2004 Boys
Cross Country

A Commitment to Excellence

2004 Schedule
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St. Francis Track Site

SFHS Champions and Championships

WCAL Champions!
CCS Division II - 2^nd Place
State Meet Div II - 11^th Place

2004 XC Awards Highlights
Team Captains Honored:
Varsity: Ben Sitler and Brian Fisher; JV and Soph: Matt Delsman; Freshmen: WillConnor
Team Pictures:
Varsity, Junior Varsity, Sophomores and Freshmen

Last Update
12/15/04

Added Team Pictures.

Picture of the Week

California State Championships
At the California Interscholastic Federation Cross Country Championships this past weekend in Fresno, Junior Ben Sitler finished fourth in the Division 2 race. The picture at left shows Ben just prior to the 1 Mile mark running in second place to eventual winner Mark Matusak. Ben’s time of 15:31 for thje 3.1 mile course is a 45 second improvement over his last year time, and was the tenth fastest time for all boys on this course.

12/15/04

CCS at Crystal Springs At Risk!
The CCS officials are currently determining the location of next year’s CCS Championships for Cross Country. The meet is scheduled for Crystal Springs but the CCS officials are looking to move the meet back to Toro Park in Salinas. We believe this would be a mistake for several reasons including the loss of the great 30+ history of Crystal Springs. We will keep you informed of developments.

12/13/04

Famed Distance Coach Arthur Lydiard Dies at Age 62.
World famous long distance coach Arthur Lydiard died on Sunday of an apparent heart attack. Lydiard pioneered many training techniques used by distance runners (and specifically SFHS) including the concept of 7-day-a-week workouts and LSD (Long Slow Distance). He also championed the 100-mile week which was unheard of at the time. For two articles from the New Zealand newspaper, please click here.

12/07/04

2005 WCAL Schedule / Division Changes
For the 2005 season, the three WCAL meets will be spread out over a 5-week period rather than the current 3-week configuration. The WCAL Meet dates are: October 5 – Golden Gate Park, October 19 – Shorline and November 2 – Crystal Springs. Also, the Divisions will be realigned in CCS. It also appears that St. Francis will return to Division 3 next year with WCAL rivals Riordan and St. Ignatius. Stay tuned…

11/27/04

Ben Sitler Takes 4^th at State. Team Takes 11^th.
At the California state Meet in Fresno today the Lancers took 11 place out of 23 teams in the toughest race of the day -- Division II. Ben Sitler’s time of 15:31 for the 3.1 mile course good for fourth in the race, fifth for all juniors in all races of the day, the tenth fastest time of the day for all boys, and the fastest CCS runner of the day The time also put Ben second on the St. Francis All Time Woodward Park list behind Eric Chaves. Second for St. Francis was Senior Brian Fisher (16:18, 38 place, 5 on All Time List), followed by Junior Sam Pompei (16:49, 84 place), Sophomore Alex Blease (17:12, 123 place), Junior Eric Johnson (17:34, 154 place), Sophomore Kyle Stewart (17:34, 155 place) and Senior Michael Rohrs (18:09, 176 place).

11/17/04

Ben Sitler San Jose Mercury News Athlete of the Week. Again!!
For the second time in a little over one month Ben Sitler has been named Athlete of the Week by the San Jose Mercury News. The Mercury News wrote: "Sitler ran the fastest time among five boys divisions at Saturday's Central Coast Section championship, completing the three-mile Toro Park course in 15 minutes, 35 seconds. Sitler, who ran more than 1,000 miles over the summer, was unknown statewide until he finished sixth in October's Mt. SAC Invitational, the largest invitational in the country. Attempts to get him into the field of the top boys race were initially rejected. ‘He's got a tremendous amount of potential’' Coach Brian Curley said. ‘I don't think he's anywhere close to what he can do.’".
Ben was joined by Tori Tyler of Gunn and Alicia Folmer of Saratoga who were also named Athletes of the Week. A Good week for Bay Area Cross Country.

11/14/04

CCS Championships
In a very fast race at Toro Park today the St. Francis Boys finished second in the CCS Division II race to North Monterey County. The team of Ben Sitler (1^st in the race and the fastest time of the day for all racers in 15:35), Brian Fisher (sixth in 16:06), Alex Blease (20 in 16:52), Kyle Stewart (26 in 16:57), Sam Pompei (31 in 17:01), Eric Johnson (46 in 17:18) and Mike Rohrs (51 in 17:26) finished with 82 points. In the Combined Results of all teams for the entire day St. Francis finished fifth. Three of the top siz teams of the day (NMC, St. Francis and Gunn) were all from Division II.

