PREP PREVIEW / BOYS TRACK : TEAMS TO WATCH : ESPERANZA

Coach: Al Britt (20th year).

1992: Empire League champions, freshman-sophomore team won Orange County championship.

Key returners: Shawn Frack, Sr.; Travis Kirschke, Sr.; Paul Nihipali, Sr.; Jim Stewart, Jr.; Matt Stewart, Sr.

Key newcomers: Kareem Clark, So.; Dahrin Footman, So.; Anton Hector, So.; Nolan Munir, So.; Victor Tyborczeghy, So.

Outlook: The Aztecs just might be the strongest team in Orange County. In an era when depth is hard to come by, they seem to have all the pieces in place. Frack, who ran a county-leading 9:15.98 for 3,200 meters and has a 1,600 best of 4:24.50, has the distance events covered. Kirschke, perhaps the state’s top lineman last fall, and the Stewarts handle the discus and shotput. Kirschke, who will play football at UCLA, has a discus best of 165-10. The Stewarts have each bettered 50 feet in the shotput. Nihipali, who also plays on the volleyball team, is a 6-7 high jumper. And that sophomore group listed above ran 44.6 for the 400-meter relay as freshmen last season. The key, Britt said, is whether the younger athletes mature and improve.