Plenty at stake for locals at CIF

GLENDALE — The rugged three-mile course at Mount San Antonio College in Walnut is the postseason proving ground for high school cross-country teams. As the site of today’s 2009 CIF Southern Section Cross Country Championships, it serves as both a battleground for CIF divisional titles and a springboard to the CIF state meet for those teams and individuals that perform well enough.

Flintridge Prep’s boys’ and girls’ teams, as well as Flintridge Sacred Heart Academy, will be looking to contend in their respective divisions and move their squads on to the Nov. 28 state meet at Woodward Park in Fresno with at least a top-seven finish.

In addition, St. Francis High junior Kyle Palazzolo, who earned solo qualification for the finals at Saturday’s prelims at Mt. SAC, will try to keep his season going by finishing within the top-10 individual cutoff for state.

“We’re really excited,” said Prep boys’ Coach Ingrid Herskind, whose team finished second in its Division V heat behind Prep League rival and champion Pasadena Poly. “We’re young, so more than anything for us, we just need to get on the line and be confident. Their training is going very well, so we just have to transfer that into racing.”

The Rebels will have the Panthers to contend with again today in their 9:25 a.m. Division V race, but also must worry about division powers Woodcrest Christian and Western Christian.

“It’s an interesting field this year, there’s a lot more players than usual, so it’s kind of fun,” Herskind said. “Woodcrest is now running a little bit more solid now that they have their No. 1 [Myles Scarano] back, Poly is pretty good through and through and [so is] Western Christian.

“It’s gonna be a really nice four-team race.”

Prep is led by senior Kevin Heintz and also got a nice bounce in the prelims from the return of junior No. 2 Daniel Lazier, who had been out since September with a stress fracture in his foot. The Rebels should also have Jason Bunn, who missed the prelims due to illness, back in the fold today.

In the Division V boys’ race, set to begin at 10:25 a.m., the Prep girls will be up against some strong competition in Chadwick, St. Margaret’s, Woodcrest Christian and Desert Christian, among others. With so many heavy hitters at the top of the division, the Rebels’ main goal today will be securing a state berth.