11/03/04

WCAL III – Championships: St. Francis Captures League Title
In an even closure race than last week St. Francis defeated Serra to gain the WCAL Championship for the third year in a row. The score was 44 for St. Francis and 44 for Serra. The sixth runner on each team (18 for St. Francis and 22 for Serra) was the tiebreaker. The team was lead by Ben Sitler’s first place overall finish with a fantastic time of 15:10. The team scoring was rounded out by Brian Fisher (4 in 15:55), Alex Blease (10 in 16:21), Kyle Stewart (15 in 16:28) and Eric Johnson (16 in 16:31). Sam Pompei, after stumbling 10 yards from the finish but getting up and collapsing again just over the finish line (18 in 16:35).
Ben Sitler’s time of 15:10 is the fastest time of anyone from any school this year at Crystal Springs. Brian Fisher’s time of 15:55 is the ninth fastest. The total team time of 80:25 is the ninth fastest in SFHS team history and the fastest team time this year at Crystal. The Serra’s team time of 80:33 – a mere 8 seconds off the St. Francis time – is the second fastest time this year. What a great race it was.

10/27/04

WCAL II
In an extremely tight race, the Lancer Boys beat Serra by 1 point to capture the Varsity race. Ben Sitler, completing his fourth race in 12 days, lead the team of Brian Fisher, Sam Pompei, Alex Blease and Kyle Stewart to a 2-5-8-14-17 finish. Next week’s race at Crystal Springs will determine the WCAL Champions for 2004.

10/23/04

Mt. San Antonio Invitational
On Saturday Ben Sitler ran in the Individual Sweepstakes race against some of the best runners in California. H finished in sixth place – 3 seconds behind Yosef Ghebray (last year’s State Track Meet champion in the 3200). Ben finished in a very fast time of 15:04 over the 3 mile course.

10/20/04

WCAL I
At the first of three WCAL races, this one at Alum Rock Park in San Jose, the Varsity team finished second to Serra for the team title. The team of Ben Sitler, Brian Fisher, Alex Blease, Kyle Stewart and Sam Pompei finished 1-5-9-20-27. Sam fell during the race but still managed to complete the course. The JV boys finished fourth, the Freshmen also finished fourth and, for the first time this year, the Sophomore boys did not win. They finished in second.

10/16/04

Great Day for Lancers at Monterey Bay Invitational!
The Lancers had a great day at the Monterey Bay Invitational on Saturday. The Varsity team beat Division 4 powerhouse Carmel 63 to 80 for first overall for the Boys teams. Ben Sitler lead the group of Sam Pompei, Brian Fisher, Kyle Stweart and Alex Blease to a 2-5-9-25-27 finish.
The Frosh/Boys, despite Alex and Kyle running Varsity, kept their unbeaten streak alive for the year with a convincing 39 to 83 win over Division 2 rival North Monterey County. The team of Kevin Murphy, Phillip Pompei, Casey Roche, Kevin Rouse and Bryon Mathias-Fugua finished 4-5-7-13-17 to take the prize.
The JV team also greatly improved with a third place finish. The team of Ken McCandless, Jeff Hynes, Tom McCandless, Luke Fuller and Mike Allen finished 2-6-7-51-57 in the 114-person field.
The Freshmen team had the weekend off.

10/14/04

Ben Sitler San Jose Mercury News Athlete of the Week!
The Mercury News wrote: "(Ben) Sitler continued his impressive season by defending his Serra/Crystal Springs Invitational title, completing the 2.95-mile course in 15 minutes, 27 seconds. Sitler, a rare co-captain as a junior, has twice this season set meet records. ‘He's a very fierce competitor and a very smart racer,'’ St. Francis Coach Brian Curly said. ‘`He just loves to compete.’' Last season, Sitler won the West Catholic Athletic League meet and finished fifth at the Central Coast Section meet.".

10/09/04

Sitler Back in Form – Wins Again
On Saturday at the Crystal Springs Invitational at the Crystal springs Cross Country Course in Belmont the Varsity team competed with only 3 runners – the rest of the team was taking the SAT tests. Ben Sitler was the overall winner of the Championship Varsity race in a time of 15:27 – the fastest time of the day on the course. The time also places Ben third on the All-Time SFHS Crystal Springs List of Juniors.

10/09/04

Blease Leads Sophomores to Crystal Springs Invitational Win.
On Saturday at the Crystal Springs Invitational at the Crystal springs Cross Country Course in Belmont the Sophmore Boys extended their unbeaten streak this year by once again capturing first place. The team of Alex Blease, Kyle "Hamster" Stewert, Casey Roche, Kevin Murphy and Bryon Mathias-Fugua beat13 other teams. The team was lead by Alex Blease’s first place finish in an excellent time of 16:23.

10/02/04

Sophomores Capture Artichoke Invitational.
On Saturday at the Artichoke Invitational at Half Moon Bay High School the Sophmore Boys extended their unbeaten streak this year by once again capturing first place. The team of Alex Blease, Kyle "Hamster" Stewert, Casey Roche, Kevin Murphy and Kevin Rouse (dispite falling on the first hill) beat, among other teams, WCAL teams Serra, Riordan, Mitty and Bellermine.
The Varsity tam finished second in second place despite the absence of Ben Sitler.

09/25/04

Ben Sitler finishes Third at Stanford.
Ben Sitler competed in the Division 2 race at the Stanford Invitational this weekend. In a very fine race Ben finished the 5K course in a time of 16:05 – a mere 9 seconds behind the leader.

