Skyler Wallace, Jacey Farmer and Bella Longo win girls league crowns, with Morgan Turpin, Antonio Dinis and Franky Varela securing boys victories at North County Conference finals

By Landon Negri for DyeStat

With next week’s CIF-San Diego Section finals looming, and the CIF-State Championships on Nov. 24, La Costa Canyon senior Jacob Stanford might not have wanted a 100-percent, leave-it-all-out-on-the-course type of effort Saturday.
Then again, Stanford can’t resist a challenge, either.

RESULTS | AVOCADO WEST INTERVIEWS | AVOCADO EAST INTERVIEWS | PALOMAR INTERVIEWS | VALLEY INTERVIEWS

Mission Hills senior Jonathan Velasco was just the guy for that challenge, pushing a torrid early pace before Stanford shifted in to a higher gear in the third mile to win the Avocado West League championship during the North County Conference finals at Guajome Park in Oceanside, Calif.

Stanford wound up running the fastest time of the day on the 5-kilometer course in 15 minutes, 25.7 seconds. Teammate Caleb Niednagel also surged late to place second in 15:42.6, followed by Velasco in 15:44.9.

La Costa Canyon eased to the team title with 31 points. San Marcos was second with 65.

Velasco challenged early, drawing Stanford from his front pack with Niednagel and brother Garrett Stanford. The duo galloped through the mile mark and Jacob eased ahead in the second mile before surging to the victory.

It could’ve easily been a training meet, but ever the competitor – Stanford, the league runner-up the last two years – couldn’t help himself.

“That’s why today was really hard,” Stanford said, “because when you get two runners like that that are both used to leading, and both used to winning, then of course, that first mile will end up being really fast.

“I had to make the sacrifice of leaving the comfort of my two teammates in order to stay with him. That’s kind of tough because my strategy is completely with the relationship between me, my brother and Caleb. That was tough to give up. The thing that was going through the mind was, ‘Today, there was only going to be one winner, so why not it be me?’”

Velasco said he hadn’t planned to get out to a fast start. It just happened.

“No, it was to sit back,” he said. “I got a little excited, I guess.”

The other factor was the changing weather. Temperatures moved into the 80s during their events, with all four North County boys races starting after 10 a.m.

Stanford, though, shook aside that sentiment.

“If it’s like, five degrees off ideal weather here in San Diego, we all think something’s wrong and the world’s ending,” he joked.

Earlier in the morning, La Costa Canyon senior Kristin Fahy led the Mavericks to their ninth consecutive league championship by winning in 17:42.8.

Like Stanford, she staved off a challenge from Canyon Crest Academy’s Carlie Dorostkar (second, 17:53.1). Teammates Jessica Riedman (third, 18:25.6) and Kyra Compton (fourth, 18:45.2) helped the Mavericks to a 25-point total, which bettered Canyon Crest’s 54.

“I definitely tried to play it more conservative today,” Fahy said. “I knew that Carlie is a great runner, so I’ll stick with her, because I know she’ll keep the pace honest. I stuck with her for the first two miles, then I kind of pulled away.”

Palomar League

One of the closest finishes of the day came for the Palomar League girls final, which saw Rancho Bernardo’s 1-2 finish of freshman Jacey Farmer (18:44.8) and Ashley Learn (18:46.3) pace a two-point victory over Poway. Westview was third with 65 points.

Drained at the finish, Farmer said she and her teammates stuck to the game plan.

“It was very dry,” she said. “It was tough because I feel like the front pack went out pretty fast, but our girls played it smart. We were able to finish the way we wanted to.”

Running the final race of the day, Mt. Carmel senior Morgan Turpin won in 15:45.3, but the team title went to Poway with 44 points.

Avocado East League

The Wallace sisters were at it again Saturday, and they got help from junior teammate Lavanya Pandey in securing a 31-33 victory over El Camino.

Junior Skyler Wallace claimed the league championship in 18:02.7, while freshman and sister Stormy Wallace was second in 18:26.9. El Camino freshman Mackenzie Kozina was third in 18:52.9, with Pandey placing fourth in 19:02.4.

El Camino didn't have any issues on the boys side, though, as a 1-2-3 finish lifted it to a 23-47 win over Sage Creek. Junior Antonio Dinis won in 16:20.3, outlegging sophomore Sam Jones (16:21.4) to the finish. Senior Isaiah Ralph was third in 16:27.1.

Valley League

San Pasqual got a sweep on the boys side as senior Franky Varela won in 16:00.7, contributing to a 38-65 team victory over Escondido. San Pasqual senior Mathis Wouters was second in 16:21.8.

Varela won his second consecutive individual title with the victory and was 30 seconds faster than two years ago, when the league finals were also at Guajome.

“I came in expecting cooler weather and I just thought I’d go out at an easy pace I felt was good to me,” Varela said, “and just take it out until the last mile or two. But the heat, it definitely made me think about my breathing and when I was going to make some moves.”

Mission Vista sophomore Bella Longo won the girls race in 18:17.5, but Valley Center edged Ramona by a 42-44 margin for the team title. Mission Vista was third with 66 points.