Don't look now, but Leuzinger is developing into a cross country stronghold.
Jose Lezama and Gustavo Rangel qualified for next week's CIF prelims with top-six performances at Thursday's Bay League finals at Entradero Park in Torrance.
"We're getting there," said Lezama, the 2007 Daily Breeze Runner of the Year.
Lezama had been hampered by injuries, but appeared to be unencumbered and turned in his strongest effort of the season, a second-place finish in 15 minutes, 59 seconds.
Lezama couldn't quite catch Redondo's Cody Schmidt, but made it a much closer finish than anyone expected.
"I felt good, a lot more comfortable. Cody's just a fast runner. He's just better than me," Lezama said. "He's worked hard all summer and all season. I wish I did the same thing. I was lagging, I guess."
Rangel, competing in just his third varsity race, earned the final individual qualifying berth to the CIF prelims with a sixth-place finish of 16:38.
Rangel, who moved to the United States from Mexico two years ago, said he is enjoying the opportunity to run and compete.
"I always wanted to run in my country, but I never had the opportunity," Rangel said. "I just really wanted to go to CIF. I don't even know what that means totally, but that's why I wanted to go hard, to find out."
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