A gentle slope near the duck pond in the Bellflower-Clark block of Heartwell Park was the runners’ only reminder of the grueling hills at the last Moore League cross country meet, at Discovery Wells in Signal Hill. With the field leveled, so to speak, the Poly Jackrabbits ran away with the league title in both the boys’ and girls’ races, capturing their fifth consecutive double title. In front of an enthusiastic crowd of parents, friends, and curious joggers, athletes from every school in the city pounded the grass and pavement on the three-mile course that would decide the Moore League title, as well as the season’s individual league honors.
In the boys’ varsity race, the story was the same as it’s been for the last three years, as Wilson’s Edwin Rodriguez took first by about nine seconds, with a time of 15:28, or an average of just over five minutes a mile. The win means that Rodriguez will graduate without ever having lost a Moore League race, as he captured his ninth consecutive win, and his third straight league individual title. “I’m almost used to it,” he said. “I just have to focus on qualifying in the first heats at CIF. Racing for a state title, that’s my dream.”
Hot on Rodriguez’s hills were two Jackrabbits, as Carl Price and Christian Penn finished two-three. Poly had five of the top ten finishers, and Wilson had four, as Poly and Wilson went one-two in the boys’ varsity race.
The girls’ race, too, was ruled by a familiar face, the appropriately-named Dynasty Gammage, Poly’s sophomore phenom, who finished more than thirty seconds ahead of the competition, with a time of 18:03. She was followed by Haley Kirk of Wilson and Poly teammate Rachel Pavey, who were chased in by Millikan’s Jeannette Ortiz and Paisley Pettway. The strong finish by Ortiz and Pettway wasn’t enough to give Millikan its third second-place finish of the season, however, and it went Poly/Wilson/Millikan. Though Millikan took second in two of three meets, they finish third on the season because of the strange weighting system, which gives a fifty percent weight to the final meet of the season. “Wilson is very tough,” said Millikan girls’ coach Pedro Ramirez. “We got them twice this season, but they got us today.”
A highlight of the non-varsity races was the emotional first-place finish of Millikan’s Alexis Trujillo; the sophomore was in tears as she crossed the Frosh/Soph finish line for her first-ever first place finish. “After I got fourth at Signal Hill, I just knew I could push it. My team and my family really pumped me up today—my grandpa was here to watch me, and he never gets to see me run.”
After the races were over, all seven teams gathered to honor the individual members of the All-League Teams, as well as the programs honored for winning the team title. The members of the girls’ Varsity All-League team are, in order, Dynasty Gammage (Poly), Haley Kirk (Wilson), Rachel Pavey (P), Jeannette Ortiz (Millikan), Paisley Pettway (M), Elliott Gentille (P), and Emily Welsch (W). All-League Second Team members are Guadalupe Ulloa (M), Ricshallet Simes (Lakewood), Alexis Leyba (P), Janelle Stribling (P), Britney Roche (W), Christina Kirchhoff (W), and Mackenzie Brewster (P). Poly won the girls’ team title, followed by Wilson, Millikan, and Lakewood.
The boys’ All-League team are, in order, Edwin Rodriguez (W), Carl Price (P), Christian Penn (P), Andrew Godsil (W), Taner Ruegg (W), Sean Franklin (P), and Daniel Stuver (P). The All-League Second Team is Ryan Renfrew (P), Kamren Robinson (W), Chris Pleitez (L), Sean Price (P), Connor Stevens (W), Gilberto Martinez (L), and Edgar Gutierrez (M). Poly took the team title, followed by Wilson, Millikan, and Lakewood.
Since Cabrillo doesn’t suit a girls team, the top three girls’ teams will move on to CIF qualifiers at Mt. Sac next week—that will be Poly, Wilson, and Millikan. The top four boys’ teams will move on. “CIF is almost easier,” says Poly girls’ coach Nate Bershtel. “It’s so much more emotional in league because they’re running against people they’ve known since middle school, or elementary school. There isn’t that emotional connection in CIF.” Emotionally it may be easier, but the “Mount” in Mt. Sac will doubtless be less inviting than the flat, relaxing landscape of Heartwell Park.