1. Fountain Valley – Handily won showdown race with powerful Marina in Sunset League Preview Meet. Senior Josh Selley often gets the headlines, but the Barons’ depth appears endless, and that’s where they put the competition away.
(78:37 at Woodbridge; 78:17 at Dana Hills; 82:14 at Sunset)

2. Dana Hills – Came out of the gates slowly (which is nothing unusual for the usually late-peaking Dolphins), but the fine development of young talent has the crew quietly on the upswing.
(82:29 at Mt. Carmel; big 77:29 at Dana Hills)

3. Brea Olinda – With very good depth and pack running, the Wildcats recently welcomed back a key scorer absent during the season’s opening month. Opted for non-sweepstakes at Mt. SAC as well, so pointing for bigger goals down the road, no doubt.
(82:20 at Bronco; 85:52 at Brea)

4. Marina – Appeared to be the county team to beat early on, but was squarely humbled by rival Fountain Valley then at Clovis Invite recently. Even so, good depth keeps them strong. Van Nguyen is among the Southland’s fine lesser-known talents. Could still win onm Saturday, but unlikely. If they click, finishing third is very likely.
(77:49 at Woodbridge; 79:13 at Bell-Jeff; 83:01 at Sunset; 83:40 at Clovis)

5. El Toro – Brandon Bethke is the stud workhorse up front, with the Chargers still seeking to add more firepower and solid experience in the weeks to come after major graduation losses a year ago.
(79:25 at Woodbridge; 83:42 at Clovis)

6. Sonora – On paper, this team was supposed to challenge for the County title. Has been sitting its runners out thus far. Some ran at Clovis, but the results were not promising. Confidence will not need to be built in a hurry.
(Loaded; ran badly while missing a few at Clovis)

6 . Orange – Looked surprisingly good at Hawaii’s Iolani Invitational in week #2 considering the abrupt return of Raul Lara to a very young group. Solid group, but might need more big-race experience under its belt to handle trying to shine in the end.
(89:43 on very slow/tough Hawaii 5k; edged Santa Ana, 27-30)

8. Santa Ana – Lost a nip-and-tuck nail biter to Orange in recent league action, with traditional balance and pack running once again setting the stage for a good season. Needs slightly more improvement to make CIF Finals, it seems.

9. Huntington Beach – A very spirited effort at the Sunset League Preview Meet caught some teams off guard, with the Oilers striking it rich overnight. Must keep its ranking, otherwise risks threats in tough Sunset League Finals.
(83:46 at Sunset Preview)

10. Cypress – Good 1-2 punch up front gets the ball rolling for the crew. Has been fairly well hidden against top competition thus far, but will be ready come postseason.
(84:35 at Charger Invite w/o #3)

11. Esperanza – A fairly young team, with many promising newcomers making an immediate impact. Many areas to work on, but the door is not closed.
(80:24 at Woodbridge; 80:22 at Dana Hills; 84:58 at Sunset Preview)

12. Edison – Slowed by loss of top runner in opening month; just beginning to gain momentum right now. Has intermittently shown signs of progress.
(84:58 at Charger Invite w/o #4)

13. Orange Lutheran – Jorge Jabaz could be a very dangerous threat up front on the local scene, with the coaching staff often breaking up its lineup on meet day, thus not showing all its cards.
(82:32 at Mt. Carmel - did not run some key guys at Stanford)

14. Valencia – Figured to be strong this year, with promising and excited group. Showed at Brea (a very slow course) it is well on its way to another CIF Finals berth.
(87:49 at Brea Invite)

15. El Modena – Curtis Aukshunas is the frontrunner here, with the group a formidable force within its division.
(83:56 at Bronco)

16. Mater Dei – Monarchs looked good at the Serra League cluster meet, claiming second. Will be interesting to see if any teams earn at-large bids from the league. It’s doubtful a Division II team will, but likely a Division III team will.
(81:58 at Woodbridge; ran a little off from that [conversion-wise] at both Stanford and Clovis)

GIRLS RANKINGS

1. Esperanza – Too much depth coupled with excellent frontrunning makes them the clear top team in county.

2. Fountain Valley – Crystal Reed is a super talent ready to break onto the national scene in the coming weeks, with the Barons having greater depth than most people realize.

3. Woodbridge – There may be no County coach with greater comparative quality (postseason) success than George Varvas, with a reserved mid-season approach always paying off in the end.

4. Cypress – A breaking story is developing here, we regret to say. For now, keeping the focus on the course, the Centurions have some excellent front-running to get to Fresno.

5. Dana Hills – For seemingly likethe second time in just a few years, the Dolphins are being rocked by early setbacks, making it a test of poise and fortitude heading into the big meets. The talent is still there.

6. Marina – The Attards have plenty of backup, but keeping them injury-free and sickness-free should be the challenge. A hard-driving program and a tough league make for a little-room-for-error situation.

7. El Toro – Showed some of its abilitied at Laguna Hills, wioth good front-running as part of the equation.

8. Brea Olinda – Look out, but this program is making several little strides in recent weeks. With any bit of luck, it may surprise some of the top squads in the division!

9. Santa Margarita – A tough schedule had been handled well by the Eagles thus far, but its biggest challenges still await. Excellent depth here.

10. Corona del Mar – Another good squad for the Sea Queens, but they will need to bring their A-plus game if they are to be anywhere remotely close to the top at Fresno, where the division is loaded!

11. El Modena – Fared quite well both in its season opener and at a Northern California affair last month, with the tools in place for another solid finish in Division II.

12. Orange Lutheran – Is way better than the average fan might think, with the crew often resting out runners thus far. If Kari Andrew and all her teammates suit up at county, a Top 10 finish for this small school is very possible.

13. Edison – Coming along conservatively thus far, the Chargers have closed the gap on some key counterparts already this season.

14. Mater Dei – Enjoyed some fine showings at a few of its major meets, stamping it as a team destined for CIF Finals.

15. Tesoro – We shall see if they remain in this division, as it was rumored Division II was in the offing.

16. Villa Park/Sunny Hills – Both teams have questions on depth, as do Costa Mesa and Bolsa Grande, also battling to climb into the Top 16.