CROSS COUNTRY: Canyon's party is invitation(al) only

Not since Canyon defeated Saugus both times in Foothill League competition during the 2006 regular season -- only to watch the Centurions emerge victorious at the league final, resulting in a co-championship -- had the battle between the rival cross country programs been as close it was Thursday at Castaic Lake.

Under the double-dual scoring format -- the same method used for the first league meet Sept. 30 at Central Park -- Saugus held off Canyon 27-28, with the Cowboys closing the gap from a 23-32 setback in their first meeting. Canyon defeated Golden Valley 26-29, atoning for a 25-30 setback at Central Park.

However, if the meet had been scored using the invitational format -- the way it will be for the league final Nov. 5 at Central Park -- then Canyon would have defeated Saugus 54-58, with Golden Valley right behind with 61 points.

Kurt Lutz was Saugus' fifth runner in 25th place, two spots ahead of Canyon's No. 6 runner Mason Bouchet. That 11-second differential was crucial in Saugus prevailing in the double-dual format. But the the Cowboys' strength of Thomas McGuan (second), Tim Gonzales (eighth), Sam Willis (12th), Tyler Tockstein (15th) and Michael Noris (17th) would've been enough to defeat Saugus' Robert Pion (fourth), Logan Smith (seventh), Alec Nelson (ninth), AJ Hebert (13th) and Lutz under the invitational format.

Hebert finishing in between Willis and Tockstein was also instrumental in Saugus' one-point victory, as was Smith finishing ahead of Gonzales.

Under the invitational format, Golden Valley did well to place all its scoring runners in the top 20, but the gap between Seth Totten's victory and Avery McDougal's 10th-place finish was too much to overcome against Saugus and Canyon.