Matadors repeat as River Park champs

2026 EAST COUNTY PREP CROSS COUNTRY

Mount Miguel places three in top 9; Naranjo breaks 15 minutes for second victory in 7 days

By East County Sports staff

SAN DIEGO — Mount Miguel’s boys entered the New Balance San Diego River Park Invitational as defending champions and departed Snapdragon Stadium looking like a team capable of accomplishing considerably more.

The Matadors repeated as Division II champions with 65 points, placing three runners among the first nine overall and defeating runner-up Calexico by 30 points Friday.

While Mount Miguel supplied the meet’s leading East County team performance, Grossmont senior Luis Naranjo delivered its premier individual achievement. Naranjo broke the 15-minute barrier for the first time, winning the Division I boys’ three-mile race in a personal-best 14 minutes, 52.93 seconds.

Together, the performances produced a showcase evening for East County distance running.

The Matadors are in midseason form. For the second year in a row, the boys finished as the Division II New Balance San Diego River Park Invitational champions. The team is on a mission, and the best is yet to come.

MARISCAL LEADS MATADOR PACK

Senior Jose Mariscal paced Mount Miguel by finishing third overall in a personal-best 16:05.75.

The performance elevated Mariscal into the top five on Mount Miguel’s all-time three-mile list.

Mariscal is having an brilliant start to his senior season, leading a strong group of varsity boys.

Mariscal had plenty of company near the front.

Senior Marcelino Esquivel placed seventh in 16:31.38, while senior David Gonzalez was ninth in 16:45.49. Senior Iker Quintero finished 16th in 17:03.04, giving Mount Miguel four runners among the first 16.

Junior Alexander Payne completed the championship scoring lineup by placing 39th overall in 17:46.37. Payne counted 34th in the adjusted team scoring after runners from incomplete teams were removed.

Mount Miguel’s scoring places of 2-6-8-15-34 produced its winning total of 65. Calexico finished second with 95, followed by Fallbrook with 100.

Calexico seniors Miguel Izarraraz and Jasiel Aguilar finished fourth and sixth overall, respectively. Holtville seniors Anthony Strahm and Caleb Emmons placed 13th and 14th.

Granite Hills finished ninth in the Division II team competition, Imperial was 12th and Foothills Christian placed 16th.

NARANJO WINS ANOTHER ONE

Seven days after winning the Grossmont Conference’s opening cluster race, Naranjo earned an invitational championship against a considerably larger Division I field.

Naranjo and Eastlake junior Anthony Manquero-Mendez separated themselves from the field before engaging in a tight finishing battle. Naranjo prevailed by 2.31 seconds, with Manquero-Mendez crossing in a personal-best 14:55.24.

Cathedral Catholic freshman Lukas Derheimer placed third in 14:57.13, giving the race three sub-15-minute finishers.

“Close finish, but we got it done,” Naranjo said. “Shoutout to everyone who volunteered to help out at this meet and make it possible. You guys are the best. Time to rest up and get ready for Woodbridge.”

Naranjo completed the conference cluster’s three-mile course in 15:59.22 the previous week. Although the two courses differed, his 14:52.93 at River Park represented a personal best of more than one minute.

The victory also earned Naranjo recognition among California’s leading invitational winners for the week.

Naranjo’s next scheduled challenge comes at the Woodbridge Cross Country Classic.

West Hills junior Lucas Trogus added another top-10 East County performance, placing eighth in a personal-best 15:19.50.

The Wolf Pack received scoring performances from seniors Fox Hermanson, Helio Cortez and Ryan Revak, along with sophomore Matthew Stinchfield, to finish fifth among 16 Division I teams with 142 points.

Central Union senior Noah Munguia placed ninth individually in 15:22.11.

Eastlake won the Division I boys’ championship with 69 points, followed by Cathedral Catholic with 85 and Mira Mesa with 113.

Helix placed 13th, Grossmont was 14th, El Capitan finished 15th and Steele Canyon was 16th.

SANCHEZ MAKES MATADOR HISTORY

Mount Miguel also received an historic performance from freshman Aracely Sanchez, who placed 12th in the Division II girls’ race in a personal-best 20:25.19.

