South Coast League Finals and Sea View League Finals Preview

There will be a Coast View Athletic Association double feature Friday, with the championship meets for both the South Coast League and Sea View League being showcased on the 3-mile layout at Irvine Regional Park.

The Sea View League has its girls varsity championship scheduled for 10 a.m., followed by the boys varsity final at 10:30 a.m.

The South Coast League is expected to have its girls varsity final at 2 p.m., with the boys varsity championship held at 2:30 p.m.

Both South Coast League individual champions are scheduled to return, with seniors Evan Noonan of Dana Hills and Holly Barker from Trabuco Hills among the entries.

Noonan is a two-time winner, running 13:39.0 in last year’s final, but hasn’t competed since a 10th-place performance Oct. 5 in the Nike XC Town Twilight Race of Champions at the LaVern Gibson Course in Terre Haute, Ind.

Evan Noonan (left, 10/14/2023)

Barker, who clocked 16:00.4 in last season’s championship, hasn’t competed since finishing third in the sweepstakes race Oct. 19 at the Orange County Championships at Oak Canyon Park in Silverado.

Holly Barker (10/19/2024)

Dana Hills secured a 21-34 victory against San Clemente in the South Coast League boys final last season.

The Tritons had captured boys team championships in the fall of 2021 and 2022, which followed a run of nine consecutive titles by Dana Hills, including a victory in March 2021 after the 2020 fall season was canceled as a result of the COVID-19 pandemic.

Trabuco Hills triumphed by a 43-60 margin against El Toro in last year’s girls championship race, winning the program’s first South Coast League title since 2013.

The Mustangs hadn’t prevailed in a league final since 2011, with Trabuco Hills capturing the 2013 crown, despite finishing second by a one-point margin in the South Coast championship race behind Capistrano Valley, which had placed fourth in the preview meet earlier that season.

Millie Bayles will look to elevate following a ninth-place performance at last year’s final for Trabuco Hills, with Dana Hills senior Annie Ivarsson and El Toro sophomore Gweneth Williams also among the leading contenders.

Trabuco Hills, which won the Orange County sweepstakes title for the first time since 2015, has impressive depth in its lineup, with Skylar Watts, Anna Desormeau, Sophie Guilfoile, Evangeline Williams and Violet Pinter also expected to compete.

El Toro, which last captured a South Coast League crown in March 2021, boasts a young roster, but could benefit in a compact field from the veteran experience of Dakota Danaher and Lucy Varela.

The Chargers are also scheduled to have Samantha Danaher, Lilly Schroeder, Ava Crocker, Sarah Ann Tok and Sara Johnson available to race.

Capistrano Valley’s Audrey Heath, San Clemente’s Sedona Sweginnis and Kat Piantka, as well as Dana Hills’ Marlo Harris are all seeking top-10 finishes in one of the deepest leagues in the state.

Following Sea View League titles the past two years, Trabuco Hills is also part of the South Coast League boys field Friday, joining Dana Hills, San Clemente, El Toro and Aliso Niguel.

Noonan is expected to be supported in the Dana Hills lineup by Oliver Hunter, who secured sixth place in last year’s final.

Dylan Jubak, Ziyad Abdallah and Carsten Williams provide significant depth for Trabuco Hills, which hasn’t won a South Coast League boys championship since 2011.

Despite several losses to graduation, San Clemente remains in title contention this season, relying on the efforts of sophomores Yohan Anderson and Mattheus Dos Santos.

Rogan Arriaga, Daniel Bulalacao and Christian Throop lead the way for El Toro, seeking its first South Coast League crown since 2005, with Aliso Niguel senior Faris Radieddine attempting to ascend among the top 10 competitors following a 17th-place finish last year.

An outstanding showdown is also expected in the Sea View League boys final, with Tesoro senior Griffin Kushen squaring off against Beckman junior Mason Nguyen.

Griffin Kushen (Tesoro, 10/19/2024)

With Trabuco Hills elevating to the South Coast League this fall, a new Sea View boys team champion is also expected to be crowned.

Beckman won the Pacific Coast League championship last year, before joining the Sea View lineup this season.

Ryan Barris, Anthony Barrera, Nathan Horrocks, Aaron Feaster, Christian Weber and Jude Tenorio provide strong support for Nguyen, helping Beckman win the Rob Brenner championship race Oct. 12 at the 45th ASICS Clovis Invitational at Woodward Park in Fresno, in addition to the Division 1-2 team sweepstakes title Oct. 26 at the 76th Mt. SAC Invitational Presented by Nike in Walnut.

Ryan McNamara, Parker Wolfe and Chase Manning will be instrumental in Tesoro’s success, with Kushen – the sweepstakes winner Oct. 19 at the Orange County Championships – attempting to capture the Sea View boys individual crown following a runner-up finish last season.

Nolan Calder and Charles Rice of San Juan Hills, Mission Viejo’s Troy Turner and Capistrano Valley’s Cameron Malloy are all pursuing top-10 performances.

After both athletes placed in the top 10 in the South Coast League final last year, the presence of Tesoro juniors Amber Dazey and Mackenzie Forrest in the Sea View girls championship race Friday could produce a 1-2 finish for the Titans.

Carol Dye and Finn Riley, both sophomores at San Juan Hills, finished in the top five of the Sea View championship race last season to help the Stallions capture the title.

Carol Dye (10/12/2024)

Brooke Dazey, Dylan McGrew and Brynn Tatum have the potential to help Tesoro win this year’s team championship, which would be the program's first since capturing the crown in March 2021.

Beckman is expected to showcase senior Jocelyn Alba, freshman Emma Alba and junior Taylor Tam, with Mission Viejo sophomore Lilyana Perez and Aliso Niguel junior Camila Abarca in contention to secure top-10 finishes.

By Erik Boal