section Division I-A. Mike Love Finished fourth in State Division II. Chris Lynch Led Hawks to State Division III championship. Jeff Lynn Helped Mission Viejo to eighth in State Division II. Mike Moreno State Division II individual qualifier. Ryan Wilkinson Was 12th in State Division III meet.

SECOND TEAM

Dave Cullum Mission Viejo Sr. Fifth individual in Orange County championships. Steve LeSieur Corona del Mar Sr. Led Sea Kings to third in State Division III. Brendan Mahon La Habra So. Helped La Habra finish sixth in State Division II. Johnny Ochoa Saddleback Jr. Led Saddleback to fourth in section I-AA meet. Peter Reyes Santa Ana Valley Jr. Seventh at county championships. Adam Ripley Laguna Hills Sr. State Division IV individual qualifier. John Walsh Esperanza Sr. Helped Esperanza to fifth in section Division I-A.