On Course

Deep Dolphins Poised for Another Run at City Section Championship

By STEVE GALLUZZO | Sports Editor

The cross country season is a marathon not a sprint and Palisades High’s girls and boys teams hope to be crowned section champions after both finished second to qualify for the state meet last fall.

Palisades’ girls squad enters the season No. 2 in the City Division I rankings behind defending champion Granada Hills, but El Camino Real, San Pedro and Monroe will also be contenders.   

The Dolphins return six of their top seven runners from last year (only Kimia Samandi graduated), including reigning City individual champion Miranda Schriver and two-time City 3200-meter champion Sarah Bentley.

Schriver won City in 18:18.30 and was 53rd at the state meet in a shade over 19 minutes as a freshman last fall. Bentley, who was sick but still ran at City finals last year, clocked 20:02.3 at state, the Dolphins’ third scorer behind Schriver and Samandi.   

Also back are junior Elisa Kim (17th at City finals last year), senior Brittany Darrow (18th in the City cross country finals and City champion in the 800 meters in the spring), senior Jessica Bierschenk (21st at City finals last fall) and senior Skylar Smith, the Dolphins’ sixth runner a year ago.   

Palisades’ boys are also second in the City preseason Division I rankings. El Camino Real, winner of three of the last four City team titles, lost reigning CIF state champion Justin Hazell to graduation but still enters the season a slight favorite. Granada Hills, which won the frosh/soph title last year, also figures to be in the mix along with Garfield and Marshall.   

Despite the graduation of Ben Hamer, who was runner-up to Hazell in the City finals last fall, the Dolphins’ depth gives them an excellent chance to stand atop the podium in November.

Senior Brent Smith, third at last year’s City finals in 15:40.31, has a chance to become only the second male in section history to place in the top 10 in the varsity finals race four years in a row. He’ll be joined by sophomores Mason Cadden and Lucas Schriver and junior Alec Stewart—all of whom ran under 17 minutes at City finals—and senior Ryan Breitman.   

The season starts Saturday at the Rosemead Invitational, followed by the Woodbridge Classic on Sept. 15 at Silverlakes Sports Complex in Corona.