Rakestraw set to carry Sailors

There is one certainty this season for the Newport Harbor High boys

cross country team, barring injury:

Senior standout Kenny Rakestraw is set to be the Sailors’ horse.

With the loss of Nick St. Andre and Martin Bernard to graduation

-- two highly consistent runners, according to coach Nowell Kay --

Newport Harbor will be counting on Rakestraw to gather some points.

Kay said he’s confident in Rakestraw’s abilities.

“He’s going to have a breakthrough season this year,” said Kay,

entering his fourth year. “He’s definitely the team leader. Last year

as a junior, he had just grown about eight inches since his sophomore

year, so he had a tough time getting adjusted. But he’s had a really

good camp and a strong summer.”

The Sailors squad, which recently returned from a weeklong

altitude-training trip in Mammoth, is expected to be rounded out by

senior Adam Mayfield, along with sophomores Murphy Hitchcock, Michael

Puncel and Alex Shaw.

But Rakestraw, who finished 13th at last year’s Sea View League

finals in 15 minutes, 54 seconds, is the hands-down top runner, Kay

said.

“I think he’s capable of running low 15s, if not 15-flat this

year,” Kay said. “It obviously depends on the course, but if he can

run that time, he will go pretty far into CIF.”

Bernard led the Sailors at last year’s league finals, finishing

seventh in 15:43, but Rakestraw was close behind as the team finished

fourth in the league standings.

Rakestraw improved on his running abilities when track season

rolled around last spring, finishing second in the 3,200 meters

(9:50.87) at the league finals, helping the team place second. He was

edged by Foothill’s Josh Hays, who is expected to be another

challenger to Rakestraw this season, Kay said.

Reigning league champion Laguna Hills is likely the league

favorite again this year, Kay said, but Newport will challenge, with

a decent chance at finishing in the second spot, he added.

“You never know,” he said. “If these guys develop, they can battle

with anybody.”

Mayfield, who competed his first two years at Newport but sat out

last season, has kept in shape, Kay said. Mayfield finished 19th at

the league finals his sophomore year.

Hitchcock, Puncel and Shaw are expected to round out the top five

runners, Kay said, while adding depth will be seniors Michael

Madison, Wesley Urtusuastegui and Hunter Wiley, along with juniors

Michael Jugan, Francisco Avonce and Sean Anderson.

Sophomores Carlo Urquidez -- the junior varsity 3,200 champion in

the spring -- and Chris Lewis could also fill in on varsity, Kay

said.

“There’s a couple of question marks that we’ll work out during the

first few weeks,” Kay said. “But this is a great group of guys who

worked hard all summer.”

With Rakestraw & Co. off to a fast start in 2005, Newport Harbor

will continue its season Saturday at the Huntington Beach

invitational.

ROSTER

Sean Anderson Jr.

Francisco Avonce Jr.

Murphy Hitchcock So.

Michael Jugan Jr.

Chris Lewis Jr.

Michael Madison Sr.

Adam Mayfield Sr.

Michael Puncel So.

Alex Shaw So.

Kenny Rakestraw Sr.

Carlo Urquidez So.

Wesley Urtusuastegui Sr.

Hunter Wiley Sr.

Coach: Nowell Kay (4th year)