Clearly, the cross country teams at Oak Park High, Oaks Christian and La Reina have their standards set a little higher than most schools.

The Oaks Christian girls' squad claimed the CIF-Southern Section Division IV state championship last season.

La Reina was right behind OCHS, finishing in third place.

The Oak Park boys' and girls' teams both took second place in the Division III state championships, while the Oaks Christian boys finished in seventh place in Division IV.

Before these teams can concentrate on how well they place at the CIF State Championships this year, they'll have to face their toughest competition during the regular season—each other.

Although La Reina and Oaks Christian may compete in a different division than OPHS during the postseason, the three schools will battle it out for a Tri-Valley League title in what has become one of the most competitive leagues in the area.

The Oak Park girls' and boys' have each claimed the league title the last eight years, but with the Lions and Regents bringing back numerous star runners, times may be changing.

"This is going to be a closer race than it has been in years," Oak Park head coach Kevin Smith said. "The league is very balanced with all three programs in good shape. Last year, Oaks Christian and La Reina got tremendous experience, and most of their top runners are back."

The Oaks Christian girls, who won their first state title last season, will bring back Christina Garcia, the Lions' top returning runner. Although the Lions graduated many seniors, head coach Wes Smith believes the team will be even better in '08.

"Everyone says we should drop off this year, but we won the state title last year and Christina didn't even score for us because she didn't compete," Wes Smith said.

"With her back, we should be even more dangerous."

Oaks Christian also brings back junior Emily Fuld and senior Tina Boskovich. Sophomores Brittani Gardella and Fallon Cislo will also contribute for the Lions.

La Reina nearly brings back its entire team.

Junior Sarah Pearson, who finished in fifth place at the state championship, leads the Regents. Juniors Tara Blanchard, Mary Thompson and Katie Kavetsky are top athletes as well.

The league title still belongs to Oak Park, however, and with Melissa Skiba returning for her junior year, the Eagles will be tough to beat.

Skiba finished in fifth place at the CIF-SS Division III state championships.

Sarah Kiner and Michelle Noe return for their senior years, but the biggest factor for the Eagles will be how well the team's sophomores run.

With former Eagles Courtney Lightfoot, Kirsten Jackson and Marissa Diehl having graduated, OPHS needs Riley McCullough, Xcaret Osario, Candace Matsunaga, Kaycee Holcomb and Lindsay Courtney to improve their running times.

Junior Meira Prescher may also see time on the varsity squad.

"We're still searching for someone to fill the leadership void left by our previous seniors," Kevin Smith said.

"Last year, the other girls got to hide in the shadows of performances from Lightfoot, Jackson and Diehl. I gave them that latitude last year, but this season we need them to step forward."

The OPHS boys' team also lost a number of its top runners but does return James Goldstein for his junior year.

Goldstein emerged as one of the top runners in Ventura County last season by finishing 14th at the Division III state meet.

Aaron Kurland becomes Oak Park's No. 2 runner, while seniors Adam Kinberg, Colin Rickard, Gareth Morl and Matt Shiney, as well as junior Omer Levy, will also contribute.

"The expectations in the Oak Park program are huge," Kurland said. "Even if we have less experience as we may have had in the past, our seniors are showing a work ethic that's unbelievable.

"Our school's past history pushes us to go farther, and I think that's what will set us apart in the long run."

The Oaks Christian boys' squad will return the area's top duo, Charlie Petrie and Hunter Hays.

Petrie placed ninth at the Division IV state championships last season, while Hays came in 13th. Wes Smith called sophomore Ryan Huning "a huge surprise," while junior Nick Colarossi and his freshman brother, Vincent, should also run for the Lions' varsity squad.

"The TriValley is just a phenomenal league," Wes Smith said. "I believe all of our objectives are to do well in the postseason, but we all want to race well in league, too. It's going to be a real exciting year."