Aaron Hsia-Coron, whose 16:56 on Saturday positioned him behind
D-V champion James Palaniuk (16:12) of York but well ahead of
third-place finisher Arnaud Kpachavi (17:33) of Woodside Priory,
will make the trip to Fresno’s Woodward Park on Nov. 27, although
it will be the first time he’ll compete at state without his Hawk
teammates.
SALINAS
Anzar senior Aaron Hsia-Coron will make his fourth trip to the CIF State Championships in two weeks. Although something will be missing this time around.
“I’d like to go to state if my team made it with me,” he said Saturday, minutes after finishing in second place at the Central Coast Section Division V Championships. “It’s no fun without the team.”
Hsia-Coron, whose 16:56 on Saturday positioned him behind D-V champion James Palaniuk (16:12) of York but well ahead of third-place finisher Arnaud Kpachavi (17:33) of Woodside Priory, will nevertheless make the trip to Fresno’s Woodward Park on Nov. 27, although it will be the first time he’ll compete at state without his Hawk teammates.
The last three years the Anzar boys have qualified to the exclusive state meet, a reward for finishing as one of the top three teams in Division V. But on Saturday, Anzar compiled 107 points to finish in fourth place, and missed the top-three cut by 18 points.
York (23), Crystal Springs (62) and Woodside Priory (89) will instead represent the CCS at state.
“They struggled,” Anzar head coach Danny Lowell said.
No one in Division V could compete with York on Saturday, though. Behind Palaniuk’s top time, the Monterey school cruised to the section championship when it had the remainder of its runners finish in fourth through seventh place.
Anzar’s Greg Bissell narrowly missed the state cut as an individual. Needing to figure into the top 12, Bissell finished in 17th with a time of 18:44.
Hawks Miguel Vega (24th, 19:19), Josiah Garza (34th, 20:15) and Andrew Ornelas (39th, 20:56) rounded out the team, while Diego Avila was 41st in 21:05 and Diego Luna was 46th in 22:01.
“We are at least representing the school (at state),” Lowell said. “It’d be nice to have the whole team there, but they didn’t show up today.”
On the girls side, Anzar only competed with three girls — Valerie Quezada (18th, 23:21), Melissa Weckerle (38th, 25:59) and Emily Wilkinson (47th, 26:42) — and did not record a team score as a result.
“But she ran close to her best race of the year,” Lowell said of Quezada, who was off her previous best at Toro by roughly 20 seconds.
Hsia-Coron’s previous season best at Toro Park was 16:38, although on Saturday, the Anzar senior was running by himself for much of the race.
“He didn’t race his best of the year, but he also didn’t have a group to run with,” Lowell said.
Added Hsia-Coron, “It wasn’t my best. But it wasn’t my worst, either.”
Hsia-Coron said he was simply trying to best his PR of 16:38 on Saturday, but the four-time state qualifier was positioned in no man’s land for much of the 3.1-mile race, running alone behind Palaniuk, but well in front of everyone else.
It’s difficult to push oneself when in that position, but Hsia-Coron will advance to the state meet, nonetheless.
“He put a lot of effort into it and he deserved it,” Hsia-Coron said of Palaniuk. “He has a lot of heart. You can’t feel too bad losing to him.”
Although trying to top his 16:38 at Toro Park is now a thing of the past, Hsia-Coron still has a chance to break his best state mark — the 16:47 he recorded just a year ago at Woodward Park in Fresno.
CCS — DIVISION V
BOYS
Team
1, York, 23; 2, Crystal Springs Uplands, 62; 3, Woodside Priory, 89; 4, Anzar, 107; 5, St. Francis CCC, 138; 6, Latino College Prep, 155; 7, St. Lawrence, 156.
Individual (Anzar Only)
1, James Palaniuk, York, 16:12; 2, Aaron Hsia-Coron, 16:56; 17, Greg Bissell, 18:44; 24, Miguel Vega, 19:19; 34, Josiah Garza, 20:15; 39, Andrew Ornelas, 20:56; 41, Diego Avila, 21:05; 46, Diego Leon, 22:01.
GIRLS
Team
1, Crystal Springs, 44; 2, Castilleja, 61; 3, Woodside Priory, 70; 4, Santa Catalina, 91; 5, York, 141; 6, St. Francis CCC, 158; 7, Pacific Collegiate, 160; 8, Alma Heights, 209.
Individual (Anzar Only)
1, Kat Gregory, Woodside Priory, 19:13; 18, Valerie Quezada, 23:21; 38, Melissa Weckerle, 25:29; 47, Emily Wilkinson, 26:42.
