Appell faces unexpected

COSTA MESA — Welcome back to school. Coaches long for the start of a new year, especially seeing key runners return.

Charlie Appell on the other hand, the end of summer means the end of some of his cross country runners’ careers at Estancia High.

Some runners keep running, but at other schools. Others don’t come out because of a new job that’s more rewarding than crossing the finish line of a three-mile race.

One might go to Mexico to play soccer. Or in one case, the captain wrecks his arm while riding a motorcycle in the summer. That runner was the team captain.

But nothing really fazes the 18th-year boys’ and girls’ coach.

“Each summer something happens. We just deal with it,” Appell said. “It’s a pretty mobile situation.”

Runners come and go and Appell also gets a couple of newbie runners with tremendous upside. Depth is what the team lacks. If the boys and girls plan to challenge for Orange Coast League titles, Appell said the bottom half of each team has to be solid.

The girls are coming off a year in which they won a league championship for the first time in school history. The boys finished second in league. A successful year for both, but improving on it is something that Appell is not sure will happen.

“We’re kind of hurting coming out of summer, not having a good work ethic. The killer image left town,” he said of the girls. “They’re going to try to live on last year.”

The girls can’t afford to let up — even though Laguna Beach lost its top runner from a year ago.

Out of last year’s top seven at Estancia, four are gone. Two graduated, the biggest of which was Sydney Barloon. The other two, one is academically ineligible and one chose not to run again.

Barloon drew attention with those pink shorts at meets, but her ability to run is what stuck with Appell.

The battle for the top spot is between junior Alexa Aguilar, senior Paula Negrete and junior Sindy Ramirez.

Negrete and Ramirez finished behind Barloon at last year’s CIF Southern Section Division III finals at Mt. San Antonio College, where Estancia finished in 13th place.

Junior Eunice Rodriguez is someone Appell sees making the top five. Others competing for spots are junior Cori Chafin, someone Appell sees locking up No. 5, and juniors Brianna Valencia and Emilia Garcia and sophomore Alejandra Peralta are positioning themselves for a spot if someone goes down.

“It’s going to be a long season,” Appell said.

The boys are hoping that’s the case, too. A longer season will give a couple of his runners the time necessary to heal.

With Cesar Casillas motorcycle accident in the summer, Appell said the senior just had his right arm operated on a couple of weeks ago.

“They thought it was going to heal,” Appell said for the reason behind the delay for operating on his captain, whom was slated to be Estancia’s No. 4 runner.

The runner in front of Casillas was supposed to be senior Adriel Robles. But Appell said Robles moved to Riverside.

The runner behind Casillas would’ve been Andy Navarrette. But Appell said the senior is out with a foot infection.

At least juniors Fernando Orozco, Wes Barloon and Damian Leon return after helping Estancia finish 12th at Mt. SAC.

As for Navarrette’s return date, it’s unknown. So is the status of the senior Appell envisioned as Estancia’s top runner this year. That’s Hector Gomez, a top 15 section contender, who helped the Eagles reach the state meet two years ago.

“He might go to Mexico to play soccer,” Appell said. “I’ll see him next Tuesday, if I see him.”

Appell can’t wait to welcome him with open arms.