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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. <\/span>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. <\/span>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.<\/span><\/p>\n<\/object>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. <\/span>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. <\/span>“I’m almost used to it,” he said. <\/span>“I just have to focus on qualifying in the first heats at CIF. <\/span>Racing for a state title, that’s my dream.” <\/span><\/span><\/p>\nHot on Rodriguez’s hills were two Jackrabbits, as Carl Price and Christian Penn finished two-three. <\/span>Poly had five of the top ten finishers, and Wilson had four, as Poly and Wilson went one-two in the boys’ varsity race.<\/span><\/p>\nThe 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. <\/span>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. <\/span>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. <\/span>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. <\/span>“Wilson is very tough,” said Millikan girls’ coach Pedro Ramirez. <\/span>“We got them twice this season, but they got us today.”<\/span><\/p>\nA 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. <\/span>“After I got fourth at Signal Hill, I just knew I could push it. <\/span>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.”<\/span><\/p>\nAfter 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. <\/span>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). <\/span>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). <\/span>Poly won the girls’ team title, followed by Wilson, Millikan, and Lakewood. <\/span><\/p>\nThe 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). <\/span>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). <\/span>Poly took the team title, followed by Wilson, Millikan, and Lakewood.<\/span><\/p>\nSince 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. <\/span>The top four boys’ teams will move on. <\/span>“CIF is almost easier,” says Poly girls’ coach Nate Bershtel. <\/span>“It’s so much more emotional in league because they’re running against people they’ve known since middle school, or elementary school. <\/span>There isn’t that emotional connection in CIF.” <\/span>Emotionally it may be easier, but the “Mount” in Mt. Sac will doubtless be less inviting than the flat, relaxing landscape of Heartwell Park.<\/span><\/p>\n <\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"
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