Pearson paces La Reina

WENDY PIERRO/Acorn Newspapers GETTING LOOSE—La Reina High's Sarah Pearson stretches before Tuesday's workout. Pearson is one of many reasons La Reina's cross country team is ranked second in the state in Division IV. When Sarah Pearson came to La Reina as a freshman, head cross country coach Robert Lopez didn't know much about her.

A lot has changed in two years.

"Most of the time, when you get a good runner like Pearson, you hear something about them before they attend the school you're coaching," Lopez said.

"I didn't hear anything about her. Even though she didn't have much of a running background, you could tell she did have a lot of raw talent."

These days, the 16-year-old junior is making a name for herself. La Reina is ranked No. 1 in the CIFSouthern Section Division IV coaches' poll and No. 2 in the Division IV state rankings behind St. Mary's.

Much of the credit for the Regents' success has to go to Pearson, who has become one of the top runners in Ventura County.

"She's a joy to coach," Lopez said. "She's been like a sponge ever since she came to La Reina. You tell her something and she just soaks it all in.

"As a coach, you always hope for athletes like her, and you hope to coach someone that appreciates running as much as you do."

Pearson said her junior year has been a blast.

"As an individual and as a team, the goals are set very high," Pearson said. "I expect a lot of myself, but when your dreams start becoming a reality you have to just say to yourself, 'Wow, this is really happening.'"

Two years ago, Pearson never imagined she'd develop into such a fast runner. Neither did her coach.

Before attending La Reina, most of Pearson's athletic time was spent playing soccer, but she quit the sport due to a fear of injuries.

She began competing in youth cross country in the sixth grade but didn't take it too seriously.

"Youth cross country was more laid back, and the coaches didn't push you as hard," Pearson said. "I started to get into the sport more in high school when I was running as much as six days a week."

Pearson's hard work paid immediate dividends. At the end of her freshman season, she placed 10th at the state meet and was already La Reina's top runner.

Pearson wouldn't suffer a sophomore jinx. Last season, LRHS placed third in state, while Pearson improved to a fifth-place finish at the same meet.

"I'm very proud that I improved at state last year," Pearson said. "I know that although a lot of people train very hard, the kind of improvement I saw last year doesn't come for everyone."

Lopez said Pearson has stepped up even more this season.

"She's now going from being an above-average runner to one of the elite runners in the area," Lopez said.

"It seems like she's just now learning how to race. She's been on the courses before, and she knows what to expect."

Lopez said a lot of the credit for Pearson's success has to go to her rigorous training schedule.

"She's taking this season very seriously," Lopez said. "Every day she's cross training in the pool, working in the weight room and watching her weight by what she eats."

Although La Reina is having one of its finest seasons, Pearson is quick to point out that she's received a lot of help from her teammates.

"We've had a great team and a great freshman class," Pearson said. "Having runners like Rachel (Brajkovich) really helps push me in practice."

The Regents also have runners such as Tara Blanchard, Mary Thompson and McKenzie O'Malley running at a quick pace.

Last week, La Reina fell to Oak Park in the first Tri-Valley League meet to drop its record to 4-1. Pearson finished in third place with a time of 19:10.

Although La Reina remains near the top of the CIF-SS rankings, Pearson said she doesn't think too much of polls.

"It's nice to be recognized, but you still have to keep putting in hard work or else they're just rankings and they don't mean anything," Pearson said.

"As a team, our goal is to peak at the end of the year and win state."

Pearson still has another year at La Reina, but she already knows she wants to continue to run in college, where she'd like to study biology and English.

"I want to keep running for the rest of my life," Pearson said. "It would be great to continue to be a part of a team in college."

Pearson and La Reina will be in action on Oct. 11 at the Clovis Invitational.