CATCH THEM IF YOU CAN—The Royal High girls’ cross country team has won three consecutive Marmonte League titles. For Marmonte League cross country teams, it won’t be lonely at the top.

It’ll be crowded like Norwegian sardines in a tin can.

The Royal High boys’ team is the strongest squad based on CIFSouthern Section Division I polls, state rankings and a general consensus among all league coaches.

The Highlanders also have one of the finest teams in the nation.

“They’re definitely a special team this year,” said Royal boys’ coach Ryan Luce.

Westlake and Thousand Oaks are legitimate contenders for league supremacy, however. Newbury Park, Simi Valley and Agoura also field strong squads.

Moorpark’s boys and girls will have their share of ups and downs in what is considered a strong, deep league.

QUICK—Highlanders Korey oakum, left, and Paul Jesson elp pace one of the top-rated oys’ teams in the nation. Calabasas has several solid runners but not enough depth to make a dent in the standings.

The Royal girls’ squad has won three straight Marmonte championships and returns a solid group of runners.

Crosstown rival Simi Valley has emerged as the strongest contender to knock the Highlanders off their perch.

Here is a closer look at all eight Marmonte League schools:

Royal Highlanders

The Highlanders have an impressive history of success.

They’ve won eight of the last nine Marmonte League titles under boys’ head coach Ryan Luce, and this team should add to the program’s legacy.

“They’re following in the footsteps of past Royal teams that made history,” Luce said.

HOT TO TROT—The Royal boys’ cross country team is ranked No. 1 in the CIF-SS Division I poll. Senior Travis Edwards is the top returner for the Highlanders.

Paul Jesson and Sean Davidson, both seniors, are excellent runners who complement Edwards nicely.

“They’re probably one of the toughest 1-2-3 combos in the state,” the coach said. “They’re doing well and they’re reliable.”

Sean Upson, Korey Yoakum, Christian Garza, Nico Gervasoni, Scott Weir and Colin Keane add depth on the boys’ side.

“They fought adversity and salvaged last season (after a slow start),” Luce said. “I think that set the stage to do well this year. They want it. They’re hungry—you can see it in their eyes.”

Jay Sramek, coach for the girls’ team, thinks his Highlanders are more talented than last year’s squad. But they still might not win a league title.

“We can’t control what other teams do,” he said. “We want to make sure we give our best and show and do the best we’re capable of. Then winning will take care of itself.

“We’re young. We’ve got a ways to improve to compete with Simi.”

Junior Kelly Upson and sophomores Sophie Mateu and Hunter Burdon are currently Royal’s top three female runners.

Sophomore McKenna Miller and Ashley Cooke round out the top five. Senior Aly Moore is the lone senior.

Junior Dana Woodbury, formerly of Moorpark High, can’t run varsity because of CIF transfer rules but will contribute next year. Woodbury is running on the JV squad.

Sramek hopes junior Hannah Safford, who has battled injuries early in the season, will eventually be the second- or third-fastest runner by the end of the year.

Westlake Warriors

Coach Joe Snyder is pleased with all 56 runners on the boys’ team.

“Every single guy is working their tail off,” said Snyder, who guides the program with his wife, Sheryl.

Six Warriors completed the recent Woodbridge Invitational course in under 16 minutes: seniors Sam DeMello, Marcus Lam and Timmy Witwer, and juniors Jonny Miller, Timmy Snyder and Ryan Chu. Matt Eggleton was right behind at 16:01.

Joe Snyder’s goals for the Warriors include advancing to the CIF-Southern Section preliminaries and finals. After that, he hopes they earn state meet invitation.

“We’re hoping we can be there at the end,” the longtime coach said.

Snyder would like to see the WHS girls advance to the postseason as a team.

First-year runner Nicki Ghazarian, a sophomore, leads the Warriors.

Junior Emily Turner, senior Ali Kazen and junior Caroline Hollister are the top returning runners.

Molly Norling-Christensen is recovering from a sprained ankle, but is a “tremendous asset,” the coach said.

Genevieve Guerra will also contribute.

“The kids are working hard every day, and it’s a pleasure to be working with them,” the coach said of his boys and girls. “We want all these kids to feel involved and a part of the program.”

Moorpark Musketeers

The Moorpark boys’ team has only two seniors. A solid contingent of sophomores could make or break this season.

Coach Tom King will try and get his squad into the section preliminaries, but it will be a tough road.

“We’ll go out and try to do the best we can,” he said. “It’s crazy. We’re going up against some of the best teams in the country. We have Royal one week and Thousand Oaks the other. . . . We want to be competitive.”

Sophomore Forrest Koch and junior Daniel Bostwick are onetwo for the Musketeers. Senior Jacob Fullerton could have a breakout season, King said.

Sean Silver, Tamas Gaylay and Michael Culver bolster the lineup. Ryan Imhof is the only other senior.

Moorpark’s girls are led by Alexis Pichardo.

Pichardo is supported by fellow seniors Brooke Akina and Emily Sandon.

Danica Wolf, the schoolrecord holder in the 300-meter intermediate hurdles at 47.7 seconds as a freshman, is running cross country for the first time.

Monica Schuber and Hannah Dearborn also contribute.

Dearborn is the daughter of Denise Dearborn (formerly Denise Ball), who was recently inducted into the Ventura County Sports Hall of Fame as a legendary distance runner at Newbury Park.

Coach Mark Jaeckel knows it could be a tough year for the Musketeers, but 27 freshmen give him hope for the future.

“The girls will be competitive and do their best,” Jaeckel said.

Simi Valley Pioneers

The Pioneer girls are shaping up to be quite a force in the Marmonte.

