Injury at Royal opens things up in league title chase

JANN HENDRY/Acorn Newspapers RACE FOR FIRST—Thousand Oaks High's Kevin Sciarillo, left, and Chris Vannelli hope to lead the Lancers to a championship.

An injury to Royal High's top cross country runner, junior Travis Edwards, has left the race for the top spot in the Marmonte League wide open.

Royal head coach Ryan Luce declined to identify the type of injury, although the coach did admit it will keep Edwards out for a couple of months and possibly the remainder of the season.

The Highlander boys have won eight straight league titles.

Thousand Oaks head coach Shawn Morris was shocked upon hearing the news. "Wow . . . really?" Morris asked. "I thought the race would have been close with a healthy Edwards, but now I feel it's definitely our best shot we've had in the last eight years."

Thousand Oaks has to feel confident as the Lancers return senior Sean Gildea, who will likely be the league's top runner while Edwards sits.

"I know I am biased, but I feel (Gildea) is one of the top runners in the area," Morris said. "He's very humble, but he's also a very hard worker that rarely misses a practice. He's like a coach's dream."

JANN HENDRY/Acorn Newspapers WORKIN' HARD—Tim Snyder, left, and Scott McAfee of Westlake train for the season.

Thousand Oaks will also get contributions from juniors Asher Lober and Kevin Joerger, as well as seniors Andrew Snyder and Donald Morrow.

Although the Highlanders won't be at full strength, don't count them out. The team still has juniors Paul Jesson and Sean Davidson, as well as senior Robert Davis and sophomore Sean Upson. Because of its depth, many league coaches still feel Royal is the team to beat.

"My personal feeling is that it doesn't matter if Edwards is out; Royal's still the best," Agoura head coach Craig Hochhaus said.

"If Edwards does it make it back near the end of the season, then Royal's going to be real tough to beat."

Luce seemed to be confident despite the loss of his top runner.

"It seems every year we have some kind of injury before the season starts, but we always tend to be all right and get that runner back when we need him," Luce said. "I know, because of our eight titles in a row, however, that we do have a target on our back."

Westlake finished third in league last season and is a strong contender to take the title away from Royal thanks to an experienced team led by five seniors.

The Warrior seniors are Garret Drogosch, Adrian Doan, Scott McAfee, Manny Villagomez and Brett LaFeada.

Agoura finished in fifth place a year ago and is hoping to take over the top spot thanks to the return of three solid seniors—Adam Brosh, Brandon Severson and Cameron Thomas.

"We have three runners that are fighting hard to become the top runner on our squad," Hochhaus said. "They run well together, and they're all very intelligent."

The Chargers will also get contributions from juniors Bryan Quintanilla and Ben Wolhautter.

Simi Valley has a chance at first place with the return of seniors Steven Semler and Bryan Reina.

Sophomore Michael Vorgitch will also factor into the mix for the Pioneers. Vorgitch set a SVHS freshman record last season in the 2-mile with a time of 10:02.

Senior John Erickson and juniors Chris Quintero and Tyler Apperson will make an impact.

Moorpark finished in last place a year ago, but head coach Thomas King is confident the team will improve with the return of its top runner, Chris Coleman.

Coleman "came in eighth place last year in league and just missed out on going to CIF," King said. "He had a great season, but I feel that's been a motivating factor for him this season."

Junior Ryan Imhof, sophomore Daniel Bostwick and senior Peter Boller will all start for MHS.

Calabasas is coming off a seventh-place finish in league, and, to make matters worse, the Coyotes lost their top runner, Clayton Graham, to graduation.

Coyote runners looking to fill the void include senior Lewis Durand, sophomore Chris Dunn and junior Sean Guardian. Senior David Bromberg will also be a factor for Calabasas.

Newbury Park has top senior runners Steven Bradley and Tyler Benson returning, as well as sophomore Sean Grumney.

Panther head coach Marty Maciel is expecting big things from Grumney in '08.

"He's the best freshman runner I ever had," Maciel said. "He's an unbelievable athlete and is much more relaxed this season with a year of varsity experience under his belt."

The Panthers will also get contributions from juniors Greg Chason and Talmag Jones.