In her first competitive three-mile race, Sanchez became the second-fastest girls’ three-mile runner in Mount Miguel history, surpassing the previous mark of her older sister. She now trails only a current teammate on the program’s all-time list.

Sanchez is having a great start to her freshman season.

Junior Nadia Aguilar finished 16th for Mount Miguel in 21:01.77.

The Matadors did not have the five varsity finishers required for an official team score, but their developing girls’ program produced considerable depth in the Division II junior-varsity race.

Daleena Carrillo placed seventh, Melanie Cossio-Arteaga was ninth, Alondra Mejia finished 12th, Ashley Cossio-Arteaga placed 13th and Justyce Bragg was 15th. Three Mount Miguel runners were competing in their first race.

The team gained confidence with their finish.

EAST COUNTY GIRLS EARN TOP FINISHES

Helix freshman Ryan Mitchell led the East County Division I girls by placing fifth in 18:26.48.

Grossmont senior Jane Telliard followed in sixth with a personal-best 18:28.02.

Helix finished seventh in the Division I team competition with 179 points. Grossmont placed ninth with 229, one point ahead of Bonita Vista, while West Hills was 12th.

Cathedral Catholic captured the Division I girls’ championship with 34 points, placing five runners among the first 13 overall. Senior Grace Keefe won the individual race in 17:12.90.

In Division II, Imperial senior Mia Bustamante placed second with a personal-best 18:20.85, only 3.40 seconds behind champion Melia Outman of Santa Fe Christian.

Christian sophomore Brooklyn Drips placed fifth with a personal-best 19:26.79.

Monte Vista put two runners in the top 10. Junior Melissa Velazquez Varela finished eighth in 19:52.78, and sophomore Mariella Ferrer was 10th with a personal-best 20:21.88.

Those performances helped Monte Vista place third in the Division II team standings with 140 points. Christian finished fourth with 148, one point ahead of Holtville.

Santa Fe Christian won the girls’ Division II title with 87 points, followed by Fallbrook with 110. Imperial finished eighth and Calexico was 10th.

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NEW BALANCE SAN DIEGO RIVER PARK INVITATIONAL

At Snapdragon Stadium
Friday, Sept. 11
Three-mile varsity races

BOYS DIVISION I

Team scores: 1. Eastlake 69; 2. Cathedral Catholic 85; 3. Mira Mesa 113; 4. Scripps Ranch 127; 5. West Hills 142; 6. Otay Ranch 155; 7. Francis Parker 184; 8. Patrick Henry 201; 9. Point Loma 233; 10. Bonita Vista 257; 11. Ramona 280; 12. Liberty Charter 298; 13. Helix 306; 14. Grossmont 342; 15. El Capitan 422; 16. Steele Canyon 466.

Leading finishers: 1. Luis Naranjo, Grossmont, 14:52.93; 2. Anthony Manquero-Mendez, Eastlake, 14:55.24; 3. Lukas Derheimer, Cathedral Catholic, 14:57.13; 4. Santiago Blanco, Otay Ranch, 15:01.79; 5. Noah Shorey, Otay Ranch, 15:05.96; 6. Monte DuVal, Francis Parker, 15:10.63; 7. Padraic Kerns, Eastlake, 15:13.00; 8. Lucas Trogus, West Hills, 15:19.50; 9. Noah Munguia, Central Union, 15:22.11; 10. Ryan Polk, Mira Mesa, 15:26.28; 11. Mason Munn, Mira Mesa, 15:29.76; 12. Carlos Montenegro, Eastlake, 15:34.53; 13. Devin Liles, Scripps Ranch, 15:37.56; 14. Rabi Behrooznia, Scripps Ranch, 15:38.88; 15. Bear Morales, Point Loma, 15:40.48.

BOYS DIVISION II

Team scores: 1. Mount Miguel 65; 2. Calexico 95; 3. Fallbrook 100; 4. Hilltop 150; 5. Mater Dei Catholic 160; 6. Holtville 165; 7. Santa Fe Christian 189; 8. Hoover 192; 9. Granite Hills 194; 10. Coronado 271; 11. Heritage 301; 12. Imperial 306; 13. La Jolla Country Day 332; 14. Chula Vista Learning Community 351; 15. Gompers Prep 375; 16. Foothills Christian 442; 17. O’Farrell Charter 443.

