La Mirada High School

Update: CIF-SS Rankings released 11/18/08 -- With their performances over the past few weeks, the Lady Mats have jumped at least 5 spots to enter the rankings in 10th place. This marks the first time a girl's cross country team from La Mirada has ever been ranked!
GIRLS DIVISION II
1. Saugus, Santa Clarita
2. Mira Costa, Manhattan Beach
3. Canyon, Anaheim
4. Sultana, Hesperia
5. Redondo Union, Redondo Beach
6. Newport Harbor, Newport Beach
7. Ayala, Chino Hills
8. Newbury Park
9. Canyon, Canyon Country
10. La Mirada

CIF-SS FInals: YES They did!

(Team Results) (Press Telegram Link) (Whittier Daily News Link)
Every season since 1986, the Lady Mats dutifully traveled to Mt. SAC for the CIF-SS Prelims race only to come home empty handed. The waiting is over. This season, on their 23rd consecutive trip, they earned the right to move on and will compete in the CIF-SS Division II Finals race next Saturday. Led by senior Melissa Byrd and sophomore Celinda Manzo, the girls managed to come in just ahead of a couple of top ranked division II teams en route to a 2nd place finish.

Going into the race, the girls knew they needed a top 5 finish in their heat to qualify for the sectional finals. They also knew that all they needed was to duplicate their October performance at the Mt SAC Invite and they would be in good position to advance. They were healthy. They were confident. There were no injuries. The only obstacle that remained was the dry heat, a fast race, and that nagging "streak" of past failures. The girls were determined to put an end to 22 years of disappointment for Matadores fans and coaches. They demonstrated their grit even at the start of the race.

Unlike previous seasons when the team was out of contention by the switchbacks, this year's team aggressively pushed the pace from the time the gun sounded. For the duration of the first mile, Byrd, who qualified for CIF-SS finals as a sophomore, and Manzo, clung closely to the front pack and were followed by Lauren McIntyre, who was positioned in the top 20. By the time the race reached the runway before poop-out, the gap between McIntyre and Ashley Casanover had closed slightly and the girls found themselves in 6th place with just over 100 points. There was hope, but the pack was coming up on the most difficult portion of the 2.91 mile course.

With less than a mile remaining in the race, despite Byrd and Manzo running side-by-side over most of the rugged course, McIntyre had dropped back to 21st, Casanover to 31st, and Paulina Tapia was struggling in 41st place. Even with Aja Labasan and Amber Hickman, the 6th and 7th runners, just behind Tapia, a 6th place finish and a quiet journey home looked more and more like a reality.

When a challenge presents itself, people often shrink from the pressure and drift off into oblivion. This team is different. From top to bottom, all season, the Lady Mats have demonstrated an iconoclastic ability to come through under pressure. Glimpses of this toughness were seen at virtually every race by one competitor or another. Today, as if motivated by a strong inner voice that shouted out a collective, "NO!", the team responded. In the last 800 meters of the race, Byrd and Manzo managed to hold on to 5th and 8th place respectively, McIntyre advanced into the 17th spot, Casanover made a huge surge that moved her past 10 competitors and into the 21st spot, and Tapia moved into 39th place. With their surge, the girls realized they had positioned themselves for the best. Now came the wait. By virtue of a 5th and 8th place finish, they knew that Byrd and Manzo had qualified as individuals; they knew their point total was less than 95 points. Would it be enough?

When the results were released and triple-checked, the announcement was made: The collective surge had moved the girls ahead of four other teams into 2nd place, one point in front of the 3rd place team. They had done it! Amid hugs and screams of happiness, each member of the team realized they had done something no other La Mirada team could lay claim to; for today, their team was the quintessential team in school history. With the waiting over, the Lady Mats look forward to seeking a State berth at next Saturday's CIF-SS Division II Finals.

Garza & Palmer Pace Matadores at CIF-Prelims
Team Captains, Michael Palmer and Andrew Garza, bid farewell to their fine prep careers by leading the boy's team as the numbers 1 and 2 finishers at the CIF-SS Division II Prelim race last Saturday. Palmer, a 4-year varsity veteran, and Garza, in his 3rd year with the team, have competed in a combined 7 CIF championship races. Michael, who earned a varsity spot as a freshman, leaves the La Mirada Cross Country team as one of the top 10 harriers in school history. Garza, who set a La Mirada school record for the benchmark Mt. SAC course at last month's invitational, holds the number 3 spot on La Mirada's elite list. This season, under the leadership of Palmer and Garza, the Matadores finished 2nd in Suburban League competition while establishing themselves as the fastest boys team in school history.

Also competing for the Matadores in the CIF race were: juniors Andrew Herrick (2nd year) and Richard Marquez (2nd year), sophomores Regan Garcia (2nd year) and Frankie Nogales (1st year), and freshman Clint Bales.