Tepayotl, Seahawks finish the job

Editor’s Note: The following story is a correction to errors in a story that appeared in Thursday’s edition that published junior varsity results.

The Ocean View High boys’ cross country team is a tight-knit group.

When the Seahawks say they have each other’s back, it’s not just words to them.

The proof was given on Wednesday in a momentous day for the program.

Ocean View received a clutch performance from Alejandro Tepayotl, and the Seahawks defeated Santa Ana, 28-35, in the Golden West League Finals at Central Park.

The Seahawks secured their first league championship since 1983, thanks in part to an unsung hero.

Tepayotl, one of five seniors in the Ocean View lineup, usually finds himself on the back end of the Seahawks’ starting seven. On Wednesday, he rounded out the scoring five, placing ninth in 17:02 to cap off his team’s victory.

Ocean View needed someone to step up because its No. 3 runner, Hector Arteaga, was losing steam as the race went on.

“I told Alejandro with 800 meters to go, ‘Hector’s struggling. He needs you up there. You’re going to be my fifth man,’” Seahawks Coach Daniel Hurtado said. “He gave me that nod, like, ‘I got this.’ He just took off going up the last little hill. That’s when he started making up the ground, and he brought it home.”

Ryan St. Pierre, Edwin Montes, and David Brito occupied the third through fifth positions, with Jesus Fuentes (seventh) completing the Seahawks’ scoring quintet.

Santa Ana’s Jorge Suarez (15:53) successfully defended his individual league title. His teammate, Francisco Avila, came in second to put the pressure on the Seahawks.

After learning that their team’s victory was official, Ocean View’s athletes gathered in a circle. Then St. Pierre, the team captain, led the team in a celebratory chant of, “O-V! O-V! O-V!”

“It’s just so amazing, how far this team has come,” St. Pierre said. “One of the greatest things about this team, it is not just a few guys, it is the whole entire team.”

Daniel Guerrero was the final Seahawk to complete the race, placing 13th in 17:22.

Hurtado said that he was overcome with emotion at the sight of his kids coming together to achieve their goal.

“Today was extremely emotional,” Hurtado said of winning a league title. “It’s something that I dreamt about when I was an athlete [at Ocean View].”

“I feel like one of those parents that gets to live their dream through their children. That’s how I feel right now. I get to live all of my dreams through them.”

BOYS CROSS COUNTRY

Golden West League Finals

At Central Park, Huntington Beach

3-mile course

Team Results

1. Ocean View 28; 2. Santa Ana 35; 3. Segerstrom 83; 4. Westminster 111; 5. Loara 128; 6. Orange 173

Individuals

1. Suarez (Santa Ana) 15:53; 2. Avila (Santa Ana) 15:58; 3. St. Pierre (Ocean View) 15:58; 4. Montes (Ocean View) 16:25; 5. Brito (Ocean View) 16:34; 6. Soriano (Santa Ana) 16:46; 7. Fuentes (Ocean View) 16:48; 8. Vasquez (Westminster) 16:51; 9. Tepayotl (Ocean View) 17:02; 10. Duran (Santa Ana) 17:06; 12. Alvarado (Segerstrom) 17:18; 14. Velazquez (Westminster) 17:24; 18. Bertin (Loara) 17:42; 27. Paez (Orange) 18:56.