ESPN RISE

ESPN RISE takes a look at the teams to watch this fall in the greater Los Angeles area:

Girls' Cross Country -- Saugus
Last spring, the Centurions copped Team of the Year honors at the 710 ESPN Southern California Sports Awards. NFL star LaDainian Tomlinson spoke at the banquet and everyone got dressed up - except, that is, the girls from Saugus. Since the team had a meet that afternoon, coach Rene Paragas and several of his runners raced directly from the track to the ballroom, battling rush-hour traffic along the way. As a result, they never got a chance to change out of their track suits. But there was something appropriate about their attire because nothing about Saugus cross country is glamorous. "I always think this team is more about substance," Paragas says. The team's success comes from its runners' willingness to start a 10-mile run at 6:30 a.m. to beat the summer heat. And then come back at 5 p.m. and run another five miles. That dedication has led to back-to-back Division I state crowns for Saugus. This year's team returns four of its top five from last year in sophomore Kaylin Mahoney, junior Amber Murakami and seniors Anne Randall and Brianna Jauregui, plus seniors Courtney Wilson and Keri Molt. "We're going to be very strong," Paragas says. "We have a very good group back, we just need a little bit of depth." Freshmen Karis Frankian and Katie Shirley could provide that depth. The Centurions will have to make up for the loss of Katie Dunn, the team's top runner last year. Of course, last year's team had lost its top runner from 2006 and things turned out pretty well.

Football -- Orange Lutheran
The Lancers appear primed to recapture the glory of their 2006 season, when they won the inaugural Division II state championship. After going 10-2 last year, Lutheran returns stud running backs Exavier Edwards (junior) and Kyle Dravis (senior), who lead the offense. Defensively, the team will rely on seniors Jeremiah Pemasa (DB), who had 11 interceptions last year, and Garrett Gilliland (LB), who had nine sacks. Two-way lineman Kapono Asuega anchors things up front.

Girls' Volleyball -- Lakewood
There's no doubt the Lancers will miss stars Jessica Thomas and Megan Johnson, who graduated last spring. But the defending Division I state champs have plenty of talent back, led by last year's championship MVP, junior Jaz Orozco. Also back is junior Taylor Hollins. Lakewood finished last season 29-7 and ranked No. 24 nationally by PrepVolleyball.com. With plenty of talent back in addition to Orozco and Hollins, expect similar numbers this time around.

Boys' Cross Country -- Dana Hills
The Dolphins cruised to a Division I state title last fall, finishing with 65 points while runner-up Murrieta Valley had 135. The bad news for the rest of Division I? Dana Hills returns four of its top seven from that squad, including three of its top four. Back for another run at a state crown are seniors Tyler Valdes (fifth at state last year), David Moonan (30th), Ryan Valdes (32nd) and Anthony La Cambra (53rd).

Breakout teams

Girls' Golf -- Cerritos
Super sophomores Beverly Vatananugulkit and Monica Umpant lead team looking for SoCal and state titles.

Football -- Rancho Verde
Mustangs return a pair of senior ESPN RISE All-Area choices in RB Daniel Jenkins and LB Eric Martin.

Girls' Tennis -- Valencia
Senior Isabella Fraczek returns as Vikings try to win section title after losing three finals in a row.

Boys' Water Polo -- Los Alamitos
Seniors Austin Trinkle, Forrest Watkins and Michael Delaney all return to Division I semifinalist.