09/25/04

Sophomores Capture Westmoor Ram Invitational.
On Saturday at the Westmoor High School Ram Invitational the Sophmore Boys put on another great show by capturing first place in the very large meet. The team of Alex Blease, Kyle "Hamster" Stewert, Brian Mathias-Fugua, Casey Roche and Kevin Murphy beat other WCAL powerhouses such as Serra and SI to grab the title.

09/18/04

Ben Sitler Sets Course Record… Again!
For the second time this week Junior Ben Sitler has set a course record. This time he set the record for the 3.0-mile course at the Chieftain Classic at Toro Park with a time of 15:31.4. This time eclipsed the old record of 15:52 set in 2002 by 21 seconds. The official all-time Toro Park course record is 15:21.

09/14/04

Ben Sitler Sets Course Record!
Junior Ben Sitler set a new course record at Gunn High School today. His time of 10:35 for the 2.18 mile course broke the 20-year old record of 10:37.. What’s even more amazing is that he ran the first mile in 5:05, and the second mile is an incredible 4:43 (9:48 2-mile time).

09/12/04

Check here for WCAL & NMC Earlybird Results. Complete results are available on DyeStaCal.com

09/07/04

Better news on the CCS front. D2 qualifies 3 Boys teams to State. D3 (SFHS and NMC’s old division) gets 4 Boys teams.

08/30/04

The September 18 meet has been changed from the De La Salle / Addidas Invitational in Concord to the Chieftain Classic in Salinas.

08/02/04

It is official – St. Francis is now a Division 2 school (by 4 people) for the 2004 Cross Country season. The WCAL teams are distributed as follows:
D1 – Bellarmine and Serra;
D2 – St. Francis, Riordan and Mitty;
D3 – St. Ignatius;
D4 – Sacred Heart Cathedral and Valley Christian;
D5 – Sacred Heart Prep.
D2 qualifies only 2 Boys teams to the State Meet (D 3 has 3).

08/01/04

Many thanks to the Johnson family for allowing us to invade their homes at Lake Tahoe for this year’s running camp. We all had a great time and got in lots of good work.

07/19/04

It appears that St. Francis will move to Division II this year (we were DIII last year). DII this year will also include WCAL teams Archbishop Mitty and Archbishop Riordan. Also, ours friends at North Monterey County will also be moving to DII with us. St. Ignatius remains in DIII. Serra (DII last year) and Bellarmain are DI. Valley Christian and Sacred Heart Cathedral (DIII Last Year) round out DIV.

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2004 Results

September 14

Gunn Meet – Driving Directions

Results

Pictures

More Pictures

September 18

Chieftain Classic

Results

Pictures

V: 3, F/S: 1, JV: 9

September 25

Westmoor Ram Invitational

Results

Pictures

V: 4, F: 5, S: 1, JV: 13

September 25

Stanford Invitational (Varsity only)

SF Results
Complete

Pictures

Ben: 3

October 2

Artichoke Invitational

Results

Pictures

V: 2, F: 3, F/S: 1, JV: 11

October 9

Serra / Crystal Springs Invitational

Results

Pictures

F: 6, S: 1, JV: 11

October 16

Monterey Bay Invitational

Results
Complete

Pictures

V: 1, JV: 3, F/S: 1

October 20

WCAL Meet I (Alum Rock Park)

Results

Pictures

V: 2, JV: 4, S: 2, F: 4

October 23

Mt. Sac Invitational (Varsity only)

Results

Pictures

Ben: 6

October 27

WCAL Meet II (Golden Gate Park)

Results

Pictures

V: 1, JV: 4, S: 3, F: 4

November 3

WCAL Meet III (Crystal Springs)

Results

Pictures

V: 1, JV: 4, S: ?, F: 4

November 13

CCS Championships (Varsity only)

Results

Pictures

DII: 2, Ben: 1

November 27

CIF Championships (Varsity only)

Results

Pictures

DII: 11, Ben: 4

December 4

Foot Locker West Regionals

December 11

Foot Locker National Championships

Interesting Links

DyeStatCal

State-wide Schedules Race Results

Lynbrook High Schhool Cross Country

Race results and links to everything

West Catholic Athletic League (WCAL)

League Information

Central Coast Section (CCS)

Section Information

California Interscholastic Federation (CIF) XC

State Cross Country Information

National Collegiate Athletic Association

College Bound High School Athlete Recruiting Rules, etc.

Crystal Springs Cross Country Course

Information and Rules

What Makes Us Human? Running…

Mercury News Article on Evolution and Running

History and Statistics

SFHS All-Time Crystal Springs List

SFHS All-Time Woodard Park List

SFHS All-Time Toro Park List

CCS Boys Cross Country Champions

Prior Weeks "Quote of the Week"

XC Dietary Recommendations

Food for Thought and running

Contact Information

Head Coach

Brian Curley

School
Home

(650) 968-1213 x625
(408) 378-3118

Assistant Coach

Mike Saso

School

(650) 968-1213 x455

Assistant Coach

Steve Fuller

School
Home
Mobile

(650) 968-1213 x455
(831) 426-0886
(831) 566-6489

Athletic Director

Mike Pilawski

School
Fax

(650) 968-1213 x455
(650) 968-0856

Principal

Patricia Tennant

School

(650) 968-1213 x410