A change of course in a familiar setting.
The South Pasadena boys’ and girls’ cross-country teams have raced at Mt. San Antonio College many times during their tenure, but with rain in the forecast at Saturday’s CIF Southern Section Cross Country Championships, the group had to adapt as event officials swapped the course map around as a safety precaution.
South Pasadena junior Abigail Errington took advantage of the change and paced her way to a runner-up finish at the CIF finals at Mt. SAC, clocking in at 16 minutes, 28.6 seconds in the Division IV girls’ race.
“I’m really proud of myself,” said Errington, who also captured the Rio Hondo League girls’ cross-country individual title this season. “It’s probably the most nervous I’ve been for this race. A lot of nerves, but I think I was able to use it productively and just race smart. I had a good kick today and I was relieved. I was excited to be out here in really good weather conditions. It was a big relief.”
Errington’s performance was part of a strong showing for the Tigers girls’ team that finished third overall with 118 points, good enough for a berth at the CIF State Cross Country Championships held Saturday at Woodward Park in Fresno.
The South Pasadena boys’ cross-country team, however, narrowly missed out on a collective trip to Fresno as they finished eighth.
Though the Tigers boys’ team missed the cut, South Pasadena senior Keeran Murray qualified for state as an individual. Murray placed 13th in 14:53.6 to punch his ticket to the state championships and represent the Tigers boys’ team as the lone runner.
“It’s a mix of emotions,” said Murray of the boys’ overall performance. “I think the guys put in a lot of work this year, and to be so close and to know we gave everything – it hurts. But it’s also a sense of pride because we worked so hard and because we came out and gave it 100% in this race. We can’t really go and say ‘we could’ve done better.’ We did everything we could’ve possibly done.”
Harvard-Westlake beat out the Tigers for the final qualifying spot in boys’ Division IV, 173-177.
“It’s bittersweet, but spectacular for the girls,” South Pasadena cross-country coach Mike Parkinson said.
JSerra and Oaks Christian were the favorites to win finish first and second in the Division IV girls’ race, according to Parkinson, so the Tigers knew it would be a battle between them, Palos Verdes and Rio Hondo League rivals La Cañada for third. The three teams have gone back and forth throughout the season, specifically at the Mt. SAC Invitational and the Clovis Invitational, and Parkinson expected it to be a dogfight again at the CIF finals.
“If you look at the places throughout the races, we’re back and forth and we’re within a few points, so it could go any way,” said Parkinson, as South Pasadena fended off Palos Verdes (126 points) and La Cañada (129) for third. “Unfortunately, they only give plaques to the top two, but they do give plaques to the top three at state.”
Nonetheless, the Tigers qualified for Saturday’s state championships in Fresno, an accomplishment they’ve set their sights on at the start of the season.
“We just make sure to take all the workouts seriously and understand that it’s the CIF finals so it’s important to give everything you’ve got so we can make it to state because that’s always our No. 1 goal for cross-country,” Errington said.
Added Parkinson: “We’re hoping for podium. That was our slogan for the last two years: Let’s move back to the podium at state.”
Tigers junior Saidbh Byrne finished among the top 10 runners with a ninth-place time of 17:35.5 in the girls’ race. South Pasadena junior Sofia Humphrey was the next scoring runner for the Tigers, finishing 24th in 18:14.6. Tigers junior Chloe Koo crossed the finish line in 35th at 18:39.9, sophomore Rose Vandevelde came in 52nd at 19:18.8, and sophomore Amada Cortes followed in 62nd at 19:41.5.
“We were nervous about having a different course just because we were really experienced with Mt. SAC, but we had to realize that it’s going to be OK,” Errington said. “We’ve worked hard. We’ve done well on flat courses and we’ve done well on hilly courses. … We’re going to go out there and do our best, regardless of what happens. If it rains, we’ll be fine. If it’s perfect weather, we’ll be fine. We just wanted to focus on what we could control and just work hard regardless of the circumstances.”
JSerra, the top-ranked girls’ cross-country team in the nation, won its third consecutive team title, scoring 31 points, and placing four runners in the top 10 finishers. Oaks Christian senior Payton Godsey was the individual winner, securing her third straight crown in 16:12.7.
South Pasadena freshman Michael Scarince fell short of the final boys’ qualification spot, coming in 16th at 14:58.2 for the second fastest time by a ninth grader in the Southern Section, according to Parkinson.
“Keeran and Michael both in the front. I expected them to be in the top 10 to 15 and that’s exactly where they were — 13th and 16th. They did a great job,” Parkinson said.
Following Scarince were junior Adam Ruiz at 44th in 15:39.6, junior Ethan Kung in 53rd at 15:46.5, junior Noah Aldana at 59th in 15:51.5, senior Jarvis Kikekawa-Fraser at 76th in 16:18.1 and junior Kallean Beebe-Reed at 77th in 16:18.7.
“It sucks that [we’re not going] as a team, but it’s also still nice to be able to go individually to represent South Pas in some way,” said Murray, who captured the Rio Hondo League individual championship earlier this month. “And the girls will be there so it’s still a team.”
St. Francis defended its Division IV boys’ cross-country title, winning comfortably with 82 points. Cathedral senior Emmanuel Perez won the individual crown, clocking in at 14:09.1.
First published in the November 24 print issue of the South Pasadena Review.
