The562’s cross country and track & field coverage is sponsored by Joe Carlson & Debbie Hughes.
Following the departure of the fastest and most decorated runner in city history, things will naturally look a lot different in boys’ cross country this season.
The defending champion Millikan Rams will be without four-time Moore League champion Jason Parra in 2024, but there’s still a lot of talent and experience back on the line for head coach Pedro Ramirez. It’s been 40 years since the Millikan boys won consecutive league titles in cross country, but they’re certainly in a position to rewrite the record book come November.
“Yes, Jason’s gone, but we’re expecting to do well,” said Ramirez. “We got into the sweepstakes at Woodbridge, and that’s not because of Jason anymore. That’s because these guys did well as a whole, so I think we’ll be fine. Obviously, we want to win league, that’s our first goal, and then we would love to go to the state meet. Millikan as a team hasn’t gone to the state meet, so that’s always one of our goals, and continues to be a goal this year.”
At last season’s league finals, Millikan had seven of the top eight finishers, showing off their depth of talent. Four of those runners are back, with seniors Max Ramirez, Jack Brown, and Eric Plascencia, along with junior Aiden Ransom, the league’s runner-up at 15:23.
Coach Ramirez says he’s got nearly a dozen runners competing to be in the Top 7 for varsity, and hopes that competition will help the entire group. Junior Bryce Cobabe has improved over summer and sophomore Brandon Hinojosa-Garcia has been impressive as well. Senior Lucas Crockett and junior Lucas Lindsay will also be in the mix, along with a deep sophomore class.
It’s an open competition for a new face atop the Moore League, and Millikan is embracing the opportunity to find a new leader of the pack, all while defending their league title.
“I think the guys are excited because we do have a spotlight still on us, and now it’s their turn,” said Ramirez of his team. “And one of them is gonna be the top guy. So I think they are excited. I can feel the excitement that we do have a little bit of a spotlight on us. A lot of that thanks to Jason, but everyone else also. So I think there is excitement.”
The Wilson Bruins took second in the league last season, and their top returner looks to be junior Tommy Pincherli. His PR of 15:52 is tops on the squad, and he took ninth at league finals as a sophomore. Bruins head coach C.J. Brewer praised his work ethic in training and believes he could be a Top 5 runner in the league this season.
“Our practices are harder than our races,” Pincherli said. “When that gun goes off, and the race starts, I am confident in myself and my team’s ability to perform.”
Finishing right behind Pincherli at league finals was Cash Obando, who returns for his senior year. He’s emerged as a great track runner for the Bruins but will still be a factor in XC this season.
Brewer is high on junior Diego Sahagun, who recovered from an injury a season ago and should make big strides this season. Seniors Conner Nemoto and Chris Gentry have also seen big improvements lately and project to be in the Wilson lineup. Incoming freshmen Ethan Irvin and Dexter Mendez are a pair of multi-sport athletes who should be in the mix for the Bruins as well.
After seeing their 16-year league title streak come to an end last season, Long Beach Poly is eager to get back to the top of the hill. Head coach Eric Riehl says the team has really bought into offseason training, and he wants the Jackrabbits to have the confidence to win any race they enter this season, even if they now find themselves as underdogs on paper.
“We know that Millikan is really good right now, we’ve got a lot of respect for what they’re doing,” Riehl said. “We had a really good run for a while, and we’ve been seeing them improve over the years. And now we’re in that position where we’re looking to see those improvements year over year over year again.”
Junior Archie Byrom was Poly’s fastest runner at their season-opening Bun Run, and he’ll look to lead the way for the Jackrabbits in 2024. He’ll be joined at the head of the pack by senior Luke Deeble, who was Poly’s top finisher at last year’s league finals.
Senior Jeremy Siopongco, plus juniors Miguel Casas, Noah Chun, and Anthony Hernandez should all be in the Top 7 for Poly, as the depth looks to be stronger than it was a season ago.
Lakewood will be led by senior Gabriel Rojas, who was the runner-up at the Signal Hill meet last season and is also looking to build off a successful track season in the spring. He’ll be joined in the Lancers’ top three by seniors Mikkelson Reyes and Julian Miranda.
It will be a young squad at Cabrillo this year, with seniors Javier Palomarez and Jesus Torres providing the experience, along with a trio of sophomore returners in Fidel Perez, Julian DeMendoza, and Eduardo Salas.
“Our goal for this year is to improve overall as a team, and as individuals,” said Jags’ head coach Sandy Castillo. “We are taking this season one meet at a time, we have been working really hard all summer, and our runners are definitely learning to trust the process and enjoy the process.”
Over at St. Anthony, head coach Alejandro Salinas is in his third year as coach, and has a veteran group of runners he hopes will compete in the Santa Fe League and hopefully challenge for a spot in the CIF-SS finals.
Senior captain Thomas Gerard leads a strong group of 12th graders, which also includes Tyler Lopez, Corey Medina and newcomer Ander Mortensen.
Junior Gian Legaspi and freshman Brian Alvarado will also be in the mix for the Saints as they look to take more strides as a program in 2024.
The first Moore League meet of the season is scheduled for Wednesday, Sep. 25 at El Dorado Park and league finals will be held at Heartwell on Nov. 6. The CIF-SS finals will be Nov. 23 with the CIF State meet the following week.
