Div 5 CIF SS Finals Preview -ESPN RISE

CIF-SS DIVISION 5 BOYS FINALS – 9:05 a.m.
Is the “changing of the guard” for small schools supremacy officially underway? We expected St. Margaret’s to fashion a tough title bid in 2011, but their solid improvements this fall have pushed that timeline ahead of schedule, leaving five-time defending state champion Woodcrest Christian’s dynasty at stake! St. Margaret’s captured the Mt. SAC Invitational Division 5 sweeps title here last month, with junior Billy Gaudreau and sophomore Brandon price fueling that clutch triumph. Woodcrest Christian, the Clovis Invitational small schools champion, has looked surprisingly vulnerable despite repeated quality showings from frontrunner Myles Scarano. Desert Christian, a squad afflicted with a key injury in the early, is now firing on all cylinders with stars Scott Acton and Bryan Curtis leading the efforts!
Gaudreau has been the division’s top individual talent thus far in 2010, pairing with teammate Price in undoubtedly making the duo a formidable training set. Scarano is in his fourth year of middle-of-the-battles, high-stakes racing so look for the senior star to show well when the chips are down. Thacher’s Will Callan, very selective in his racing schedule this fall, is another title contender.

LEADING DIV. 5 SINGLE-RACE TEAM TIMES LEADING DIV. 5 INDIVIDUAL TIMES FOR 2010
1. St. Margaret’s 81:03 1. *Billy Gaudreau (St. Margaret’s) 15:20
2. Desert Chr./Lancaster 82:36 2. –Myles Scarano (Woodcrest Ch) 15:51
3. Woodcrest Christian 82:37 3. –Will Callan (Thacher) 15:52
4. Flintridge Prep 84:20 4. –Harrison Sones (Brentwood) 15:58
5. Xavier Prep 84:37 5. –Alex Bersook (Chadwick) 15:59
6. Thacher 85:09 6. **Brandon Price (St. Margaret’s) 16:01
7. The Buckley School 85:48 7. –Lucas Lebovitz (Chadwick) 16:06
8. Sage Hill 86:03 8. *Scott Acton (Desert Chr/Lanc) 16:09
9. Chadwick 86:25 9. *Bryan Curtis (Desert Chr/Lanc) 16:11
10. Brentwood 86:48 10. **Christian Contreras (Woodc) 16:12

BOYS DIVISION 5 STATE RANKINGS
1. St. Margaret's, San Juan Capistrano (SS)
2. Woodcrest Christian, Riverside (SS)
3. Desert Christian, Lancaster (SS)
4. Flintridge Prep, La Canada Flintridge (SS)
5. Chadwick, Palos Verdes Peninsula (SS)
6. The Urban School, San Francisco (NC)
7. York School, Monterey (CC)
8. Xavier College Prep, Palm Desert (SS)
9. Thacher, Ojai (SS)
10. Tranquillity (CS)
Division 5 Synopsis: On paper, this could be a solid three-team battle. St. Margaret's has the best package among the contenders and we get the sense they will handle the pressure well the next two weekends. Woodcrest Christian has owned this division statewide the last five years, each resulting in a state title. This year, the depth has come into question. Meanwhile, Lancaster Desert Christian has begun to put the winning pieces together after an injury-plagued start to 2010.