Marissa Williams of Palisades sets record in cross-country

“That was amazing.�

“That was fun to watch.�

“That was the best performance in City Section history.�

Those were a sampling of reactions from fans and coaches after Marissa Williams of Palisades made her final performance in a City Section cross-country championship one to cherish on Saturday. She won her third consecutive Division I individual title, setting a course and City Section record with a time of 16:33.11 at Pierce College. The old mark was 16:37, which she ran as a sophomore at 2.91 miles.

“She’s phenomenal,� Coach Bob Macias said.

The soon-to-be California Golden Bear finished more than two minutes ahead of her nearest competitor. She advances to next week’s state championships at Woodward Park in Fresno.

“I was just thinking it’s my last time and how sad I would be, and I wanted to end strong, and I had a really good pump-up song in my head, and that always helps,� she said.

Last spring, Williams became the first female to win three distance events — the 800, 1,600 and 3,200 — at the City Section track championships.

Palisades won the Division I girls title, and El Camino Real took the Division I boys title. Paul Luevano, a junior at Venice, won the boys’ Division I individual title with 15:01.55.

Rocha triumphs

Phillip Rocha of Arcadia turned in the best time at the Southern Section championships at Mt. San Antonio College, winning the Division 1 boys race in 14:35. Burbank Burroughs won the Division 1 team title.

In girls, Caroline Pietrzyk of Malibu had the best time in winning Division 4 with 16:58. Great Oak won the Division 1 title.

Comeback win

Down 24-0 at halftime on Friday night to Tesoro, Vista Murrieta came through with one of its best comebacks in a quarterfinal football playoff game. The Broncos won, 28-27, on Kyle Williams’ three-yard touchdown pass to Garrett Long with no time left.

The winning play, which featured a series of shifts, hadn’t been used since 2011, when it helped Vista Murrieta score on a two-point conversion against Corona Centennial, Coach Coley Candaele said.

“We’ve been saving it and waiting for the right time,� he said.

Long, a tight end, went uncovered on the play.

Vista Murrieta will play at Upland in a semifinal game in the West Valley Division on Friday.

Marine League domination

Three of the four remaining teams in the City Section Division I football playoffs are from the Marine League.

Carson will play at San Pedro in a semifinal game on Friday, and Narbonne will play at Garfield.

Follow Eric Sondheimer on Twitter @LATSondheimer