By STEVE GALLUZZO | Sports Editor
Palisades High junior Max Fields admits Pierce College is not his favorite course. However, he has learned how to run it so well that he believes he can break 15 minutes.
“The switchbacks don’t bother me, it’s more the dust and the sharp turns,” Fields said after cruising to victory by almost a full 53 seconds in the three-mile varsity boys race last Friday afternoon at the Western League cross country finals. “I was sick all season with a lung and sinus infection and couldn’t breathe but I’m super fit now and I’m so much more confident. Last year I didn’t feel I had much more room after league but this year it’s the opposite. On the middle mile I was 20 seconds faster this time. I want to be running my best by the state meet.”
Just how fast that is remains to be seen, but Fields estblished himself as the favorite to repeat as City champion after clocking 15:11.40. He hopes to shave 7-10 seconds off his time at Saturday’s prelims and even more at the section finals Nov. 19. He ran 15:22.5 to win City as a sophomore last fall. This year or next he would like to join El Camino Real’s Justin Hazell as the only City runners to win the individual state title in Fresno. Hazell did so as a senior in 2017 after winning his third straight City title, an accomplishment Fields hopes to match before he graduates. The City finals record of 14:32 was set by Belmont’s Roman Gomez in 1983.
“We have a bunch of really good guys and the first goal is defending our team title,” Fields said. “Spacewise we were a little off today but we’ll correct it for finals.”
Freshman teammate Zachary Cohen was second in 16:04.00, almost five seconds ahead of Venice sophomore Paul Tranquilla, who placed third. Tenth-grader Owen Lewicky (16:11.10) was fourth; freshman Andrew Razo (16:28.90) was fifth; junior Axel Mammen was seventh in 16:51.00; and ninth-grader Blake Sigworth (17:11.50) was eighth as Palisades took first with 19 points.
In the closest finish of the day, Dolphins senior Ava Baak held off Hamilton senior Luciana Valencia by 1.5 seconds to win the varsity girls race in 18:45.40. Kyra Morris (20:11.70) was third; freshman Louisa Mammen (20:30.60) was fifth; Mollie Wittenberg (21:02.60) was eighth and fellow senior Lyla Adeli (21:23.50) was ninth as Palisades finished atop the team standings with 26 points—eight fewer than runner-up Hamilton. The girls are in strong position to challenge Granada Hills for the City Division I title.
Palisades also won both junior varsity races. The boys posted a perfect score of 15 as sophomore Ben Barnett (17:01.60) and freshmen Roland Becking, Diego Calleja, Brian Welsh and Kamran Yashouafar swept the top five places. The girls also took the first five spots. Freshman Maribel Henderson-Maclennan (21:35.30) was followed by Cecilia Tierney, Maya Bhasin, Giada Rice and Julia Musumeci.
Click on any image below to view slide show
This page is available to subscribers. Click here to sign in or get access.
