HIGH SCHOOL CROSS-COUNTRY FOOTHILL LEAGUE CHAMPIONSHIPS : Hart Boys Bounce Back, Sew Up Title in Runaway

After suffering its first defeat in two years at the Mt. San Antonio College invitational two weeks ago, the Hart High boys’ cross-country team returned to action Thursday with a resounding victory in the Foothill League finals at College of the Canyons.

The Indians, paced by the one-two-three finish of seniors Paul De La Cerda and Keith Grossman and sophomore Brett Strahan, placed six runners among the top seven finishers to total 17 points and win their 10th consecutive league title. Hart also won the first two league meets but needed to finish ahead of Canyon, Burbank and Saugus to assure itself of the title.

Canyon finished second with 58 points, followed by Burbank (71), Saugus (94) and Burroughs (152).

The top three teams in the final league standings--Hart, Canyon and Burbank--and the top three individuals among the top six finishers who are not on a qualifying team advance to next week’s Southern Section preliminaries at Mt. SAC.

De La Cerda said that Thursday’s meet marked a new beginning for Hart, last year’s mythical national champion according to The Harrier magazine, and the No. 1-ranked team in the nation before the Indians’ stunning fourth-place finish behind Thousand Oaks; Madera, Calif.; and Katella in the Mt. SAC invitational.

“That race took a lot of pressure off us,” De La Cerda said. “We had been feeling a lot of pressure since the start of the season because of our ranking, and it’s gone. Now we have something (winning a third consecutive state Division I title) to shoot for again. It’s not going to be easy, but it gives us a definite goal.”

De La Cerda, Grossman, Strahan and Canyon junior Jon Bischop formed the lead pack at the mile mark (5 minutes 3 seconds), before De La Cerda pulled away to a six-second lead over Grossman at two miles (10:15). De La Cerda finished with a time of 16:17 over the three-mile course, followed by Grossman (16:26)--who was hampered by a sore lower back--Strahan (16:31) and Bischop (16:33).

Seniors Jonny Eveleth and Tommy Givens rounded out the Indians’ scoring runners in fifth (16:36) and sixth (16:57).

Burbank senior Christa Ayuso won the girls’ race with a time of 20:05, and Canyon placed first with 40 points to wedge itself into a three-way tie for first in the final league standings with Hart and Saugus.

Saugus was second with 47 points, followed by Hart (52), Burbank (92) and Burroughs (140).

Canyon, which had placed third behind Hart and Saugus in the other two league meets, was led by senior Heather Giles and sophomore Teriann Boggio, who finished second (20:27) and third (20:37).

Hart, which won a share of its 10th consecutive league title, had a rough day as juniors Jessica De La Cerda (asthma attack) and Elsie Munoz (twisted ankle), the Indians’ Nos. 1 and 4 runners, dropped out of the race.