Breakers’ season includes Hawaii trip

Saturday is the day the Laguna Beach High boys’ cross-country team will take its first official run of the 2015 season.

The Breakers will be in Chino to contend at the Cool Breeze Invitational (9:30 a.m.) at El Prado Golf Course. It’s the first of three, big invitationals including a trip to Hawaii in two weeks, and the team also will run the Orange Coast League cluster and finals meets.

Laguna has five runners (seniors Drake Butler, Tim Andrews, Penn Nielsen and Mason Pitz, junior Jake Mangus), returning from a 2014 Orange Coast League championship team. The Breakers will run once again under the direction of sixth-year Head Coach Scott Wittkop and Assistant Coach Kevin Tovar.

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Laguna Beach Boys’ Cross-Country

League: Orange Coast

CIF division: Division 4

Head coach: Scott Wittkop (6th year)

Coaching staff: Kevin Tovar (assistant coach)

2014 highlights: Orange Coast League champion; CIF-SS Div. 4 qualifier

The Breakers: *Drake Butler, Sr.; *Tim Andrews, Sr.; *Penn Nielsen, Sr.; *Mason Pitz, Sr.; *Jake Mangus, Jr.; Dylan Miller, Soph.; Luke LaMontagne, Soph.; Massimo Lucidi, Soph.; William Kramer, Jr.; Sam Dameshek, Jr. (*denotes returning runner).

Returning with honors: Drake Butler, Sr., all-league; Penn Nielsen, Sr., all-league; Mason Pitz, Sr., all-league.

Coach’s take: “I am impressed with the depth on this year team,” Wittkop said. “The underclassman will be pushing the older guys all year. Look for Drake Butler to have a strong season. By the end of the year, you may even see freshman Cal Nielsen, Leo Pesquera and Sebastian Fisher running varsity.”

Team strengths: “Our strength is our depth and our leadership,” Wittkop said.

The schedule: “We have a loaded schedule this year starting with the Cool Breeze Invite where we will be racing some of the best team in the country, then we will follow that up racing against the best teams in the state of Hawaii,” Wittkop said. “It is a very difficult schedule that will prepare us for CIF.”

Orange Coast League: “Godinez will be tough in league bringing back five of their top seven,” Wittkop said. “Our goal is to advance to CIF finals and make a run at state.”

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Breakers Schedule

Saturday: at Cool Breeze Invitational, 9:30 a.m.

Sept. 19: at Iolani (Hawaii) Invitational, TBA

Sept. 30: Orange Coast League Cluster, TBA

Oct. 16: at Rough Rider (Clovis) Invitational, TBA