Pali High Boys Fourth at State Meet

By STEVE GALLUZZO | Sports Editor

One week after breaking the City Finals team time record at Pierce College, the Palisades Charter High School boys cross country squad traveled north to Fresno for the state championships. The Dolphins again showed they can compete at the highest level, taking fourth in the Division 1 race with a score of 128.

Only San Clemente (48 points), Temecula Great Oak (102) and Trabuco Hills (119) were collectively faster than the Dolphins, who have won three City titles in a row.

On Thanksgiving, senior Max Fields was a volunteer at the annual Pacific Palisades Turkey Trot. On Saturday, November 25, he clocked 15:32.1 to place 28th in a field of 128 runners on the three-mile course at Woodward Park. Jason Parra of Long Beach Millikan won in 14:56.8, just over two seconds ahead of runner-up Brett Ephraim from San Clemente.

Finishing four spots behind Fields was sophomore teammate Blake Sigworth, whose 15:33.8 was one-tenth of a second better than Luke Sanders of Buchanan in Clovis. The Dolphins’ third runner was Zachary Cohen (43rd in 15:43.7) and two spots behind him was Owen Lewicky (15:44.4). Rounding out the team scoring in 46th was Axel Mammen (15:44.4). Palisades’ sixth runner was Andrew Razo (147th in 16:43.1) and No. 7 in 19:17.9 was Lajus Collins.

In recording their highest finish yet at the state meet, the Dolphins had a five-man gap of 13 seconds and averaged 15:40 for a total time of 1:18:19. At City Finals they won with a total of 23 points and a team time of 1:17:21.1, lowering the 1:17:42.8 standard set by Belmont’s 1998 squad.

One hour after the boys took fourth, Palisades girls’ took 15th out of 21 schools in the Division 1 race with 362 points. Corona Santiago was first with a score of 57, followed by Buchanan (58) and Trabuco Hills (76).

As she did at City Finals, when she won in 17:41.00, freshman Zoey Morris paced the Dolphins with a clocking of 18:18.00 at Woodward Park, good enough for 27th overall. Rylee Blade of Corona Santiago won in 16:48.5, followed by Holly Barker of Trabuco Hills (17:05.0) in a field of 177 runners.

For a second straight race, Morris beat Granada Hills sophomore Samantha Pacheco, who was 39th in 18:38.1 Pacheco had been the top qualifier at City prelims and ran in the same heat as Morris.

Rounding out the Dolphins’ lineup were senior Kyra Morris, Zoey’s older sister, who moved up nine spots in the last mile to place 76th in 19:14.3; Lulu Mammen (104th place in 19:44,5); Virginia O’Neill (121st in 20:01.8); Gabriella Gilyard (148th in 20:41.7); Daila Harinck (150th in 20:43.8); and Vitalija Schafer (who beat two Granada Hills runners to place 170th in 21:28.3).

Last year, Palisades’ girls (who were second in the City behind Granada Hills) finished last out of 21 schools in Division 1 with 550 points while the City champion boys were 17th with 375 points and a team time of 1:22:57 at the state meet. Fields placed 15th individually in 15:29.8.

In 2021, Palisades’ girls were last in Division 1 with 614 points while the City champion boys were 19th with a score of 437 and a team time of 1:23:12. Fields was the team’s top placer (65th in 16:10.3).