PREP CROSS-COUNTRY : Sanchez Wins at Section Preliminaries

WALNUT — Capistrano Valley’s Adalberto Sanchez is known for pushing the pace.

The senior’s strategy worked to perfection Saturday, as he ran past a Division I-A field loaded with the area’s top runners at the Southern Section cross-country preliminaries at Mt. San Antonio College.

Sanchez, the three-time South Coast League champion who won the county championship earlier this fall, cruised to the day’s fastest time over the three-mile course in 15 minutes 8 seconds.

Newhall Hart’s Brett Strahan (15:13) and Camarillo’s Eleazar Hernandez (15:19) finished second and third; El Toro senior Martin Pennell (15:58) earned the final individual qualifying spot to next weekend’s section final.

The Irvine girls’ team, top-ranked in Orange County, breezed to an easy team victory in the second heat of the Division I-A.

Junior Jessica Corbin, who last week won the Sea View League title for the second year in a row, posted a 10-second victory over freshman Danielle Day of Quartz Hill in 18:33.

The Vaqueros advanced, scoring 67 points, edging Los Alamitos (73) and Dana Hills (88).

The second-ranked El Toro girls’ team also advanced easily, finishing second (71 points) in the first heat of the Division I-A race.

Esperanza won the second heat of Division I-AA with 37 points, behind an 18:12 clocking from Courtney Pugmire.

Trabuco Hills (31 points), the South Coast League champion, and Aliso Niguel (66) advanced in Division II-AA; El Modena (38) and Santa Margarita (80) swept Division III-AA.

Notes

The Newport Harbor and El Modena boys’ teams each won their respective heats in the Division III-AA races. The Sailors edged Riverside Rubidoux, 45-59. The Vanquards outlasted La Habra 44-55. . . . Corona del Mar, led by a winning effort from senior Brian Slingsby (15:45), won the second heat of the Division III-A race. . . . Huntington Beach sophomores Tony Trueba (16:10) and Dan Gaston (16:26) advanced to the Division II final. . . . Mission Viejo edged Edison, 59-61, as the two leading qualifiers from the first heat of the Division II-A competition. . . . Brian Mitzel (16:10) and Daniel Gonzalez (16:16) finished third and fourth to lead Mater Dei, the county champion, to a team victory in the second heat of Division II-AA. . . . Katella (74 points), Laguna Hills (82) and Villa Park (84) advanced in the second heat of the Division II-A race. . . . The Edison girls’ team, ranked third in the county, placed five runners among the top 10 to win the first heat of Division II-A. . . . Katie Nuanes of Santa Margarita (18:52) edged El Modena’s Tara Whitfield (19:07) to win the first heat in Division III-AA. . . . Buena Park freshman Heather Garritson (18:31 in the second heat of Division III-AA) and Katella senior Jamie Vaicaro (19:10 in the second heat of Division II-A) were winners.