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Lacy Park is finally reopened just in time for League Finals. As we “fall back” to Standard Time, the meet will start at 1:30 so races and awards are completed before sunset at 5:00 pm. A brief walk-through of the park found the grass deep in spots, so achieving personal bests may be a challenge (but everyone is affected).
Moving on from Rio Hondo to CIF may be more challenging this year depending on the number of Varsity teams that field the required 5 runners at League Finals. If there are only four teams competing, then per CIF rules only two Rio Hondo teams will qualify for CIF Prelims at Riverside. Let’s hope either Blair or Monrovia enter the required five Varsity runners so we have a 5-team league.
The Varsity Boys scored 59 points and took second place in both prior League meets. With Temple City and La Canada each getting a 3rd place League finish, the boys look well positioned to retain second in League overall. La Canada did narrow the gap on the Titans at Mt. SAC and Temple City did not compete, so it will again be critical that the strong top 3 maintain their positions and the Titan #4 and #5 close the gap.
The Varsity Girls definitely will be “on the CIF bubble” due to their third place finishes in the two prior League meets and a similar result based on a theoretical match-up at Mt. SAC. South Pas appears to be closing the gap on La Canada, so catching the Tigers for second place will require the Lady Titan #2-#7 to really step up and break into the top five scorer packs (San Marino’s six runners had a less than 1 minute time spread in the last two meets, so either the entire group or several individuals will need to move).
In the remaining divisions, South Pasadena and La Canada have dominated League competition so far. The Titans have had some top 10 individual League finishes, and several strong performances at Mt. SAC show that top 5 and top 10 placings at League Finals are possible. The potential for JV and Frosh athletes to be included in CIF as Varsity or alternates will create added incentive for season bests.
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