Leading finishers: 1. Manuel Hernandez, Mater Dei Catholic, 16:00.97; 2. Isaac Verbrugge, Calvin Christian, 16:05.54; 3. Jose Mariscal, Mount Miguel, 16:05.75; 4. Miguel Izarraraz, Calexico, 16:07.70; 5. Anthony Robles, Heritage, 16:08.81; 6. Jasiel Aguilar, Calexico, 16:10.43; 7. Marcelino Esquivel, Mount Miguel, 16:31.38; 8. Evan Russo, Coronado, 16:37.26; 9. David Gonzalez, Mount Miguel, 16:45.49; 10. Jaime Moreno Ayala, Fallbrook, 16:47.71; 11. Mo Ploegstra, Santa Fe Christian, 16:48.45; 12. Braulio Garcia Ramos, Mater Dei Catholic, 16:49.31; 13. Anthony Strahm, Holtville, 16:51.57; 14. Caleb Emmons, Holtville, 16:52.49; 15. Sam Pulley, Fallbrook, 17:02.99.

GIRLS DIVISION I

Team scores: 1. Cathedral Catholic 34; 2. High Tech San Diego 83; 3. Point Loma 112; 4. Scripps Ranch 117; 5. Patrick Henry 150; 6. University City 177; 7. Helix 179; 8. Eastlake 212; 9. Grossmont 229; 10. Bonita Vista 230; 11. Otay Ranch 231; 12. West Hills 305.

Leading finishers: 1. Grace Keefe, Cathedral Catholic, 17:12.90; 2. Ellie Cannon, Scripps Ranch, 17:47.44; 3. Callie Schulteis, Cathedral Catholic, 17:58.33; 4. Bethlehem George, Bonita Vista, 18:23.27; 5. Ryan Mitchell, Helix, 18:26.48; 6. Jane Telliard, Grossmont, 18:28.02; 7. Eva Smith, Cathedral Catholic, 18:38.93; 8. Cassandra Casalins-DeBoske, Patrick Henry, 18:41.88; 9. Jade Gordon, High Tech San Diego, 18:44.15; 10. Gargi Gupta, University City, 19:04.09; 11. Emma Sandberg, Cathedral Catholic, 19:12.58; 12. Bridget Salt, Francis Parker, 19:15.21; 13. Sienna Struyck, Cathedral Catholic, 19:17.05; 14. Poema Strong, High Tech San Diego, 19:21.95; 15. Celia Thome, Point Loma, 19:23.88.

GIRLS DIVISION II

Team scores: 1. Santa Fe Christian 87; 2. Fallbrook 110; 3. Monte Vista 140; 4. Christian 148; 5. Holtville 149; 6. Calvin Christian 167; 7. La Jolla Country Day 184; 8. Imperial 187; 9. Mater Dei Catholic 188; 10. Calexico 208; 11. Our Lady of Peace 236; 12. O’Farrell Charter 257; 13. Coronado 283; 14. Hoover 307; 15. Gompers Prep 403.

Leading finishers: 1. Melia Outman, Santa Fe Christian, 18:17.45; 2. Mia Bustamante, Imperial, 18:20.85; 3. Julieta Hernandez, Fallbrook, 18:52.87; 4. Sophia Zhou, La Jolla Country Day, 19:01.79; 5. Brooklyn Drips, Christian, 19:26.79; 6. Olive Alcorn, Fallbrook, 19:39.88; 7. Emme Hoffman, Fallbrook, 19:46.86; 8. Melissa Velazquez Varela, Monte Vista, 19:52.78; 9. Raine Vines, La Jolla Country Day, 20:08.28; 10. Mariella Ferrer, Monte Vista, 20:21.88; 11. Whitney Miller, Santa Fe Christian, 20:23.26; 12. Aracely Sanchez, Mount Miguel, 20:25.19; 13. Kamilah Cone, Hilltop, 20:39.47; 14. Coral Jennings, High Tech Mesa, 20:50.68; 15. Gracie Peterson, Christian, 21:01.25.

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