CLASS OF 2000

Augie Escobar has always made great strides. His elastic frame, graceful gait and relaxed demeanor during races made sub-five-minute miles look like a walk in the park.

But when the Villa Park senior committed himself to a more focused lifestyle earlier this year, his abilities became advantages and his potential turned into production.

Escobar not only began to test his strength and stamina, but also his mind and willpower. At one time academically ineligible as a sophomore, he made studying a priority. He even began to clean his bedroom on a regular basis.

His resolve began to pay off at the Orange County Championships in April, when he won the 800- and 1,600-meter races. A month later, the versatile Escobar won the 3,200 at the Southern Section Division II finals, outkicking Ventura’s Josh Spiker by .4 seconds and finishing with a school-record time of 9 minutes 3.64 seconds.

But that was just a warmup for the Masters meet six days later on the same Cerritos College track. Escobar won in 8:56.23, edging Spiker by a half second.

It was the 11th-best time in Orange County history and remains the third-best outdoor mark among high school runners this year. And it was a huge improvement on his best time as a sophomore, 9:39.11.

“When we ran 8:56, I didn’t think I was going that fast,” Escobar said a few weeks after the race. “I could have easily run 8:50.”

A week later at the state finals in Sacramento, Escobar finished third in 9:02.49, behind Spiker (9:02.00) and San Diego Serra’s Marcus Chandler (9:02.22).

The Escobar-Spiker rivalry will continue, with both returning for their senior seasons.

Last year, Escobar finished third in Southern Section Division II cross-country and was 11th at state.

But that was before he started cleaning his room.