Cross-Country Championships Are Scheduled for Saturday

Capistrano Valley’s Adalberto Sanchez will be the cross-country runner to beat during Saturday’s Orange County Championships at Irvine Regional Park, but the boys’ competition figures to be highlighted by another matchup between Katella and Santa Ana.

Katella, ranked No. 1 in the county, will try to regain the meet’s Division I title, which it lost last year to Santa Ana. The Knights defeated the No. 2 Saints, 69-75, last weekend at the Central Park Invitational.

Century League powers Orange (No. 3), Santa Ana Valley (No. 4), Villa Park (No. 5) and El Modena (No. 6) also will chase the county title.

Sanchez, who finished third at last year’s meet, should receive his main competition from Newport Harbor’s Shahram DeZahd, Santa Ana Valley’s Joel Orozco and La Habra’s Chuck Gatchell.

The girls’ competition matches top-ranked Esperanza and No. 4 Edison from the Sunset League and Irvine (No. 2), El Toro (No. 3) and Corona del Mar (No. 6) from the Sea View League.

Competition begins at 8 a.m., with the top 13 seeded girls’ teams racing for the county title at 9 and the top 12 seeded boys’ teams squaring off at 10:24. The final race begins at 12:24 p.m.