State Prep Cross-Country Meet Today at Fresno

Southern California entries are expected to do well today in the first state high school cross-country meet, to be run at Woodward Park in Fresno.

If the Division I races keep to the script of previous months, Palos Verdes High School will win the girls’ title and Arroyo of El Monte the boys’.

The individual races, however, are not so clearly defined, with the girls’ especially interesting because of a rematch of a race from the Mt. San Antonio College Invitational Oct. 24. Junior Kira Jorgensen of the San Diego Section’s Rancho Buena Vista beat freshman Deena Drossin of Agoura on a record-setting day for both. That has been the only loss for Drossin, an age-group champion before high school, in three years.

“She’s good,” said Jorgensen, who set the course record for juniors that day. “She’s very good. Probably the best freshman I’ve ever seen.”

Better than you were?

“A lot better,” Jorgensen said.

That’s high praise, considering that Jorgensen, now at Rancho Buena Vista after two years across town at Vista, finished fourth at the Kinney national meet last season and came back to finish her sophomore year by winning the 1,600-meter title and taking second in the 3,200 at the state track meet.

Drossin, who set the freshman course record at Mt. SAC in her second-place finish, won the Southern Section 2-A title Nov. 14 and is one of five individuals from three divisions who qualified from the section for the state meet.

Five teams also advanced, with Palos Verdes, Newport Harbor of Newport Beach, Woodbridge of Irvine and Maranatha of Sierra Madre qualifying in the boys’ and girls’ races.

Because of a scheduling conflict, the City Section is the only one of the 10 in the California Interscholastic Federation that will not be represented today.

The Southern Section entrants:

Boys’ Division I (1,601 students and up): Dana Hills, El Monte of Arroyo, Palos Verdes, Upland and Camarillo. Individuals--David Scudamore, Palos Verdes; Luis Quintana, Arroyo Grande; Bryan Dameworth, Agoura; Terrance Mahon, La Habra, and Mike Tansley, Dana Hills.

Boys’ Division II (801-1,600): Corona del Mar of Newport Harbor, Walnut, Newport Harbor, Azusa and Woodbridge. Individuals--Scott Hemple, Walnut; Gary Stolz, Miraleste of Rancho Palos Verdes; Mike Glaze, Notre Dame of Sherman Oaks; Jim Geerlings, Newport Harbor, and Alex Zamora, Coachella Valley.

Boys’ Division III (800 and below): Maranatha of Sierra Madre, Sherman Indian of Riverside, Village Christian of Sun Valley, Bishop and Salesian of Los Angeles. Individuals--Brian Ochs, Mission Prep of San Luis Obispo; Dave Wester, Maranatha; Ricky DeLeon and Alfredo DeLeon, Moorpark; John Heiber, Serrano of Phelan.

Girls’ Division I: Palos Verdes, Agoura, Arroyo Grande, Hesperia and Montebello. Individuals--Deena Drossin, Agoura; Rayna Cervantes, Montebello; Jaime Park, Santa Barbara; Ashley Black, Palos Verdes, and Brigid Freyne, Riverside Poly.

Girls’ Division II: Newport Harbor, South Hills of West Covina, Woodbridge, Nordhoff of Ojai and Morro Bay. Individuals--Karen Hecox, South Hills; Sandra Acosta, Walnut; Suzanne Castruita, West Covina; Nicole Robbins, Hesperia, and Tammy Dobel, Nordhoff.

Girls’ Division III: Maranatha, St. Joseph of Santa Maria, Paraclete of Lancaster, Webb of Claremont and Moorpark. Individuals--Evelyn Martino, St. Joseph; Tanya Thayer and Zita Hillinger, Serrano; Karen Talamantes, Western Christian of Covina, and Mariam Cordero, Maranatha.