“We’re an experienced team,” said Roger Evans, who has coached cross country at SVHS since 1990.

“Their focus has been very good. . . . Our summer conditioning was the best that I’ve ever had.”

Liberty Miller, the No. 1 runner in the league, is a two-time Marmonte champ and one of the two fastest girls in the county, with Oak Park’s Melissa Skiba.

Miller isn’t expected to slow down anytime soon.

Seniors Nicole Rietveld and Brooke Popp, junior Amanda Miller and freshman Hanna Jeters complement Miller. Ashley Hamilton, Milana Maddolone and Megan McNally—Simi Valley’s No. 2 runner in 2008—also give the Pioneer girls a big boost.

Evans said Maddolone has emerged as the second-strongest runner.

“She’s got a lot of speed and a lot of heart,” the coach said of Maddolone. “That focus and toughness and speed shows up at the end of races.”

The Pioneers are still deep despite the temporary loss of “dynamo” Karla Vernola, Evans said.

Vernola broke a school record for freshmen in her first race last year—then limped off the course with a knee injury that sidelined her for the rest of 2008. She is recovering from a minor injury and should return within the next few weeks.

Simi Valley’s boys lost five of its top seven runners from last year, but many younger runners have improved, coach Kurt Mjoen said.

“They’ve stepped up their training, and they’ve been doing really well,” Mjoen said.

Michael Vorgitch is off to a blazing start.

The junior won the league opening meet at Cal Lutheran against Thousand Oaks and Westlake in 16:47. Vorgitch also set school records at two meets earlier in the season at Mount San Antonio College and at Woodbridge.

David Nelson, a senior, is SVHS’ No. 2 runner.

Seniors Kolten McLeod, Tyler Apperson and Chris Quintero round out the Pioneers’ top five.

Thousand Oaks Lancers

With many runners new to varsity, coach Shawn Morris hopes his Lancers will remain in the Marmonte mix all year.

“I like that they’re young and coachable,” he said.

The boys are coming off a stirring Marmonte League championship, while the girls, who finished fifth in the league in 2008, hope to qualify for the section preliminaries.

Morris hopes the boys can contend for a league title with Royal or at least earn a top-three finish.

“Anything can happen on any given day,” the coach said.

Senior Kevin Joerger is Thousand Oaks’ top returning runner. D.J. Smithers is another outstanding senior. Sophomores Kevin Ho, Sam Worley and Tommy Lopez, and juniors Matt Garvin and Marco Godinez will also contribute.

The Lancer girls must find their niche, Morris said.

Sophomore Kalin Padberg has “stepped up,” while senior Rachel Adams is another top performer.

Senior Jillian Soller, freshman Summer Shafer and sophomore Caitlin Turner provide depth. Padberg’s twin sister, Ashton, is a talented runner as well.

Agoura Chargers

The Charger girls and boys hope to compete in the rugged Marmonte.

“It’s a matter of getting kids to consistently compete hard every week,” girls coach Cathy Prater said. “We have good depth, which is very reassuring. In cross country, you don’t want everything to change based on the performance of one runner.”

Sara Deluca, a junior, has emerged as the Chargers’ top runner. Senior Sarah Kiflak has returned after tearing her ACL and missing all of last season.

Jana Peale, Logan Bedell and Kerry Kurcz provide depth.

On the boys’ side, the Chargers boast a solid starting seven.

Bryan Quintanilla is Agoura’s standout long-distance threat.

“Without a doubt, he’s our top guy,” said AHS boys’ coach Craig Hochhaus.

Ben Wolhaupter, Aaron Argiso, Eric Schwartz, Trevor Hochhaus, Doug Wong and Max Byer are all in the mix.

“We’re expecting to do pretty well,” Hochhaus said. “Fifth or sixth doesn’t sound great, but our league is so strong.”

Newbury Park Panthers Fifth-year coach Dominique Colell said the Panther girls can go far this year. “I definitely think we are heading to state,” Colell said. “I’m also looking forward to taking a league title. I have high hopes for this team.”

Junior Shannon Byrne leads Newbury Park. Byrne is aided by Alex Patterson, another junior.

Returning seniors Leana Goetze, Natalie LaRosa, Nikki Baker and Amanda Okun are important cogs in the Panthers’ attack.

Sophomores McKenna Sheehan and Anessa Buff also contribute.

Marty Maciel is in his fifth year guiding the boys’ team. The coach hopes his squad can also advance to the postseason, and possibly the state meet.

“Our strengths are probably our top three runners,” Maciel said. “They’re very consistent.”

Junior Sean Grummey, senior Talmage Jones and Willson Horne, a junior, lead the pack for the Panthers.

Cameron Armstrong, Kendall Esparza, Brandon Rista, Lorenzo Garita and Nicholas Schellert also aid Newbury Park’s fleet.

Calabasas Coyotes

Calabasas doesn’t have the depth to compete with the titans of the Marmonte, but coach Donna Watts and her Coyotes will do the best they can with the runners they have on board.

“Having a small team makes it difficult to compete,” she said. “But it’s nice in a way to have a small team so we can focus on every one of the athletes.”

Junior Bryn Thompson leads the Coyote girls’ squad. Sophomore Tori Cooperman and freshmen Sydney Cassel and Cheyenne Watts also contribute.

Senior Jordan Bricker is a team captain.

For the Calabasas boys, sophomore Devin Borjaf, a transfer from Crespi, leads the pack.

Max Snell, Sean Guardian and Martin Kass are seniors who’ve been running for three years. Sophomore Grady Schroeder also paces CHS.

“We’re trying to build for the future and hopefully get some more students running,” Watts said.