It's Miller time at V.C. Cross Country Championships
By Thomas Gase tgase@theacorn.com

Last week firefighters put in a great deal of hard work to stop the flames around Southern California, therefore making it possible for the Ventura County Cross Country Championships to take place. Once the event got going, however, nobody could stop Oak Park High.

OPHS dominated the championships at Lake Casitas by winning in both the boys' and girls' team events. The boys' team won with a time of 1:20.50, more than two minutes faster than second-place Ventura High. The girls' team won with a time of 1:34:33, outpacing Agoura by nearly four minutes.

"I've been very lucky to have athletes here that believe in our system," Oak Park head coach Kevin Smith said. "We've been successful in not having runners with individual egos. Everyone is working for the good of the team, and I thought everyone responded well on Friday."

Also responding well at the championships was Simi Valley sophomore Liberty Miller.

Miller won the girls' individual title with a time of 18:02.50, beating OPHS senior Courtney Lightfoot by 16 seconds. Simi Valley head coach Roger Evans said Miller's time spent last season with former Pioneer standout Anna Sperry has helped the sophomore runner.

"I told her (Miller) as a joke before the race that it was her obligation to continue carrying the torch handed to her by Sperry," Evans said with a laugh.

"She gave me a smile and said, 'Yeah, I know.' She is very serious about what she does, but it doesn't look like she puts too much pressure on herself. Like Anna, she's very competitive and has a plan for what she is doing."

Coming in third place in the girls' race was Newbury Park junior Jenny Mallen.

Oak Park sophomore Melissa Skiba finished in fourth place, while her teammate, senior Marissa Diehl, came in fifth.

On the day the Eagles had six of their runners in the top 16, with freshman Riley McCullough placing No. 13, while sophomore Meira Prescher and junior Sarah Kiner finished at No. 15 and No. 16, respectively.

"I've always told my teams, we are only as good as our No. 5 runner," Smith said. "I wanted our top runner to be at a pace only a minute ahead of No. 5 runner, and they were about 76 seconds apart, so I was very pleased."

Also running at a fast pace on the girls' side was Agoura senior Erin Baird and junior Katie Klezak.

Baird finished in sixth place while Klezak came in at No. 17. Westlake High had a pair of runners crack the top 20, as senior Victoria Smith placed No. 10 while her teammate junior Meghan Mann came in at No. 20.

While Oak Park had many runners contributing on the girls' side, the boys' team was no different. OPHS sophomore James Goldstein came in first place with a time of 15:33.27, beating Ventura High senior Michael Barnes by 13 seconds.

Goldstein's teammate Garrison Gourdeau was hurt prior to the race, but the rest of the Eagles picked up the slack. Eagle seniors Cooper Claus and Evan Hennessey placed fifth and seventh, respectively, while their teammates Aaron Kurland and Jake Miller each placed in the top 25.

"I was really impressed with Jake Miller," Smith said. "He's usually our No. 6 through No. 9 runner, but he stepped up well in the No. 5 role. He has had two breakout races lately, at Clovis and this past week."

Calabasas senior Clayton Graham ran well by placing eighth with a time of 16:13.53. Moorpark High senior Christopher Coleman came in eleventh with a mark of 16:16.22.

Westlake had two runners crack the top 20, with junior Garret Drogosch placing No. 15 and sophomore Marcus Lam finishing at No. 19.

Newbury Park also had two boys' place in the top 20. Junior Steven Bradley came in at No. 16, while freshman Sean Grumney placed No. 18.

Notably absent from the event were Marmonte League powers Royal and Thousand Oaks.